Night Play(48)

That was why the males took great care to please their females and to woo them during the three-week mating period.

Although his knowledge of humans was limited, he didn't think Bride would approve of him flashing himself naked in her bed and then offering himself and his eternal loyalty to her.

It might even scare her.

Not that he should even be thinking of mating with her anyway. He had no idea what kind of children they would produce. What would she do if she birthed a puppy?

At least his human mother had held enough decency not to kill them as pups. She'd cast them off on their father and vanished.

But then, his mother had been Arcadian. She knew and understood what his father had been. And she hated his father for it to this day. She hated all of them for it.

Not that any of this mattered. Vane had to go back and get Fury away from Bride. The wolf was unpredictable at best and deadly precise at worst.

Vane flashed himself into her shop, taking care to choose the closet in the back room where he doubted she would be. It wouldn't do to frighten her.

He let himself out and went to the back courtyard where he found Fury outside the door in human form.

"What are you doing?" Vane growled. He'd never intended Fury to be human around her.

"Leaving?"

Before Vane could respond, Fury flashed into wolf form.

Bride came into the courtyard a second later.

Vane cursed as he was forced to zap Fury's clothes into invisibility to keep her from seeing them.

"Oh good, you're back," she said with a smile as she closed the door to her shop. "I thought you had fallen in."

Vane frowned. "Fallen in what?"

"Your brother said you went to the restroom."

He was even more confused. "My brother?"

"Fury." Bride looked around. "Where did he go? He was just here guarding the back door while I locked up for a few minutes for lunch."

"Go with it, Vane," Fury said in his head. "I couldn't think of anything better."

He glared at Fury. "And just why were you in human form around her to begin with, Fury? You were supposed to be a wolf."

"I panicked. Besides, I wanted to meet her."

"Why?"

The wolf refused to answer him. "You know, if I hadn't turned human, she would have thought you ran off on her without saying goodbye. I can't exactly speak to her as a wolf, not without her freaking out on both of us."

"Vane?" Bride asked. "Are you okay?"

Vane narrowed his eyes even more. "Fury had to leave." And he better stay gone as a man if he wants to keep breathing.

Fury growled low in his throat.

"Oh," She looked down and smiled at Fury. "There you are, sweetie. I was worried about you."

Fury leaped up to put his paws against her breasts and lick her face.

"Yo, down," Vane snapped, forcing the wolf back. "There'll be none of that."

"I don't mind," Bride said charitably.

Fury wagged his tail and smiled wickedly, then tried to look up Bride's dress.

Vane caught him quickly by the neck. "Stop!" he snarled mentally to Fury. "Or I'll rip your head off."

Bride frowned at them. "Don't you like my wolf?"

"Yeah," Vane said, patting him roughly on the head. "He's my new best friend."

"I'm your only friend, dickhead."

Vane balled his fist in the wolf's fur as a warning to him. "You know you have to be firm with wolves. Let them know who the alpha is."

"Your father?"

Vane smacked Fury's head.

"Owl"

"Yeah," Bride said. "That's what my father says about all canines."

"Your father?"

She nodded. "He's Dr. McTierney, the leading expert in Louisiana on dog care. He's a vet over in Slidell. You might have seen his commercials. 'If you love your pet, neuter or spay.' He leads that whole campaign."

"Really," he said, grinning at Fury. "Maybe we should make an appointment."

"Yeah, right. Try it and die."

Vane clenched his fists as he tried to hide his anger from Bride. He was only one step away from choking the wolf in front of her.

Bride frowned as she glanced at Fury. "Strange…" She reached for his back paw. "I don't remember him having a brown patch there."

Vane bit back a curse as he realized Fury wasn't an identical match for him. Damn, she was observant.

"Maybe you just didn't notice it before," he said, trying to distract her.

"Maybe."

Bride led them across the back courtyard. She opened the door to her apartment and let the wolf in. She paused in the doorway.

Vane leaned his hand against the doorframe above her head and smiled at her. "You're nervous," he said quietly. "Why?"