hadn’t dreamed of a prince who howled, either. Orgies had also not made the list. My imagination seemed woefully inadequate.
He didn’t answer. Probably he guessed, correctly, that there was no good response. After a while, my butt started to notice how cold and hard stone could feel. I got stiffly to my feet. I waited for my babysitter to take the lead, and I followed him out of the maze in silence.
When we returned to open ground, I took a good look at the house. It was a sprawling brick structure, more than adequate housing for twelve. It could probably hold twice that number without anybody feeling crowded. I made a silent bet with myself that whatever bedroom I was assigned to could hold my apartment two times over.
The lines of the building were graceful, classic. Whoever had designed the place had an eye for beauty and the skill to execute his or her vision. It had a sense of stability, and I guessed it was over a hundred years old.
This house had stood the test of time. The pack had endured since very early history, if my Internet search results could be believed. Slavic mythology went back to Neolithic times, possibly earlier. Which made sense, if humans and shape-shifters had evolved together.
I’d wanted to discover my roots, I reminded myself. Too late now to whine that ignorance was bliss. Besides, in my case ignorance was dangerous.
“David.” He stopped when I spoke, and turned back toward me. “Do you want to be the pack leader?”
“Not particularly.” His voice and face were neutral, giving nothing away, but I thought I detected tension in his body.
“Then why did you kiss me?”
His gray eyes took on heat. “I didn’t say I don’t want you.”
Oh . I tried not to trip over my own feet while I absorbed that one, and told myself not to make too much of it. Of course he wanted me. He was a male werewolf and I was a female approaching heat. Naturally he’d be willing to take advantage of proximity, and the upcoming sexual competition allowed a certain freedom to indulge.
Still, it was nice to hear that he just wanted me, no strings.
We went back inside without another word exchanged. My head buzzed with facts and speculation. Overload. I found myself longing for a bath and a nap. My stomach growled and I added a meal to the list, preferably one loaded with nutrients and something, anything, that would stabilize my metabolism.
The red-haired werewolf, Jack, met us in the solarium and fell in behind me as David led the way into the house. Jack was a little taller than me, but not so much that he loomed. His lean muscled frame made him seem less physically imposing than his broad-shouldered brother. “Where’s Zach?” I asked Jack.
“He has a meeting. Videoconference. The rest of the team is on a tight project delivery schedule, so you get me for company.” Jack grinned at me, obviously pleased with the arrangement, and I found myself relaxing in the face of his good humor.
“Project?”
“Yep.” Between them, they walked me through hallways and into a large, sunny kitchen. “This is the main campus of Neuri Enterprises, a web programming, design, and implementation collaborative.”
Werewolves with day jobs. I wanted to laugh, but really, they had to earn a living like everybody else. The taxes and upkeep on this place probably didn’t come cheap, either. “I guess you guys aren’t cut out for office life, what with your night hours and the inability to work around the full moon.”
“Corporate America is a bit too rigid to suit our lifestyle,” Jack said with a wink. “Most of our clients are at a distance, in New York, California, or at international locations. With phone-and videoconferencing, there’s not much need for travel or face-to-face meetings.”
Huh . The kind of business that could use a technical writer. “Maybe I should give Zach a copy of my résumé.”
“He has it. You’re hired.” Jack didn’t miss a beat as he pulled out a chair for
He didn’t answer. Probably he guessed, correctly, that there was no good response. After a while, my butt started to notice how cold and hard stone could feel. I got stiffly to my feet. I waited for my babysitter to take the lead, and I followed him out of the maze in silence.
When we returned to open ground, I took a good look at the house. It was a sprawling brick structure, more than adequate housing for twelve. It could probably hold twice that number without anybody feeling crowded. I made a silent bet with myself that whatever bedroom I was assigned to could hold my apartment two times over.
The lines of the building were graceful, classic. Whoever had designed the place had an eye for beauty and the skill to execute his or her vision. It had a sense of stability, and I guessed it was over a hundred years old.
This house had stood the test of time. The pack had endured since very early history, if my Internet search results could be believed. Slavic mythology went back to Neolithic times, possibly earlier. Which made sense, if humans and shape-shifters had evolved together.
I’d wanted to discover my roots, I reminded myself. Too late now to whine that ignorance was bliss. Besides, in my case ignorance was dangerous.
“David.” He stopped when I spoke, and turned back toward me. “Do you want to be the pack leader?”
“Not particularly.” His voice and face were neutral, giving nothing away, but I thought I detected tension in his body.
“Then why did you kiss me?”
His gray eyes took on heat. “I didn’t say I don’t want you.”
Oh . I tried not to trip over my own feet while I absorbed that one, and told myself not to make too much of it. Of course he wanted me. He was a male werewolf and I was a female approaching heat. Naturally he’d be willing to take advantage of proximity, and the upcoming sexual competition allowed a certain freedom to indulge.
Still, it was nice to hear that he just wanted me, no strings.
We went back inside without another word exchanged. My head buzzed with facts and speculation. Overload. I found myself longing for a bath and a nap. My stomach growled and I added a meal to the list, preferably one loaded with nutrients and something, anything, that would stabilize my metabolism.
The red-haired werewolf, Jack, met us in the solarium and fell in behind me as David led the way into the house. Jack was a little taller than me, but not so much that he loomed. His lean muscled frame made him seem less physically imposing than his broad-shouldered brother. “Where’s Zach?” I asked Jack.
“He has a meeting. Videoconference. The rest of the team is on a tight project delivery schedule, so you get me for company.” Jack grinned at me, obviously pleased with the arrangement, and I found myself relaxing in the face of his good humor.
“Project?”
“Yep.” Between them, they walked me through hallways and into a large, sunny kitchen. “This is the main campus of Neuri Enterprises, a web programming, design, and implementation collaborative.”
Werewolves with day jobs. I wanted to laugh, but really, they had to earn a living like everybody else. The taxes and upkeep on this place probably didn’t come cheap, either. “I guess you guys aren’t cut out for office life, what with your night hours and the inability to work around the full moon.”
“Corporate America is a bit too rigid to suit our lifestyle,” Jack said with a wink. “Most of our clients are at a distance, in New York, California, or at international locations. With phone-and videoconferencing, there’s not much need for travel or face-to-face meetings.”
Huh . The kind of business that could use a technical writer. “Maybe I should give Zach a copy of my résumé.”
“He has it. You’re hired.” Jack didn’t miss a beat as he pulled out a chair for
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