Chapter 36

Riley pulled off his clothes, all except his knit boxers, and dropped them onto the chair in the bedroom. He'd worry about them tomorrow. Right now, he was so ramped up, so electrified, he could hardly stand still. He and Lia had not left the Volkas until after midnight. She and Mike had pored over the book - now he could understand why they spoke of it in italics - trying to trace all the different places they interconnected. Looking for relatives who might still be alive and figuring out how they could find them.
"Shifters don't exactly have genealogy societies," he'd said with a chuckle.
Lia was in overdrive, so excited he wasn't sure she'd ever settle down.
"Do you realize," she said, "what this means? Maybe we can finally gather the remnants of the pack. We can be a unit again, even a small one." She tossed off her clothes, dropping them in a pile on the closet floor. "Oh, sorry." She grinned at him. "I'll pick them up tomorrow. Promise. I'm really a very neat person."
He laughed at her excitement. "It's okay. This has been quite a night for you, I understand." He reached out and pulled her naked body against his, stroking his hand up and down her spine and the curve of her sweet ass. He pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck where it joined her shoulder and nibbled on it just a little.
Beneath his touch, she shivered.
"Do you know what a gift it is to me that my being...what I am doesn't scare the crap out of you? Or make you want to commit me to either an institution or a zoo?"
"If Mike hadn't felt secure enough in our friendship to trust me with his situation, things might be different for us. But he did, mostly because of my long friendship with Jamie." He licked the place where he'd given her the little bite.
"You know how rare that is, right?"
He laughed. "I think I have a pretty good idea."
"And you don't feel, um, weird about me because of it?"
"Surprisingly, no. But...can I ask you to do something for me?"
She tensed beneath his touch, so he soothed her with a kiss on the other shoulder and more soft caresses over her wonderful curves.
"What is it? I'm so jazzed, I want to throw you down on the bed and have my way with you. Oh, wait!" She laughed. "I already did that last night."
"Yes, you did. Now I think it's your turn, and I have every intention of returning the favor in spades. But, first...." Would she do this for him?
She cocked her head. "What is it? Just spit it out. Our relationship seems to have progressed at warp speed, so I'm going to say anything is on the table. Let's have it."
He gathered his courage and asked, "Would you shift for me?"
She stared at him for such a long time he thought she was either going to refuse or grab her clothes and run out of the room. But if they were going to be together, he needed to know this part of her as intimately as every other part.
"Are you absolutely sure?" she asked. "Because I can keep this separate from the rest of our life."
He shook his head. "Not happening. It's all or nothing. That's the way I am."
Another long pause. Then, "All right. Go sit down on the bed and don't move."
He did as she told him, trying to relax, but he was tense with anticipation. Would it be the same as when Mike had shifted? Was it different for female wolves? What color would her fur be?
Lia positioned herself on the carpet about six feet from him, arms at her sides, a naked goddess with her lustrous mane of hair and her hazel eyes flecked with gold. She looked at him for a long moment then closed her eyes, let out her breath, and began to turn in a circle. Yes, it was exactly as it had been with Mike, the air around spinning. As she moved faster, the air became a blur, a thick cloud surrounding her until suddenly it stopped, fell away, and Riley gasped. A gorgeous white wolf stood in her place, with a sculptured head and a majestic body.
He was mesmerized, unable to move. Then the wolf padded over to him and rested her head on his knee, nudging his hand. Tentatively at first, then with a firmer touch, he stroked her fur, amazed at how silky and soft it was. He threaded his fingers through it as he rubbed the lines of her head and body, caressing her with unhurried strokes. The contact was electric, enthralling, surging through him, surprising him at how rapidly his cock swelled. When she turned her head slightly to nuzzle his palm with her nose, he wanted to throw his arms around her neck and hold her close to him.
My heart!
The words burst into his brain. Yes, she was his heart, as he wanted to be hers. To win her heart, and let her know in every way possible he would always be there for her, always take care of her. Always love her.
When she licked his palm, he could not stop himself from lowering his head to kiss the top of hers. Giving him a soft, nonthreatening growl, she moved back to her original spot, spun in her tornado-defined circle and, in seconds, a gorgeously naked Lia appeared in her original spot. She watched him with a wary look in her eyes, but she stood there proudly, waiting for his reaction.
"Magnificent," he breathed. "Exquisite."
He couldn't seem to find words expansive enough to describe the experience. He just knew his life had suddenly changed irrevocably, enriched by the woman and the relationship that had exploded into his life.
"Come here." He held out a hand to her. "Come to me, Lia."
She almost glided to where he sat and put her hand in his. He was swamped with a wave of emotion at the amount of trust she placed in him. At the way she was placing her heart in his care. He would do whatever was needed to deserve that trust.
"Come closer." He reached for her other hand and tugged her until she stood between his thighs. "You took very good care of me last night, Lia. Really good care. And I'm going to take care of you." He kissed each hand. "My glorious wolf."
She looked hard into his eyes, searching for answers. "Are you sure? My being wolf doesn't freak you out?"
He gave a rough laugh. "Not only did it not freak me out, it made me want you even more." He paused. "Love you more."
Surprise flashed in her eyes. "Love? You love me? This soon?"
"I do." He nodded. "I've heard things can happen just that fast. It did with Jamie and Mike. And it has with us." He tightened his hold on her hands. "I'm not turning away from it. Not when you are the best thing that's ever happened to me."
She smiled. "Me, too."