Page 69 of Ember's Claim
Erm, it might not be a tall enough peak to qualify as a mountain, but it is a very impressive set of hills, and there’s a waterfall.
This was the best I could find without leaving pack land.
I can only pray she likes it.
Wolves in nature build dens in holes or caves. Shifters aren’t exactly like their animal counterparts, but I have to assume her wolf will appreciate the effort.
The sounds of crickets and other bugs fill the air. It’s a beautiful night, with the moon seeming to hang low in the sky. I’m far more focused on the beauty wrapped around my chest.
My magic is waning. Immediately before a full moon is the weakest it’ll ever be, but with considerable age comes considerable power.
Not to be cocky, but I’m never weak.
I’d just prefer to save the majority of my magic for if there’s an emergency, meaning, once we reach the bottom of the mountain—hill, whatever—I use my physical strength to walk us up the next crest.
Ember’s head tilts the closer we get, and her eyes illuminate with her wolf. I’m sure the beast can make out all the details. It’s not a massive waterfall, but it makes for quite the romantic backdrop—I hope.
The rocks glint with the reflection of the moonlight, and the small pond would be intimate enough to make for a solid date.IfI didn’t know what hides in the cave behind the falls.
Ember twists even farther in my hold. “Holy shit, Lorcan.”
“This isn’t just for you, lovely.” I chuckle as her nose wrinkles. “I’ve got a persnickety alpha wolf to impress. I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to her looming over me, angry I didn’t put in the effort to court her too.”
Ember snorts. “Suck-up.”
“It’s a cave.” Ember spins in a circle, appraising the environment. “Dusty, lots of rocks, and the ground is hard, but that pool is pretty freaking incredible.”
I slide up behind her, wrapping my hand around her middle. “It’s a hot spring. I planned to take a quick dip if you’d like to join me.”
Ember turns to face me, working a hand down to pop the button on her jean shorts. “Yeah, climb in. I just need to let my wolf sniff around a bit, and I’ll join you.” She toes out of her shoes and drops her shorts before stepping out of them. My hand rests just above her arse, and I grab the back of her shirt, helping to pull it over her head.
Her tits bounce as her arms lower. She tilts her face up to look at mine, and her wolf shines in her gaze.
“There you are,” I murmur. “Such a beauty. I can’t wait to see you in all your glory.”
“Turn around,” Ember says. “It’s not a pretty process.”
I ache to assure her that I don’t mind, but I can also respect that she’s growing comfortable with me. “I’ll just remove my clothing and slide into the water to wait for you.”
Ember smiles.
I snap, and my clothing dissolves, only to reappear a few feet away, nicely folded and sitting on top of my bag.
“Okay, that was hot,” Ember says, her pointy canines digging into her lower lip.
Fuck me.
I can’t wait to have those babies digging into my skin. I’m truly not sure if it’ll form a bond from her side, but I’m willingto find out. I also intend to ask her to complete the circuit in the way my kind does.
Bending low, I capture her mouth in a quick kiss and spin around to head to the water’s edge. Glancing over my shoulder, I slide into the waist-deep water.
The little wolf stares hungrily at my rear end, but I make a point of dunking under the water, so she has the opportunity to shift without feeling she’s under a microscope.
I take a while after I come up to examine the waterfall and how the liquid slides down, landing in the pond below. I truly have no idea how this spring occurred in the cave, but it’s much warmer than the waterfall or the pool it lands in, which I know from experience.
Turning back to the cavern, my heart pounds.
Ember’s wolf is exquisite. I deeply regret missing out on seeing her take down Aimes. She’s considerably larger than a natural male wolf would be, but smaller than an alpha shifter. It’s intriguing that she was able to so swiftly handle the vicious previous alpha.