Secret of the Wolf(35)

He frowned. "No, there's no way something this size could keep the rift open longer."

She looked at the schematics. "What if … " She looked back at him. "Could someone use this to model a larger device?"

He shared a look of alarm with her. "It's possible. Shit. If they do that, the human race will be in a lot of trouble."

                       
       
           



       Chapter Fifteen

Then he just sat there, this sheepish look on his little face, while eggs and flour pooled on the floor all around him." Lily laughed until she had to reach up to wipe tears from her eyes. "Oh, my God. It was so funny."

"Mom didn't think so."

Dante's dry comment set Lily off again.

Tori couldn't stop smiling at the interaction between the two. She and Rand had never been close like this. Maybe it was the age difference between them, maybe it was the way they'd been raised. She didn't know, but watching Dante and Lily made her miss things she'd never had. "What did she do?" she asked.

"What could she do? I was ten and just trying to help." He shrugged. "I misjudged how much I could carry."

"Hmm. That might explain something," Tori murmured with a sideways glance at him. "You had early training on not taking on more than you can handle."

"These days it's not a question of if I can handle it, but whether or not I have the time to give it my undivided attention." He brought the cup of waterey' to mo to his lips. Over the rim of the glass his dark eyes snagged and held hers. "Because this particular project I'm getting into seems like it might be rather time consuming."

She smiled, slowly, and leaned forward. "And worth every second, I promise." She stroked her fingers up the stem of her wineglass.

Lily laughed. "Oh, brother, has she got your number." She stood and began clearing the table. She paused, holding the bowl with leftover green beans in her hands, and let out a long, loud yawn. "Sorry," she said when it was over.

"Why don't you go lie down?" Dante came and took the bowl out of her hands. "We'll clean up."

"No, I can do-"

"Don't be silly." Tori stacked plates and forks and carried them to the sink. "You cooked, so it's only right that we clean."

Lily was clearly torn between being a proper hostess and being bone tired. Finally the fatigue won, because she said, "Okay. Have Dante make you a margarita. There's still some left over from last night. His are the best."

Tori smiled. "I'll do that." She picked up the platter that had held the steaks. Tori's had been rare, and neither Dante nor Lily had seemed fazed by the blood running from the meat. "Dinner was delicious. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I enjoy cooking. And with you here, it actually forced my brother to slow down long enough to sit and eat a real meal instead of just grabbing something on the run." She winked at Dante and then left the kitchen.

"Great, now I have two women ganging up on me," he muttered.

"Oh, you're man enough to take it." Tori bumped his hip with hers and pulled open the dishwasher door.

As if they'd been doing so for years, they began loading the machine in unison. Tori finished putting silverware in the basket and, while Dante grabbed soap from under the sink, she pulled an antibacterial wipe free from its container and started wiping down the countertops.

Dante added soap to the dishwasher tray, then closed and latched the door. He flipped the dial to normal wash and turned toward Tori. She'd taken off her heels a few minutes ago and was giving a few last swipes to the countertop, her hips swaying with her movements.

"Come on," he said. "Let's grab the margaritas and head out onto the patio."

She glanced at him. "Okay." She grabbed the glasses while he removed the pitcher from the refrigerator. "Should I get Lily?" she asked.

"No, let her rest." Dante knew his sister tired easily, and preparing dinner had taken a lot out of her. "We can always make more."

They went outside and sat on a glider at one end of the patio. The misters kept the air cool enough that it was bearable to be outside in the heat. Though the sun had begun making its descent, it was still hot outside. "This is nice," she commented, holding the glasses while Dante poured the drinks.

"It is. I put the misters in a couple of summers ago. I wanted to enjoy the scenery without suffering heat stroke." He set the pitcher on a small glass table beside the swing and sat down, starting the glider swinging gently. He turned toward her and took his glass, holding it up in a toast. "Cheers."

She clicked her glass against his. "Cheers." She took a sip. "Mmm, delicious."

Dante stretched one arm along the back of the glider and rested the other on his thigh, balancing his glass to keep his margarita from spilling. As the sun set and dusk bloomed, a few outdoor lamps he had lining the winding walkway turned on, bathing the backyard in a soft yellow glow. After a hard day at work, sitting out here for a few minutes to centenutmovemenr himself never failed to calm him.

Until now. He was too aware of the woman next to him. Her light perfume scented the air around him, her warmth pulling him closer. He tried to look at her without staring, but it was impossible. Her bare feet sported shiny purple toenail polish. Her light-blue blouse paired with a soft peach scoop-necked top and filmy blue skirt accented her delicious curves. She looked downright edible.

He cleared his throat. "How's your brother doing?"

"He's good." She frowned and shifted on the glider to face him, one leg bent. "Actually, I'm a little worried." She paused. "I don't know, Dante. He says he wants to catch up, to stay around so we can get to know each other again, and then he acts like he couldn't care less." She took a sip of her drink. "But then he goes and does something sweet like making dinner for me. Lasagna." She seemed almost guilty as she added, "I almost canceled tonight."

"Tori, I know how important family is to you." Dante put his drink on the side table and twisted toward her. "You should have called and canceled." Though the cynic in him whispered that Randall wanted something and that was why he was being so sweet. "I would've understood."

She waved one hand. "He wouldn't let me. It's okay." Her smile was genuine. "He's going to stay in town, so we have time."

"Yeah, well, you're both immortal, so you definitely have plenty of time."

A shadow of sadness passed over her face. "Living forever isn't all it's cracked up to be." She pressed her lips together and looked down at her lap. "You make human friends and watch them grow old and die. And when you make wrong choices, the consequences never go away. At least as a human, death is the final forgiveness." She raised her eyes. "You're so lucky to have Lily. She's lucky to have you."

"She's been through a lot," he said. "It's just the two of us now, so we look out for each other." He wrapped his arm around on her shoulder, feeling both strength and frailty beneath his palm. "Kind of like you and Rand."

That slender shoulder lifted in a shrug. "I don't know how much he looks out for me, but I do look out for him." She sighed. "He missed a mandatory meeting last night, and pretty much expects me to make everything all right. Like I have a magic wand or something."

"Hmph. Well, I guess that's what older sisters are for." He paused and stared at her. "You are older, aren't you? I mean, it's hard to tell, 'cause he acts like he's about fourteen."

"I'm older. He's just … " She shook her head. "He's always been a little … breakable. Coming through the rift and turning into a werewolf hasn't done him any favors."

Dante pondered that for a moment. "I'd think having superhuman strength, hearing, vision, and all that would give a boost in ego."

"For some it does." Tori's tongue swept out to leave her lips wet. "For others, like Rand, it only highlights the deficiencies they won't, or can't, let go of. They focus only on the fact that if it weren't for the wolf in them they wouldn't have all those things you mentioned. Rather than seeing all they have gained, they feel as if they are the weak, ineffectual person they've always believed themselves to be."

"I guess I can understand that." He rubbed his thumb against her collarbone. "Is it just you and Randall? Or do you have other family here?"

She looked down at her lap. "I'm so glad to have him with me. You can't imagine what it's been like being alone for so long."

That didn't exactly answer his question. He put a hand under her chin and raised her face to his. "Te tke ori? Do you have other family here?"

She hesitated, then looked up with moist green eyes. "Rand is the only brother I have. I've been alone for so long."

Dante made a mental note that she still hadn't really answered his question, but he let it go for now. He needed to reassure her. "You're not alone anymore, sweetheart." For the first time since he'd known her he saw uncertainty in her eyes. His heart skipped a beat. He'd done that to her with his damned vacillating. Not anymore. He took the drink from her hand and placed it beside his, then faced her again. "I promise you, Victoria, you're not alone," he whispered and slanted his mouth over hers.