Page 29 of Midnight Whispers
He knocked again and then tensed when he heard an unnatural rustling of leaves, as if something was in the forest behind Cass’s house.
The wolf sighting from earlier had him spooked. And Riley wasn’t fond of the dark. The streetlights cast too many shadows for Riley’s comfort. The tree line hid dark secrets.
Cass’s front door didn’t face the road. Instead, it faced the inn. The expanse of the yard and Cass’s driveway separated the properties. On Riley’s left was the forest, and on his right was the road.
Riley’s gaze never left the tree line. So he saw the wolf when it came out of the dark as if it were a phantom being. It was bigger than Riley’s imagination had conjured. He’d never seen a wolf in real life, so he wasn’t sure what he expected, but the beast who seemed to walk straight to him wasn’t it.
It had black fur and gold eyes. He was pretty in a dark sort of way.
Riley stopped breathing when his eyes locked with the wolf’s. His heart felt as though it would pound out of his chest.
He took a step back.
It stopped a few feet away and sat.
Running was a bad idea, right? The wolf had a lot more speed than Riley. It would catch up with him in no time. But what if the wolf wasn’t an animal, but the murderer?
Riley held up his hand and began talking to it. Nonsensical words, but everything fled his mind when the wolf’s body distorted and bulged in places. Its skin seemed to suck in its fur until it was bare. Bones cracked. It had to be painful.
Riley turned to run.
“You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.” Cass’s voice was nothing more than a whisper, but it went a long way to easing Riley’s fear.
Riley stopped. His knees were weak when his body lost all tension.
Before Riley could turn around, he felt Cass against him, and then an arm came around his waist, anchoring him to a reality that seemed far fetched. Riley had a difficult time believing it.
“Holy shit.” A part of Riley didn’t believe Cass could shift into a wolf. His canine eyes didn’t matter to the delusional thought. “You looked just like the animal.”
“I have three forms,” Cass whispered in Riley’s ears. “Your heart’s racing.”
Yeah, Riley knew it was. He could feel it. “Three forms?”
“Mm-hmm. Human, wolf, and a form that is somewhere between the two. Like they depict us in the movies.” Was Cass sniffing Riley’s hair? Cass moved to Riley’s neck. He felt Cass’s breath against his skin.
Riley’s heart pounded for a different reason, and it definitely wasn’t fear. He had a sudden urge to touch Cass. He tried to turn in Cass’s arms so he could face him and wrap his arms around him. Cass held him in place.
“Not yet, mate. Let’s go inside first.” Cass’s whispered words confused Riley.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t have clothes on. We should go inside so I can get dressed.” But did Cass really have to?
Cass would be naked. Where would his clothing go when he changed forms? Of course, it made sense for him to take them off before shifting. And then something else occurred to him. “You must be freezing.” Riley tried to pull away, but Cass held on as he duck-walked them to the door.
“It’s cold. Especially on my feet.”
Cass opened the door, which was unlocked. Because, of course, it was. It wasn’t like a murderer ran around in the forest thirty feet from the door. Riley rolled his eyes at Cass’s lack of security measures.
“Shouldn’t you keep it locked? I mean, anyone can come in and surprise you.” Maybe Riley needed to apply for the job of Cass’s keeper. Cass needed one.
Cass chuckled. “I can smell everything and everyone who gets close, including you and your muffin. Smells like bananas and walnuts.”
“The muffin is my way of apologizing.” Warmth washed over him the second they entered.
The cabin had an open concept with a living room and kitchen separated by a small table.
The door clicked shut, and Cass released him. “I’ll be right back, baby. Make yourself comfortable.”
