Her lips quirked, and she gave another light swat to my shoulder. “I’m being serious.”
I held her tighter, the need to keep her close to me was almost overwhelming. “As am I. Lamb, if you think I’m letting you go after this, you must not have paid close attention to all those werewolf romances lining your shelves. We’re a persistent lot.”
She smiled down at me and cupped my face. I leaned into the soft touch, trying to commit the gesture to memory. “You deserve better than some faulty love potion.” She whispered.
I didn’t care. What I deserved was irrelevant. What I wanted was right here. Smiling down at me like she didn’t have my world in her hands. “Tell me you’ll stay.” I demanded.
Her smile faltered, worry and indecision creeping into the big brown eyes I’d come to love so much. “Felix-”
“Don’t.” I said, stopping whatever excuse she was about to give. I gently gripped the back of her neck, running my thumb along the side. Her eyes fluttered closed, her lips parted with a sigh. “Lie to me if you have to. Just tell me you’ll stay when this is over.”
Her brow furrowed, and she bit her lip. I waited for her eyes to open again, barely breathing. When they did, the worry was still there, accompanied by unshed tears. “OK.” she whispered, “I’ll stay.”
I pulled her down and kissed her hard. Letting the desperation and possessiveness I felt run free. I nipped at her lower lip and she let me in. Wasting no time in running her tongue along mine in a dance of needy promises. I took advantage of her submission and dragged her down further. Molding her body against mine until not an inch separated us. She didn’t love me yet. I knew that, but dammit, she would.
When we broke for air, Brie lifted the covers off of us and I could no longer hide the sun from our little corner of the world. Her body relaxed when she looked out the window. “Hey, it’s daylight.” She breathed, a smile tugging at her swollen lips.
“Wonderful.” I grumbled.
Brie’s hands fidgeted against me, a timid expression on her face. “So, Fallon mentioned it would take him a few days to break through the jewel.”
I nodded, unsure of where she was going.
“There’s not much use in standing around worrying, so do you maybe want to…spend the day on a rowboat?” she glanced back at me. “I could show you around the safe parts of the bayou.”
“Sweetheart.” I said with all seriousness. Not bothering to hide the stupid grin on my face. “If I ever say no to that question, I want you to slap me.”
* * *
Curse the rain and all that it stands for. Large droplets of date-ruining evil pounded against the roof. Mocking me. As soon as Brie and I had gotten dressed, the weather shifted in an instant. Clear blue skies darkening into angry clouds before a sea of bullshit rained down.
At my side, Brie let out a long sigh. “Well, that’s too bad. Maybe it will clear up by the time I’m done with morning chores. The weather around here is unpredictable sometimes.”
I’m not leaving it up to chance.“Lamb, I have an errand to run down by the docks. Are you going to be alright by yourself for an hour or so?” I asked.
“Sure.” She patted my arm and headed out the door. “If you need me, I’ll be knee deep in sheep shearing.”
I held up a hand to stop her before she stepped out into the rain. “Quick question. If you primarily use this farm for milk, why do you have sheep?” Most of Brie’s livestock comprised a herd of pygmy goats, an angry-looking pinto stallion and three sheep thrown into the mix. It wasn’t nearly enough wool to make a profit on.
She shrugged and pulled up the hood of her coat. “I just like to knit and they’re cheap to keep.”
Right. I should have guessed from all the crocheted ornaments.I nodded and waited for her to make her way to the barn. When she was safely out of sight, I shed my clothes and transformed. Shaking off the post shift jitters, I took off into the rain and headed for the docks. Inclement weather wasn’t about to get in my way. Not when there was a storm dragon around.
In my wolf form, it didn’t take long to reach my destination. Angry looking waves beat against our ship’s haul. Yet the mighty Banshee hardly moved from her place in the docks. The large brig stood out against the smaller ships in Boohail’s port. Villagers often wondered by trying to get a closer look inside. Most probably never having seen anything bigger than the quaint hulks used to ferry goods to neighboring towns. Though only a select few have been brave enough to ask the crew for a tour.
The last being a little girl by the name of Lottie. Whose mother damn near had a heart attack when she spotted her daughter riding around on the shoulders of an orc. It was a pity the humans were still terrified of us. But we did show up unannounced after killing their goddess. So, I suppose it would be even more strange if they weren’t.
In my haste to board the ship, I almost ran straight into Holly. The centaur braced herself and moved her body to shield the woman behind her. “What’s got you in such a huff?” She asked. “I figured you’d still be stalking your woman somewhere.”
“I am.” I snapped. “No, wait. I mean, I am not stalking. Not anymore, anyway. She wants me around now.”
Holly’s brow raised, and she flipped her dark auburn hair over her shoulder. “Right, sure.”
“She does.” Her disbelieving grunt had me digging my claws into the wood floor, but I had bigger fish to fry. “Have you seen Dante?”
A blond woman, Priscilla, if I remembered correctly, poked her head out from behind Holly. “I saw him head down to Puffer Cove. It’s just a short walk down the beach.” She said, pointing to her left. Shortly after our merry band of misfits dispatched Myva, the former chosen hero, and Holly became attached at the hip. I didn’t think the sour faced centaur would have much luck with the ladies. But I’ve been wrong before. Thankfully, they took pity on the rest of the single crew and kept their loud rendezvous to the human’s home instead of the ship. Mostly.
Holly crossed her arms and shifted her weight to the side. An odd gesture to see on a half horse frame. “What do you need with Dante?”
