Luna Junction 1 Feasts with Wolves (W) Read online

  “Wow.” Even to my own ears it seemed a wholly inadequate thing to say. I was shocked. I was awed. I was…aroused again. Once I’d read some highly academic article about how cavewomen unconsciously sought mates who exhibited the most physical strength because it meant they (and their offspring) would have a better chance at survival.

  Frankly I didn’t care to examine the reasons behind the desire curling in my belly and bidding me to open my legs once more. Cade Landon shifted back into human form and met my want with his stiff extension. My lower body was lifted and pierced by that swollen organ again. Though the target was beginning to suffer some soreness I clutched his torso with my knees and encouraged him to ride me roughly.

  I groaned when I felt him finish again. “Damn, you’re good.”

  Cade chuckled. “I think you measure up too, my dear.” He retreated to a large armoire in the corner of the bedroom and removed a large blanket. I welcomed the warm cover as my skin grew instantly cold when deprived of his heat. He tucked the blanket around my body. I laughed suddenly. Cade raised an eyebrow in question. “No fairy tale,” I managed through giggles. “mentions that werewolves sleep in California king sized beds.”

  Cade reached under the blanket and playfully slapped my thigh. “Just because we’re animals doesn’t mean we don’t appreciated comforts. At least the Landons do. Of course the Ivanovs have been known to bed down in the woods when it suits them, though they risk the wrath of the hunters.” He bent low, whispering my name and kissing me softly.

  “Cade,” I answered and touched his hard muscled chest.

  We stared at one another for a long moment, then his body stiffened and his attention focused on the window. Dimly I could hear laughter. “The kids are back,” he explained.

  I nodded sleepily. I had almost forgotten about them all; Benji and Zane, Claire and Matthew. My eyes closed and right before I drifted off to sleep it occurred to me that I was more or less going to be Matthew Landon’s stepmother.

  Chapter 7

  The rising sun didn’t wake me, but the thick arm flung across my neck did. I opened my eyes and found Cade sleeping beside me, atop the blankets and still naked. I shook my head, smiling. The room was freezing but the werewolf snored in happy comfort. Over the blanket he had covered me with the plush robe and, shivering, I pushed my arms through and wrapped it around my body. I needed to find my clothes. And a bathroom.

  I didn’t want to wake Cade so I crept out of the room barefoot. I passed the room with the large fireplace where I had literally disrobed for Cade Landon in front of the fire and sealed my fate. The large picture window was uncovered and the world outside looked fresh and cold. Winter sunlight glinted off the new snow, contrasting beautifully with the surrounding evergreen woods. I paused for a moment, gazing out at the picturesque landscape. I had embraced my new role as soon as Cade entered me but at some point I was going to have to explain things.

  “Hey Dad. Did Mom tell you? I met a nice guy who’s twice my age. So I’m quitting school to be his mate. Yeah, I said mate. Well, because that’s what these werewolves call it…”

  I grinned ruefully. I supposed I would have to leave that last bit out. My shiny, affluent parents might eventually come to terms with a reckless elopement. But I sort of doubted they would accept the interspecies element. They didn’t even like dogs.

  When I entered the cream and blue guest bedroom I received a slight shock in the form of flagrantly naked Matthew and Claire. They slept peacefully in Claire’s bed, limbs wildly entangled. I tiptoed across the floor and quickly gathered up my backpack. As I began to retreat from the room, I noticed an eye watching me.

  Matthew made no move to cover up. He only observed me with quiet curiosity. I felt the blush creeping across my face. It wasn’t often that a girl stood there before her nude former semi-boyfriend after she’d spent the night in carnal positions with his father. At least…it shouldn’t be often.

  There was no hostility in his gaze, though I was certain he knew where I’d been. Claire emitted a happy sleep moan and Matthew wrapped his arms around her, shutting his eyes once more. I closed the door gently.

  By the time I’d showered and dressed, anxiety was resurfacing. I’ll present you at the Yule tomorrow. What did that mean anyway? It had been less than twenty four hours since I learned what really populated Luna Junction. Was I now to be paraded gaily in front of gaggles of werewolves as Cade Landon’s mate, sort of like an underworld wedding? There was bound to be some tension. Cade had mentioned how some of the families condemned the idea of human mates. And though Claire was sweet, her family sounded like another matter.

  I hadn’t thought to bring a blow dryer so I towel dried my thick auburn hair as best I could. I did not know how much time had elapsed but I heard the faint stirrings of activity in the house. I wondered if Cade was awake. The mere thought of his name induced a rush of moist heat between my legs. Whenever I had indulged in steamy bodice-rippers I always thought I was missing some important feature of wantonness. Hell, who didn’t want to ‘quiver with anticipation as his mighty member prepared to plunder her secret folds.’? Now that I had finally experienced those impossible heights all I wanted was to do it again.

  I swung open the bathroom door and saw Benji standing in the hallway. “Shit, I’m sorry. Were you waiting long?”

  He shrugged, shyly averting my eyes. “Nah.” He shuffled his big feet and waited for me to pass. I felt I should say something to him but had no idea what he was thinking. For all I knew he thought of me the same way I thought of Becca Blowjob.

  I heard some activity in the kitchen so I headed in that direction. Cade was industriously gathering implements and ingredients. “Good morning, gorgeous,” he said without turning around.

  “How did you know it was me?”

  He turned and winked, wrinkling his nose. “Wolf senses.” His loose t-shirt clung to his muscles in the most appealing manner possible.

  Lord how I wanted him. Even though I realized there were others up and about at this point, I half hoped he would bend me over the kitchen island and sink himself into me. Taking a deep breath, I idly picked up a small bottle. “’Cade’s Craft’” I read. The bottle was little larger than a salt shaker and held a mix of spices advertised to season ‘All Types of Meat’.

  Cade noticed what I was holding. “Yeah, that little product is our bread and butter around here. We even ship to the east coast now.” He began whisking ingredients together in a bowl. “My mother was a chef, before she mated with a Landon alpha. She taught me all her tricks.”

  “Oh,” I said. Stupidly, I had never even considered how the Cade Landon made a living. I replaced the bottle on the counter and took a deep breath. “And they learned to accept her, didn’t they?”

  Cade frowned. “She was accepted, even loved. But things were different then. The hunters moved in about twenty years ago, bringing suspicion and violence with them.”

  “Cade, who are the hunters?”

  His mouth was set in a grim line. “They are humans with a peculiar ability to identify shifters. Some say they are descended from lines which once were shifters but the blood became so diluted that only that one ability remains, rendering them bitter.” He paused. “I don’t know if that’s true or not. They have evolved into a strange religion dedicated to reigning in werewolves. Mostly they just engage in menacing observation. But when they convince themselves we pose a threat to humanity, they don’t hesitate to hunt us.”

  I was having difficulty absorbing this. “Hunt you? Is that legal?” I was picturing a Bugs and Daffy cartoonish exchange. Duck season! Rabbit season! Werewolf season!

  Cade roared with laughter. “Legal? Tatum, sweetheart, the laws of the land you were born to are rather moot here.”

  I was quiet, my fingers drumming lightly on the block wood counter. This was a whole universe unto itself. It seemed like an awful lot to keep under wraps. “Are there many humans who know about your, um, kind?”

  “Yes, q
uite a few. It’s to our advantage to maintain some positive relationships. Bribery is effective too.”

  “And how many werewolves are there?”

  Cade looked up from his cookery. “More than you think, honey.”

  My eighth grade math teacher’s name was Mr. Basque. He was a brooding, humorless fellow who was both unpopular and feared. You didn’t want to neglect your homework in Mr. Basque’s class because he would roar at you like a hellfire preacher. Freddie Fortune swore up and down that he’d been alone with Mr. Basque in detention one day and recklessly threw a pencil at the man’s head. Mr. Basque howled, his eyes glowing red. His face morphed into a hairy animal mask long enough for Freddie Fortune to piss his pants. Since Freddie Fortune was something of a bullshit artist, no one believed him. I wanted to find Freddie and tell him that I believed him. Now.

  I peered out the small window over the sink. Benji and Zane were goofing off in the snowy yard. “It’s Christmas Eve,” I said. I used to love Christmas Eve. Somehow the anticipation of the holiday was even better than the day itself.

  Cade’s arms curled around my middle before I even knew he was behind me. He pushed my hair aside and tenderly kissed the back of my neck. My heart pounded. I wanted him to touch me. With an abrupt turn I pressed my body against his and hungrily sought his mouth. He responded with equal fervency. Our tongues lashed together and he lifted me onto the counter, my legs on either side of his hard body.

  I pushed him back playfully. “You know what I want for Christmas?”

  “What, honey?”

  My fingers trailed down the muscular bulges of his chest and moved further down, toward the most swollen muscle of all. “You.”

  His breathing was rapid, his voice hoarse. “You already have me.”

  I looked into his dark eyes. “Do I?” I needed to hear it again, that he’d meant what he’d last night in the crazed heat of passion.

  Cade cupped my chin. “Tatum, I told you that you would be mine and now you are. I’ll never give you any cause to doubt me.” I opened my mouth to answer but he kissed me hard, cementing his possession with his tongue.

  He lifted me from the counter and returned me to my feet. I issued a small cry of complaint but a second later I knew the reason he had retreated back to the stove. Claire’s bright head popped into the kitchen. When I met her the day before I’d thought her a pretty girl but overnight she’d grown positively radiant.

  She smirked at me. “Morning. Did you sleep well?”

  “Probably as well as you did.”

  She laughed. “Then we’ll both be too exhausted to play hostess tonight.”

  Matthew quietly came up behind Claire and placed a hand on her shoulder. Cade soberly addressed his son. “So it’s settled then?”

  Matthew nodded and took a breath. “Yes.” Claire gripped his hand and they grinned at one another.

  Cade smiled from ear to ear. “Good.” He grabbed them both up in a bear hug and kissed Claire on the cheek.

  Matthew noticed me standing there awkwardly. He stared at me but spoke to his father. “And you?”

  Cade glanced at me. “Tatum is a Landon now.”

  Claire clapped her hands together with happiness and lurched toward me. Though she was a little thing, she picked me up and twirled me around. “Claire!”

  She put me down brusquely, giggling. “Sorry. I’m just so freaking happy!”

  I shook my head. “Damn you’re strong.”

  Her eyes were sparkling. “Of course. I’m a werewolf.”

  Matthew and Cade had begun whispering quietly. I understood they were talking about me. Claire must have noticed my troubled look. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I had little choice but to cooperate. “Call us when breakfast is ready,” she shouted over her shoulder. I scarcely had time to grab the coat I’d worn yesterday before being hauled outside.

  Growing up in balmy California, my experience with snow was limited to a disastrous weekend ski trip with my parents three years ago. It was a cleverly designed distraction from the news that they were getting divorced. I reached down and picked up a handful of the white powder. It was so cold my bare hands stung.

  Claire had no qualms about getting close to the stuff. She sprawled on her back and began flailing her arms and legs around.

  “What are you doing?”

  Her cheeks were bright red. “Making a snow angel!”

  The snowball hit me in the chest. I stared at it stupidly for a second and then looked up to see Zane’s laughing face. “Gotcha!” he said and darted away.

  Claire scrambled to her feet. “You’re gonna pay for that, junior!” She was scooping up armfuls of snow as she capered after Zane.

  “Are you okay?” The voice was soft as I brushed the snow from my coat. Benji lingered several feet away, looking at me worriedly.

  “I’m fine. It’s only snow.”

  He ventured a few steps forward. “No, I mean are you okay?” His voice was tense and I realized he wasn’t really asking me about the snow.

  “I’m fine, Benji.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and gave him a watery smile. “I’m not as frail as I seem.”

  “Good.” He scampered away after Claire and Zane.

  I stared at the distantly frolicking forms for a long moment. Directly overhead a loud caw got my attention and I looked up to see a large bird of prey circling in a lazy arc. It made me uneasy. I wondered how it had been for Cade’s mother, joining the Landon pack. If she’d been a chef she’d obviously enjoyed some personal success before Luna Junction altered the course of her life. Had she simply fallen in love and abandoned everything to embrace it? Just as I was doing?

  A sharp ringing tore me out of my reverie. Cade’s deep voice boomed from the steps as he rang a large brass bell. “Breakfast!” He waited for me, grinning as I hurried into his arms, craving just a brief reassuring moment of his warmth.

  Chapter 8

  The rest of the day sped by in a whirlwind of preparation. Cade and the boys had salted the pork and beef the day before and only needed to finish preparing the pits for slow smoking. I watched them hauling out the huge shanks of meat and asked where they’d come from.

  Cade had a giant pink pig flung over each shoulder. “Bellini keeps about a hundred head of cattle and a pen full of these plump guys.”

  “But I thought you guys liked your meat um, rare,” I said, remembering the pile of bloody steaks on the kitchen table.

  Cade shrugged under his burden. “Tastes run the gamut. Me? I prefer twelve hours of hearty smoking. Bellini too. The Ivanovs would rip the raw throat from a living animal if it wasn’t widely considered bad manners. My boys and most everyone else is somewhere in the middle so we’ll stagger the cooking to make everyone happy.”

  I nodded. “Got it.” Really though, I didn’t. Apparently the learning curve for all things werewolf was pretty steep. I knew I had only begun being schooled.

  “Hey, Cade?”

  He turned around when I called, his eyebrows raised.

  “How many of the Luna Junction wolves are coming here tonight?”

  He seemed surprised that I would ask. “All of them, Tatum.”

  I watched the Landons fussing with their meat and their smoky pits for a few minutes. My hands were clammy. I needed something to do. For all his skills, I hoped Cade also kept some baking ingredients in the kitchen because there was one thing I knew how to make. I didn’t know if werewolves ate Christmas cookies but baking my mother’s old butter cookie recipe would keep me busy for a while and keep my mind off the fact that very soon I was going to be surrounded by a few hundred werewolves, some of them likely hostile.

  The sky was clear as the night began to fall. Claire and Matthew cuddled on a creaky patio swing as the twins tended the smoking pits. I shivered beneath the bulky coat and carefully put the plate of cookies down on the gargantuan wooden table which already hosted towering plates of meat in variously cooked conditions.

  When Cade’s arms cir
cled me, I gave a little sigh and settled back. Already I had grown used to the contours of his strong chest. He smelled of smoke and masculine exertion. I let him turn me around and pull the coat around us so. My hands traveled down his body and stroked the outline of his swollen manhood. His breathing quickened, even more so when I licked the base of his neck. “Cade,” I whispered. “I need you.”

  His large hand, hidden by the coat, reached under my sweater, beneath my tight bra and stroked my full breast. “They’re almost here, sweetheart. Later. As many times as you can stand it.”

  I looked at him meaningfully. “I can stand an awful lot, sir.”

  He plunged a hand between my legs. “We will have to test your resolve, little girl.”

  My hand tightened around his arousal. “Do it.”

  The look in his eyes was ferocious. I half thought he would strip me and take me right there on the cold ground but he pulled away. He looked at the sky and breathed deeply. I rested my head against his arm.

  “Which way is east?”

  Cade pointed to a quadrant of sky which already held a handful of glittering stars. The faint glow of the rising full moon was beginning to be visible on the tree-lined horizon. He swallowed thickly and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “They’re here,” he said.

  Claire and the Landon boys stood beside us as a moment later the first headlights became visible on the winding country road. The line of vehicles seemed endless. A few honked as they approached. Cade’s arm crept firmly around my shoulders. Matthew turned and gave his father a meaningful glance which Cade responded to with a small nod.

  The first pickup truck had scarcely rolled to a stop when a large florid man spilled out of the driver’s seat. “Landon!” he boomed, huffing in our direction, “I’d better get dibs.”

  “Naturally, Carmine. They’re your animals.”

  His stomach already hung over his pants like a sloppy Santa Claus. I didn’t know how much more food he could stuff in there before he busted open. He stopped suddenly, his nose in the air. His glittery eyes centered on me in a heartbeat. “Who are you?”