He was dying, or at least he sure as hell felt like it. By the time they reached the cave, most of the lacerations had healed, a process which left him exhausted. Worry locked his jaw. Several times along the way, he’d tried telepathically communicating with his pack, only to find silence. Even Nik hadn’t answered him, meaning he was either too far away or was too busy to afford distractions. Gage refused to believe he could be dead. Nik was tough as nails. No way in hell the fierce wolf could succumb to something so vile as wraiths.

The cave wasn’t very deep, but it was secluded. Seclusion equaled safety; that much brought comfort to Gage, as it would mean keeping Danica protected from the dangers of the woods. She had no idea what the night could be capable of, of the abominations that lurked there, waiting for something innocent like her.

After laying him on the stone floor, Danica collapsed beside him, her shoulders heaving with heavy breaths. Her earlier hysteria had subsided, though Gage hadn’t stopped watching her the entire time. He was going to need a vacation after his Blood Moon set. Maybe, if she agreed to be his mate, he would whisk them away to a foreign country, something not quite so “on the map” and riddled with tourists. Peace sounded awfully nice about now.

Pain shot through his side as a sharp rock poked him between the ribs, right in one of his healing wounds. Gage buried his groan, not wanting to worry his mate further. She’d been through so much already, and she wasn’t even a full werewolf yet. The amount of control she’d shown as a newcomer to their world was nothing short of astounding. With all the care of touching a baby animal, he reached over and lifted her hair from her face, brushing the long blond locks behind her shoulder.

“How are you feeling?”

She laughed. “How am I feeling? Seriously? You’re the one who’s been mauled by ghost piranhas.”

“Ghost what?”

“Er, nothing.” She did that cute thing where she took her bottom lip between her teeth, shooting a protective surge through him.

His gaze softened. “I heard you screaming my name back there.”

She swallowed hard. “I just didn’t want anything to happen to you. It scared me, thinking I’d lose you. You’re the first decent person I’ve met in a while.”

He wondered how anyone could be cruel to his angel, and his hand clenched into a fist. He would destroy anyone who tried to hurt her.

She rubbed her arms, which had broken out into goose bumps. “When do you think Nik will be back?”

“I don’t know. We could be here for a while, depending on if he gets held up and when he can find help.” Gage prayed that was sooner rather than later. Not that he minded spending time alone with Danica, but spending the night in the cave wasn’t his definition of a romantic evening. And a girl like Danica needed romance.

“What made you stay?”

“Excuse me?”

“With me,” he added softly.

She paused, staring out over the trees in the valley below the bluff. Her legs were drawn up to her chest, and she had her arms wrapped around them. “You’re the first person in a while who’s wanted me around.” She laughed. “Guess you can say I’m a bit of a lone wolf.”

He smiled, but it was abruptly weighed down by guilt when she spoke. “Besides,” she said, “I’m marked now. You said there was no taking it back. The Change is coming whether I want it to or not, and going at it alone scares me ten times more than having someone to help me through it.”

His shoulders sank. Of course she wasn’t doing it just for him. How foolish could he be? Guilt weighed down the smile that had been there seconds before. “I’m sorry for bringing you into this.”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing,” she said, shaking her head with a wistful smile. “Truth is, I’ve been feeling a bit lost lately. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was working a job I wasn’t thrilled with because it paid the bills and taking it one day at a time. I was beginning to doubt I’d find someone special again to share my life with. I went to the bar to meet someone, and I did.” She smiled at him, easing some of his worry.

“What do you do for a living?” he asked.

“I work at Cassie’s Cute Cuts.” She frowned. “Only as the front desk girl, not a hair dresser. That is, if I haven’t been fired by now. I was supposed to be in this morning at eight.”

Gage winced. He hadn’t meant to get her fired. “I’ll take care of you.”

She set her jaw. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

“I don’t doubt it,” he said gently. “Something tells me you can look out for yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself. You’ll break, eventually. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

She stared at him thoughtfully. “What do you do? Besides being a packmaster.”

“I deal in real estate,” he said. “It’s a bit of an inherited business when you join our pack. We have rental properties all over the United States and several overseas. We all help out.”

“I see.” She shivered.

Gage opened up his arms. “Come here.”

She eagerly curled up next to him. For a moment they lay there, neither talking, just enjoying the silence. “So what’s the Change like?”

He thought his answer through. “The first time will be unpleasant.”

“It’s going to hurt like hell, isn’t it?” He grimaced and she sighed. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m breakable. As I said, I can take care of myself. I’m a big girl.”

“That doesn’t mean I like the idea of you being in pain.”

Danica shivered and he held her closer. She tensed at first, then her body relaxed against his. He closed his eyes, trying to memorize her scent. Her fear had washed away as she’d calmed down, and he could pick up on her smell. Roses. The woods. Arousal.

That last one sent a shiver of longing straight to his loins.

He wasn’t sure if she’d done it on purpose, but she nuzzled closer to him until their bodies were plastered together. Parts of his still-healing body ached in protest, but he firmly shoved those objections back down.

“Will I not be as horny after the Change?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Doubtful. Werewolves are horny by nature.”

“Oh. Then I’ll fit right in,” she said huskily.

His breath caught as she rubbed herself against him.

He growled deep in his throat, situating her so she was straddling him. “Does this hurt?” she asked with concern.

“No,” he breathed, shaking his head. He was lying through his teeth, but damn if he was going to tell her to stop.

She clung to him, moving her hips, her bare sex rubbing along his bulge. “I have to admit,” she breathed as he watched her nipples harden through the sweat-dampened material of her shirt, “that I’ve been fantasizing about you lately.”

“Also a side effect of the Fever.”

She shook her head. “Something tells me I would have anyway.”

He held onto her hips to help keep her steady. What he wouldn’t give to make love to her…. The urge to see her, all of her, overwhelmed him. To mark her with his scent, to claim her as his. Silently, he sat up, keeping her straddled on his lap, and began peeling her blouse up and over her head. She lifted her arms, leaving her naked from the waist up, except for the lacy bra. With deft fingers, he snapped open the clasp, and her plush breasts came spilling out. He tossed the bra to the side along with her blouse. He started to lift her up, intending to go for her skirt next, when she raised a brow and stopped him.

Gage sighed hard, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. I just wanted to see you… all of you….”

A sexy grin came over her face. “Well, this works both ways, you know. It’s only fair if you get naked too.”

He stared at her, his breath catching as she slowly undid the buttons on his shirt. She pulled it open, revealing the soft, black hairs along his pectoral muscles. He shrugged his shirt off, then reached for the zipper on her skirt. She stood. The skirt slid off easily, sliding down her long legs. For a moment, all he could do was stare.

She was perfect, with the right amount of softness in all the right places.

She slowly undid his zipper, and after some careful maneuvering, he was pant-less and boxer-less. They both stood there, naked, eyeing each other. A tear slid down her cheek. “Oh, Gage….”

With gentle fingers, she touched the quickly disappearing bruises on his skin. The cuts were healed. Having your skin sew itself back together in fast forward sucked, but he never let on it was painful as she ran her hands over his chest, his abs, his back. He brushed away the stray tear with his thumb. His queen had such a big heart.

“I’m fine.” He kissed her softly. “I’m going to be fine.”

With his free hand, he pulled her closer. With her bare breasts pressing against his chest, he could feel himself hardening, growing longer and more eager to mate with her.

She must have felt him brushing her leg because those gorgeous green eyes ducked down. Her gaze grew hungry and she licked her lips.

Pulling her to the ground with him, he leaned back and sat her on top of him. Though he was hard and ready to take her, he didn’t want to do so without her permission. She was testing this idea, of being his permanent lover, and he didn’t want to scare her away, not now that he had a chance of winning her forever.

In subtle movements, she began raking her sex along his shaft. He reached up and cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples with his mouth. She gasped, rubbing harder. He ran his hands over her body, reveling in her softness.

“What does mating feel like?” she asked, her voice ragged.

“I don’t know,” Gage admitted. “I’ve heard the bond between mates is incredible. You can feel their emotions, where they are. You’re linked closer to them than any other person, human or were.”

She smiled. “That sounds nice, to never be alone.”

He smiled back. “Yeah.”

He was leaning up to kiss her when a wolf howled in the distance. Gage sighed and squeezed his eyes shut as Danica looked toward the cave entrance. “Was that…?”

“Nik,” he said, letting out a slow, calming breath. “Sorry to cut this short, love.”

“It’s okay.” She climbed off him and began dressing, stealing one last eyeful of him as he rose. “We can take a rain check.”

He grinned. He liked the sound of rain checks. And a very naked Danica moaning his name and digging her nails into his back as he made her dizzy with pleasure.

He quickly dressed, pulling on his damp shirt and pants and not cherishing any part of it. Wolves didn’t like to be wet any more than humans. Another howl came. “That’s definitely Nik. I’d recognize his howl anywhere.”

More howls joined in, along with a blinding white light that spilled into the cave. Relieved as he was to be rescued—mostly for Danica’s sake—Gage wished he’d had more time with her.

Soon.

Danica got dressed, and he held her hand as they walked to the mouth of the cave. They squinted against the brilliant, pure light that seemed to come from everywhere as they walked to the river. A woman with flowing white hair and a blue dress stood in the center of the light on the opposite side of the river, surrounded by wolves.

Wraiths shrieked and swirled around her, but they didn’t dare enter her protective bubble. Raising her arms, she shot bolts of light through the wraiths. The bolts went right through the shadowy figures, disintegrating them as their screams filled the air.

The wolves growled and howled, pawing at the earth as if eager to get in on the fight.

Finally, she bellowed, “Enough!”

Light exploded from her, radiating through the woods like a bomb went off.

Abruptly, the light vanished, sucked back into the woman who now sparkled like snow. All the wraiths were gone.

“Wow,” Danica said. Beside her, Gage breathed a sigh of relief.

The woman smiled and walked across the river on a bridge made of warm, soft light. “Gage, it has been too long.”

Danica stiffened beside him, and he squeezed her hand, letting her know it was all right. “Penelope. It’s good to see you. Thanks for coming.” He gave her a quick, friendly hug.

“I couldn’t believe it when Nik called me and said you were stuck out here with wraiths. Honestly, what is the world coming to?”

“What did you do to them?” Danica asked, clinging to Gage’s arm.

“Oh, I banished them back where they came from. A little light and poof! All gone.”

Danica sighed with relief.

Penelope smiled and extended her hand. “Hi. You must be Danica. I’m Penelope. Gage is an old friend of mine.”

“Nice to meet you,” Danica said warily, eyeing the witch and Gage.

Penelope caught on and laughed. “Oh, not like that. He’s like a little brother to me.”

Gage rolled his eyes but smiled. “Penelope’s a White Witch, or a magic user in control of light and life. Her powers are about the only kind that can trump Black Magic, like what summoned those wraiths.”

“Obviously, someone knew you were coming. Those wraiths must have been summoned when you arrived. It takes a while for a summoning charm that powerful to kick in,” Penelope said with a frown. “Who did you say lived out here?”

“A generalist witch named Violet, I think. Well, at least, I thought she was a generalist. Apparently, she’s taken to dabbling in Black Magic.”

Penelope’s face scrunched up in thought, then she whistled. “I remember her. She’s a bit of a quack in the witching community. Keeps to herself a lot.”

Danica looked around at the woods. “You don’t say,” she mumbled.

Penelope grinned. “I had no idea she was this powerful. Guess appearances can be deceiving.”

“No kidding,” Gage murmured. He hugged Danica to him. She was chilled. He needed to get her warm before she caught a cold. Humans and weres had that in common—they could still get sick. “When we were snooping, we came across a name several times. Ever heard of a Mistress Black?”

Penelope pursed her lips together, thinking. “Nope. Doesn’t ring any bells. Sorry.”

Gage’s brows stooped. He’d really hoped Penelope would have a lead on who had hired the construction of the cloaking charm for Onyx.

Gage smiled at Penelope. “Thank you for coming to help us. I’d better get her home.”

“Anytime. You know where to find me.” With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared in a poof of pink smoke.

“Wow,” Danica said, blinking. “I need to learn how to do that. I’d never be late for anything again.”

“Sorry, love. That’s a witch trick, I’m afraid. Come. Let’s join the others and get the hell out of these woods.”