Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Aster
The scent of steak wakes me. If the smell didn’t pull me from unconsciousness, the sound of my stomach growling would have. I feel fuzzy but comfortable. A fire crackles nearby, sending sweet, sweet heat to warm me through. I’m so relaxed and cozy, I’m definitely not in the tower.
But where am I?
I crack my eyes. I’m lying on a couch of faded blue fabric. Someone covered me with a soft, gray blanket. I’m so comfortable, I don’t want to move, but I make myself sit up a bit and look around.
I’m in a fire-lit room that looks like a cabin of some sort, with walls of knotty pine. There’s a small window framed by blue curtains to my right and a braided blue and brown rug on the floor, pitted with a few sooty black stains.
Behind me is a tiny kitchen area with wood cabinets and a small round table between two chairs. Everything is made of the same knotty pine–as if whoever built the cabin used the leftovers to decorate.
The door is across the room. Even as I spot it, a man comes to stand beside me. It’s him, the wolf who carried me through the tunnel.
The wolf who held me in the elevator.
The wolf from my dreams. Noah.
“Welcome back, Aster.”
He knows my name, too.
The firelight gilds his hair, picking out the golden streaks in the blond. He smells familiar, like warm amber and pine. My nose tells me I’m alone with him.
“Where am I? What time is it?” It’s dark outside.
“A little before eight. You passed out after your seizure and stayed asleep the whole way here. I let you sleep. I think you needed it.” There’s the shadow of a smile hovering around his mouth.
I swallow. He kidnapped me. I shouldn’t feel so relaxed. “I need to go to the bathroom.” I do, but I also want a moment alone to buy some time. I want to see how long a leash I have.
“It’s there.” Noah nods to a door near the kitchen. “Through the bedroom.”
My insides knot at the mention of a bedroom. Who is this wolf? What does he want with me?
Automatically, I glance at the front door, the closest exit. It’s a mistake because Noah catches it.
“Don’t try to run.” His expression turns serious. “I’ll catch you.” His eyes glitter with a golden light.
He’s a wolf shifter–alpha stock, judging by his size, and even if I were at my best, he’s bigger and stronger than me. Dangerous.
An enemy.
My stomach chooses that moment to growl. My mouth is watering, reminding me that I’m smelling steak. I glance at the cast-iron pan on the small stove.
Noah’s grim look softens when he catches my glance, and I see the glimmer of a smile. “Stick around, and I’ll feed you.”
I ease myself up off the couch. It’s a good sign that I’m still dressed in my shift–if barefoot–and allowed to move around freely. I’m not chained in a dungeon. I’m not being brutalized.
Yet.
My wolf wants me to hide how weak I am, but I can’t keep my legs from wobbling as I take my first steps towards the bathroom. A wave of dizziness sends my head spinning, and I lose my balance and have to grope for the couch to hold me up—
Noah’s warmth hits my back and side as he catches my elbow, supporting me with a hand at my back and my arm. His touch sets off a fresh burst of colors in my Sight, and I gasp.
I twist so he can see my lips. “I’ve got it,” I choke, but I definitely don’t.
“It’s okay, Seeress. We all need a little help sometimes.”
Seeress. Just hearing my title makes me stand a little straighter. I control the visions, banishing them for the moment. I nod with queenly grace and let him escort me to the small room.
Once inside, I grip the edge of the sink and give myself a pep talk. My eyes look sunken. I scoop water into my hands and drink it, then give up and drink straight from the faucet. Damn Aiden and the Warden for weakening me like this.
Damn, if this strange wolf isn’t treating me better than I’ve been treated by my pack, except for Liora.
Noah is waiting for me when I open the door. He offers his arm as if it’s the 1800s, and I need an escort to help me cross the street.
Respect. It feels nice. And maybe he’s just softening me up before he turns on me and starts an interrogation, but for now, I’ll play along.
This time when I touch his arm, I brace against the visions, but they don’t start. Instead, I feel the low thrum of a pulse between my legs.
What is this? Sexual attraction?
It can’t be. I sublimated all sexual desires to augment my Sight. That’s why the Seeress must remain a virgin. We lose our powers if we have sex.