Page 88 of Sapphire Flame
Ryan smiled. “I knew you would. I’m having steaks brought in and the grill fired up. Beer. Potato salad.” He met Natalie’s gaze. “I asked around and the best Italian Revel restaurant said you often order pasta primavera. I took the liberty. They said for you, they’d deliver. Will that do? There’s time to change the order if you want.”
“Sounds perfect. Exactly what I would want.” She smiled, then added, “And a beer or two as well.”
“Then we’re set.” He shifted his gaze to Grant. “Anything else, Boss? We’ve only got a couple of hours til dawn. We’re bedding down here for the day, right?”
“Yes, just for tonight, though.”
Ryan’s expression sobered. “How’s Alanna?”
“Shaken up. She was fighting her abductors when the van drove up. She’s strong, that one.”
“She’s…special.” There was just enough of a pause that Natalie watched him closely. “She’s got spirit.”
“I suppose,” Grant said, his gaze drifting to the warriors now flying overhead. “For now, she’s safe at Agnes’s.”
“Good. That’s good.” Ryan looked relieved which confirmed Natalie’s suspicions that the young wolf, in a very short time, had gained Ryan’s attention.
For the next hour, Natalie kept her wolf at the fore and set her to running around the property as well, even along the canal-side stretches. Between her wolf and the men patrolling everywhere, they would know if the fae, Kryder or anyone else made an appearance.
The steaks arrived along with her pasta dish. She sat with Grant in the garden at a table not far from the canal. She ate her pasta and sipped her beer.
“Your wolf is working,” Grant stated as he sliced off another very red bite of porterhouse.
“Yes, she is. She might just be the best thing that could have happened for me, given Kryder’s fixation on my abilities.”
“You’re right. I also wonder if she’s a wild card, that maybe Kryder didn’t know about her.”
“It’s possible.” She watched his expression as he chewed. She had to smile. “You are enjoying that steak.”
“Hell, yeah I am.”
His complexion glowed as he dined on the rare meat. The men were wolves. She suspected they’d all be happier if they could hunt for their food and not just buy it packaged from the supermarket.
There was continual talk of moving Savage Territory to the White Mountains in the northern part of the state. She supposed one day it could happen, but it would take years to move the Federal legislature to approve plans for a hundred square miles of National forest to be set up as a preserve foralterwolves.
Finishing her last bite of pasta, she realized she longed for some solitude. Though it was barely one in the morning, she was worn out. Of course, learning new skills and getting shot up in a rescue, might have had something to do with her need for rest.
“I’m about ready to retire, Grant. I need to rest. But feel free to hang with your wolves if you like. I’ll keep my wolf roaming the house for a while yet, as well.”
“Sounds like a plan. But are you okay?”
“I am. Just a little tired.”
When she rose from her chair and started to pick up her dishes, one of the wolves was before her. “I’ll get that for you, ma’am.”
She was surprised by his deferential address. “I’m not—” But Grant caught her hand and warned her with a quick squeeze. She addressed the wolf. “Thank you.”
When he was gone, Grant rose to his feet as well. “As long as you’re with me, you’ll find the wolves will want to take care of you. They’ll see it as their obligation. It’s a pack-rank thing.”
She met his gaze. “Am I with you?”
He offered a crooked smile. “For now, yes.”
She wanted to ask about the future, but it didn’t make sense to broach the subject. They were lovers at this point, there was no doubt about that. But could they be more? She was fae. He was a wolf working toward become an alpha of an entire pack. Maybe if he’d been a permanent beta like Ryan, the discussion would be much simpler.
As it was, she repressed her concerns then she kissed him again. “See you in a little while.”
She almost said she intended to have a nice soak in her bathtub but thought the better of it. No doubt one mention of her being naked in water would have prompted him to follow after her. In any other circumstance, she would have done so. But with a dozen wolves around, she wasn’t exactly eager for all of them to know what they were up to.
