curse of the alpha - episode 05 & 06 Read online

  CURSE OF THE ALPHA: EPISODES 5 & 6

  TWO-EPISODE BUNDLE

  TASHA BLACK

  13TH STORY PRESS

  Contents

  Copyright

  Episode 5

  1. Chapter 1

  2. Chapter 2

  3. Chapter 3

  4. Chapter 4

  5. Chapter 5

  6. Chapter 6

  7. Chapter 7

  8. Chapter 8

  9. Chapter 9

  10. Chapter 10

  11. Chapter 11

  Episode 6

  12. Chapter 1

  13. Chapter 2

  14. Chapter 3

  15. Chapter 4

  16. Chapter 5

  17. Chapter 6

  18. Chapter 7

  19. Chapter 8

  20. Chapter 9

  21. Chapter 10

  22. Chapter 11

  23. Chapter 12

  24. Chapter 13

  25. Chapter 14

  26. Chapter 15

  27. Chapter 16

  28. Chapter 17

  29. Chapter 18

  30. Chapter 19

  31. Chapter 20

  32. Chapter 21

  33. Chapter 22

  Afterword

  Also by Tasha Black

  Copyright © 2014 by 13th Story Press All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First Edition: October 6, 2014

  ASIN: B00MUWOK2A

  13th Story Press PO Box 506 Swarthmore, PA 19081

  [email protected]

  Cover design 2014 by Cormar Covers

  www.cormarcovers.com

  Episode 5

  CHAPTER 1

  Erik felt Ainsley’s heart flutter against his chest like a baby bird as he pulled her protectively into the circle of his arms.

  The wolves moved away.

  Erik began to breath again.

  They circled back. Again, the wolves passed the mouth of the cave where he and Ainsley hid. Erik knew they had caught the scent and it would only be a matter of time.

  “We’re going to have to make a run for it,” he breathed into Ainsley’s ear. “If you can’t change then I’ll carry you on my back.”

  “Won’t that slow you down?”

  “I’m fast.”

  “How fast?”

  “Really fast,” he whispered with more confidence than he felt.

  “One way to find out,” she whispered back.

  He could feel her smile against his cheek and his heart drummed.

  “Hold on tight,” he said. “And whatever happens, don’t let go.”

  Erik eyed the mouth of the cave and prepared to shift.

  CHAPTER 2

  A insley crouched in the impenetrable darkness of the dank cave. Her clothes were torn and bloodied and her hair tangled and full of brambles from her frantic run through the woods. Outside, giant wolves stalked, waiting to tear her apart.

  Ainsley had never felt so blissfully alive.

  Erik’s kiss had driven away the thoughts of anything else. She tried without much success to pull her mind away from it. It didn’t help that he was naked and holding her in his lap, whispering strategy into her ear as she nodded along and tried in vain to pay attention.

  She could still feel the warmth of his tongue in her mouth.

  “… just hold on tight. Whatever happens don’t let go,” he finished.

  Well crap. She had missed most of it.

  “So you’ll shift and I’ll hop on and not let go? That’s the whole plan”

  “Yep, that’s pretty much it from your perspective. And if inspiration hits, don’t be afraid to use some of that magical talent.”

  Ainsley nodded. It was sort of nice to think of her new ability as a talent instead of a curse.

  “But mostly just hang on. I want to keep you around,” he said gruffly.

  Before she could think too much about that last he was expanding rapidly. Though her mind knew that the wolf before her was Erik, she still took a step back. A small step - there was barely room in the cave for both of them.

  A cool snout nuzzled her arm. She held back a giggle and let her fingers play in his smooth, silken fur. He bumped her chest with the top of his head affectionately. Then he lay on the cave floor.

  Ainsley placed one hand on his massive shoulder and stroked down the curve of his back. She could feel each vertebrae, like someone had magnified a pearl necklace. He was large but he was no horse - his back wasn’t meant to carry things. The thought that she might hurt him made her hesitate.

  He turned his muzzle back to her and gave her a nudge.

  She threw one leg over and paused again. Was this really a good idea?

  Ouch!

  What the hell? Erik had nipped her.

  She hurriedly climbed the rest of the way onto him and could swear he was laughing, not just panting.

  “Laugh it up, fuzzball. If we make it out of here alive, I am so going to whack you on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.”

  As he rose up to his full height, she gave up trying to hold onto her dignity and focused on trying to hold onto him. His topcoat was long but slippery. His undercoat was less slippery, but too short. She tried just gently putting her arms around his neck but he shook and she flew off.

  She picked herself up and he nuzzled the nape of her neck.

  “Quit it. No more nipping,” she whispered.

  He nuzzled her nape more insistently, then lowered his head.

  Hmm.

  She scrambled up again and grabbed the scruff of his neck. To her surprise, it was easy to hold onto.

  He shook again but she held him tight between her knees and didn’t let go of his scruff. She stayed on board.

  Yes!

  He licked her leg, and the tickly feel of his raspy tongue made her giggle.

  Before she could think he leapt with all his strength. They burst through the vines and into the night air. The moonlight was almost blinding after the dark of the cave.

  In two giant leaps he was over the creek.

  Suddenly, she could hear the other three wolves, they were splashing through the creek, toward Erik, snarling. She put her head down into the shining fur on his neck and willed him to go faster.

  As though he heard her thoughts, the giant wolf expanded his stride. Trees blurred past them. His heartbeat drummed and she felt it like her own as she pressed against him. Soon, she could no longer hear the wolves behind them.

  Erik kept his new pace though. The wind whipped her hair and she lifted her head a little.

  It was exhilarating!

  If she shifted, would she be able to do this?

  Too soon, he was slowing. They came out of the woods back at the bank of the creek. Erik leapt into a stand of bamboo. Instead of crashing through it though, he followed a curving path. When they emerged they were in a huge meadow. The wind and rain whipped the lush grass. Ainsley could just see the roof of a cottage on a hill overlooking the clearing.

  Erik lifted his glossy muzzle and sniffed the air. He seemed satisfied with what he smelled and began trotting through the meadow toward the hill.

  They had thundered through the woods for an hour and Erik was barely panting. As the adrenaline rush faded, Ainsley found herself suddenly weary to her bones. Soft fur warmed her and the slow, hypnotic beat of his heart lulled her. The rhythm of these shorter steps was all that kept her awake.

  Finally, they reached the top of the hill. Erik carried her as far as the steps to the cottage, then stood next to t
he landing for her to dismount.

  She slid off his back and felt a pang of sorrow that the wolf would soon be gone. She chided herself, knowing that Erik was Erik, no matter what form he took. But their relationship was easier this way, without the sexual pull and the pressure to talk.

  He bumped his head into her chest again and she embraced his shaggy head, burying her face in his fragrant fur.

  When she let go, he bowed his head and slipped back into human form.

  CHAPTER 3

  A insley was struck all over again by Erik’s nakedness. The moonlight accentuated the contrast between the muscles and veins on his arms. A silky trail of fur led down his chest, but Ainsley managed to stop her eyes from following.

  He looked up and she was nearly lost in his luminous dark eyes.

  Somehow, she pulled her gaze away from his and stared down at her own hands instead.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “Let’s go in.”

  “Is this your house?”

  “Yes,” he said proudly.

  She tried not to stare at his perfect ass as he led the way in, but it was hard not to notice. If only she could take a quick picture for later.

  “So, this is why I bought the house,” he told her as they stepped into the screened porch, turning her shoulders to face back in the direction of the woods.

  Even in moonlight the view was breathtaking. The meadow stretched like a blanket all the way down to the bamboo forest and the woods below. A white finger stretching toward the sky in the distance caught her eye.

  “Is that…”

  “Our sycamore,” he confirmed.

  “Wow.”

  Our sycamore. Her stomach fluttered a little.

  “I’m working on clearing the bamboo. When that’s done, I’ll have a view of the creek in the wintertime.”

  She turned to take in the porch.

  The vaulted ceiling housed three ceiling fans with lights, spaced evenly as the porch wrapped around. The stone wall of the cottage met a natural mahogany floor. On the main part of the porch, a brown leather sofa with a colorful hand-knitted throw sat on a knotted area rug. One side table was stacked with library books. The other was laden with glazed mugs and little clay figures.

  The whole porch had a loved and lived-in look. It smelled like Erik Jensen and night air. Erik must have spent a good deal of time out here. She looked back at the view with the bright white bark of the sycamore signaling over the woods like a lighter raised at a concert.

  Our sycamore.

  How often did he remember her?

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Erik picked up a pair of faded blue sweats from the arm of the sofa and pulled them on. That made it a little easier for Ainsley to concentrate.

  “Nothing, I just… I like it. It feels like a tree house.”

  He smiled.

  “The rest of the house isn’t as nice. It’s kind of a fixer, but it’s got some character.”

  “My favorite kind of house.”

  He laughed and she followed him in. They crossed through the center hall and into the living room.

  Original chestnut paneling covered the walls. The sumptuous woodwork looked like it hadn’t been cleaned and oiled in a long time, but the elements were all there. Two floor-to-ceiling bookcases flanked the fireplace. Both were filled to bursting.

  Ainsley tried to steal a surreptitious glance at the titles. They were all over the place: a book of photos of Rodin sculptures, Commercial Real Estate for Dummies, the Game of Thrones collection, Agatha Christie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Wow.

  There was nothing else in the room. Maybe Erik was planning to refinish the pine floor.

  The continued into the kitchen. The old wooden cupboards had been painted so many times they were lumpy with old drips. Right now they sported a cheerful coat of pale yellow. The window over the sink looked out on the woods.

  Erik pulled two mugs from the open shelf over the sink and set the on the counter. He put on the kettle and placed a bag of peppermint tea in each mug.

  “Come on,” he said, and headed back to the hall.

  They climbed the stairs to a large open room under the eaves. The ceiling was low, Erik could just stand at the center of the room. An enormous mattress, covered in pillows and blankets rested on the floor under a large skylight.

  “Sorry,” he muttered.

  He’d probably guessed she wouldn’t like an unmade bed. Normally, he would have been right, but right now the bed just looked soft and warm and very inviting.

  He grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of boxers out of a dresser.

  “This is all I can offer you, but it’s warm.”

  Ainsley looked down at herself. Mud, sprinkled with a few glossy black wolf hairs clung to her. Her dress hung around her in tatters. She let out a small, disappointed sound.

  Erik laughed and pointed her to a door at the end of the room. She could see the claw foot tub already and it took all her restraint not to dash over to it.

  “Help yourself,” he said. “I’ll bring tea up for when you’re done.”

  Ainsley smiled up at him gratefully and flew into the bathroom. She tried not to look at the mirror. Instead, she stripped down quickly, throwing her ruined clothes into the wastebasket. Then she turned on the water, and rinsed off the first layer of muck in the empty tub with a washcloth.

  When she had gotten rid of the worst of it, she put the stopper in the tub and filled it with steaming water. Slowly, she lowered herself all the way in.

  Her body sung with pleasure. She swirled her head around in the water, then sat up and examined Erik’s selection of soap and shampoo.

  After fifteen minutes of pure heaven, Ainsley emerged from the bathroom feeling like a new woman.

  Erik was waiting on the mattress. It was made up neatly now, which made Ainsley smile.

  He must have used a downstairs bath to tidy up. He looked as neat and clean as she did. His t-shirt and boxers matched the ones she wore.

  He cradled a steaming mug of tea in his hands. Another was next to the mattress on a low table, which overflowed with more books.

  He handed her the tea and indicated a place on the mattress next to him.

  She lowered herself and took the mug. The tea was sweet and hot. They sat together in silence while she sipped.

  “What do we do?” she asked when she had finished.

  “I texted a few of my guys while you were getting cleaned up. They’re taking turns making perimeter runs until we get this squared away.”

  “You mean they’re…”

  “They’re in wolf form, patrolling the bounds of my property. Same as I did at your house.”

  “But what are we going to do…permanently?”

  “You need rest. We can figure it out in the morning, Ainsley.”

  She began to protest but realized he was right. She was too tired to think or worry or be of any use, even to herself.

  As she sank onto the mattress, he stood.

  “I’ll be right downstairs if you need anything,” he said with a tender formality.

  “No,” she almost shouted.

  He turned to her with a questioning gaze.

  “I mean, please…I don’t want to be alone.”

  Erik hesitated, but then smiled down at her. He reached up and turned off the light, then crawled into bed beside her.

  She snuggled into his warm arms. Oh, he felt so good. His heat was already soaking into her bones.

  Her thoughts raced. Ainsley worried that after everything that had happened, she might never be able to sleep again.

  She was asleep almost immediately.

  CHAPTER 4

  A insley woke from a dreamless sleep with her head on Erik’s chest.

  She had kicked off the sheet at some point in the night and he must have pulled off his t-shirt. Her back and legs were deliciously chilled from the air conditioning. Her chest and cheek soaked in the soothing heat that radiated out of Erik’s skin
.

  She opened her eyes. The skylight brought in gentle beams of sunshine that bounced off Erik’s gleaming dark hair. His eyelashes skimmed his cheeks. A five o’clock shadow highlighted the angle of his jaw.

  Surreptitiously, Ainsley shifted to see his body.

  Oh.

  He had a body like a young god. She took in his muscular chest and the six-pack abs that were like nothing she’d ever seen before. She wondered if it was all from being a wolf, or if he worked out. A lot.

  She snuck a peek at his face. He was still sleeping hard. She slid her hand from its former place on his chest down to those rock hard abs. Just as she began to marvel at the feel of them, she sensed him waking.

  Before she could remove her hand, he caught her wrist in a strong grasp.

  “Ainsley Connor, what do you think you’re doing?”

  Oh crap.

  “Um…”

  He laughed and brought her hand up to his face.

  “You want to feel this too?”

  He brushed her hand against his stubbly cheek.

  “Ow, it’s like sandpaper,” she teased.

  But with his face in her hand, she suddenly felt shy and serious.