Tristan's Lyceum Wolves

Chapter Seven

Crimson droplets splashed her face. She tried smearing them off with her hand but they kept coming down harder until she was drenched in the sticky sanguine spray. She felt heavy, her clothes sodden with blood. Then she heard it; the voice. Whipping her head toward the ear-piercing scream, she winced, covering her ears. Then she saw it; the vampire, the fangs.

In a flash of a dream, she was shackled by iron cuffs to a wooden cross, teeth snapping in the distance. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing it to go away. But the creature wanted all of her: her flesh, her blood, her mind. Metal cut into her wet wrists; she was almost loose. A little more and they’d fly open. Escape was imminent. Her eyes snapped open; she only caught a glimpse of the razor sharp fangs before they sliced into her neck, tearing the tender skin to shreds.

Kalli screamed bloody murder, jolting upright in bed, throwing the covers aside. Sweat misted over her entire body. Clammy, she shivered from the cool air conditioning that stung her skin. She surveyed her surroundings; the quiet hum of a noise cancellation fan rested on her nightstand. Used to the urban sounds of the city, she reached over and flipped off the switch. Noticing the food and drink that had been set out next to it, she grabbed a few crackers and some ginger ale, sighing in relief at how good it felt to put sustenance back into her body.

After using the bathroom, she sat back in bed, still so very tired from the blood loss. She hoped by morning she’d feel stronger, be able to leave. Uncomfortable, she yanked at the collar of her t-shirt, finding it dampened. She couldn’t sleep in the wet shirt, so she pulled it up over her head and turned to hang it on the corner of the headboard. Reacting to the cold, her nipples hardened instantly and goosebumps broke out all over her skin. As she twisted back around to grab the blanket, she saw the shiny eyes of a wolf standing in her doorway.

Deep in sleep, Tristan had heard the bloodcurdling scream emanate from down the hallway. Kalli. Immediately he shifted to wolf, readying for a fight. As he raced toward her room, he sensed that no one else was in his home. He poked his head into her room, careful not to scare her, and saw her consuming the snacks he’d left her. Thank God she was all right. She must have been dreaming.

He quickly fell back into the shadows, and stole off to check the rest of his condo. It would have been nearly impossible for someone to have gotten into his home without him knowing. Guards blocked the only elevators up to his home twenty-four by seven, and once inside, one needed a security code to ascend and then a separate code to open the door into the home. Both the private and public elevators had different combinations. The stairwell was the only other way in, and he’d installed a double set of steel security doors, again with sequencing codes and biometric security scans. He couldn’t be too careful, sensing a war was upon them.

One more check of Kalli, and he swore he’d go back to bed. His brain and body needed rest, so he’d be one hundred percent in the coming days. Coming up to the guest room, he padded slowly and quietly, trying not to alarm her. She hadn’t seen his wolf yet. Being that she was human and a veterinarian, she might not take too kindly to seeing a wild animal on the loose.

Within minutes, he returned to her and came upon the most fascinating and spectacular sight he’d ever seen in all his long life. Kalli. In the dim light, he observed intently as she grasped the hem of her shirt, exposing her creamy white breasts to the midnight light of the moon. Her perfect peaks protested the brisk temperature in response. As she moved to hang up her shirt, her hair swept over the tightened, pink areolae, hiding then revealing them, teasing him as he watched.

He knew he should leave, but was undeniably captivated by her beauty and the mere sight of her skin. She reached for the blanket, and froze. He was tempted to leave but instead he found himself slowly stalking her bed, as he had earlier in the evening as a man. Surprisingly, she sat still, letting him view her bare and defenseless.

Kalli knew it was him. Tristan. My God, he was magnificent. Lush black fur with the same amber eyes that had enthralled her earlier, he was the most stunning wolf she’d ever seen. She glanced down at her skin, well aware of her nudity, and realized that she wanted him to see her. Her wolf wanted it too, but unfortunately, she was well caged and could only admire how strong and dominant he truly was from afar.

Slowly she reached for the covers, and laid her head back on the pillow, never losing eye contact with her wolf. “Tristan,” she whispered and curled onto her side facing him. “Come lie next to me. I’m not afraid. You can stay how you are. Please come sleep and protect me,” she asked in a soft voice. There was no denying that she wanted the man, but tonight in the darkness, she felt safe with the wolf.

Tristan’s heart jumped at her words. Even if she were unsure of wanting him as her Alpha, she wanted his protection and accepted his wolf. He found it extraordinary that she was capable of knowing it was him and that she spoke to him, cognizant that he understood her as if he was man. He went to her, curling into her side.

Kalli laid motionless, wrapped in soft fabric, oddly relieved he’d come to her. Within minutes, she could feel his warmth radiating through the covers. She relaxed, certain he would not shift. The last time she had slept next to a wolf, she’d been a young girl, nuzzling with her friends as the adults ran without them. But as an adult, she’d feared both the males and females, well aware of the brutality they could inflict. But at the moment, she felt a sense of tranquility and closeness that she’d never experienced as a woman.

No words were spoken. And while she knew he’d seen her naked, there was nothing sexual about the experience. It was a demonstration of trust. He revealed himself to her, and she revealed herself to him. It may have appeared as a physical exchange to an outsider, but she recognized the importance of the interaction; a significant milestone that created a bond between them. With deliberation, she reached over and placed her hand upon him, silently thanking him for saving her.

Tristan eased into her touch, trying to ignore the message his wolf was sending him. But he couldn’t deny that he hadn’t felt such intimacy with a woman for as long as he could remember.