Griffin

For the first time, I was glad I didn't get to see Wulfric's face that day in the woods.

He looked like someone out of an ancient painting, too perfect to be real. His pale skin was free of blemishes or wrinkles of any kind except the faintest hint of laugh lines. His dark hair was in disarray, but instead of looking sloppy, it looked hot. Bedroom hair: that's how I would describe it. His irises were dark, too, with just a hint of red. That had to be his vampirism showing through, I realized with a shiver. But instead of disturbing me, all I felt was excitement.

And the way he was looking at me was like something out of a fantasy. He looked a little awed, but mostly, his expression betrayed an obvious attraction to me. And I, being as sexually driven as I was, had a hard time not responding to that kind of attention from my mate.

I had been intentionally holding my breath, since I knew his scent might mess with my head from this close up and I wanted a chance to make first impressions. Once I really took in his beauty, I acknowledged that a scent couldn't make me want someone more when I already needed so badly, and I took in a deep breath.

I was an idiot.

His scent was dizzyingly strong, and it took all of my self-control to not launch myself at him right here. He would be receptive, I knew. There was no mistaking that heat in his eyes, and it would feel so, so good to give in and watch it ignite. But that wasn't what I wanted out of our meeting. If we jumped right into a carnal relationship, how was that any different from the series of one-night stands I had been trying to quit? Still, it was tempting.

I was still trying to decide whether to throw myself at him when he reached for me. He wasn't reaching out to start anything sexual. No, he seemed to be going in for a handshake, I realized with a burst of amusement. Was he always so formal? If so, he was in for a rude awakening with me.

If he even wants me, a small voice in my head cut through.

I intertwined our fingers, and the sensation of him holding onto me even this little bit was enough to soothe the awful, insecure part of myself. At least for now.

"Hi," I said, wanting to laugh a little at how silly it was that we still needed to introduce ourselves after everything. By all rights, we should have been shacking up by now. I should barely be able to walk after we spent days holed up together, carrying out my every perverted fantasy.

But no. We were stuck on introductions and hand-holding. Though, it did feel nice. Tingly and safe.

Wulfric's eyes swept down my body and a shiver ran through me at the heat in his eyes.

There was a funny moment where Safiya teased him into letting me into the house, and I was happy to stack on more teasing as I finally stepped closer to him for just a moment to pass through the threshold.

There were more people here than I imagined, which was stupid since I knew that three witches lived here and that Wulfric and his brother were staying here together. In fact, there were only two witches and an unfamiliar man who had to be the brother – so, less of a crowd than it could have been. Still, I wished we were alone.

Releasing Wulfric's hand was surprisingly easy with all these eyes watching us, especially the brother's. I was too intimidated to really look at him. Fen had made it sound like Wulfric's brother was a really important figure in Wulfric's life. If he didn't approve of me, I was happier not knowing for now.

Glenna and Safiya were familiar to me, though I hadn't seen them often or recently. Growing up, Safiya had been my favorite because she would slip me little magical toys and candies when my parents weren't looking. Now, I was equally grateful for Glenna's steadying presence. She had this way about her that made you feel like, no matter what, you'd be alright. Her smile was serene and welcoming, and she pointed to a little spread of goodies and steaming mugs on the dining room table.

"Don't worry," she assured me, "we won't overstay our welcome."

What a funny thing to say when this was her house, but I knew what she meant and I was grateful. The sooner I had Wulfric to myself, the better.

"Yup, we just want to make sure Sir Broods-a-Lot treats you nicely and then we'll be busy in the shop for the rest of the morning," Safiya chimed in.

I couldn't help glancing at Wulfric then, amused at Safiya's teasing. He was standing with his brother, looking at me with the strangest expression. I couldn't place it, but something about it made my stomach feel like I'd just chugged a fizzy drink. Nerves-excitement-tenderness? I wasn't sure, but I wanted more of it.

I stepped toward him without meaning to, and headed to the table Glenna had indicated to cover up my complete lack of self-control. The rest of our small party joined us, and I wasn't sure whether to be happy when Wulfric settled into the chair next to mine. I didn't have as good a view of him as if he'd been sitting across from me and from this close up, his scent made my head swim. His hand closed around the bottom of my thigh and I felt my libido spike as if he'd grabbed much higher up.

I was glad there weren't any werewolves here, or I'd have to deal with them knowing exactly what my mate was doing to my body. Judging by his friendly, unphased expression, Wulfric's brother was oblivious. It answered one of the many questions I had about vampires. They didn't seem to be able to scent pheromones.

"Hi, I'm Edmund," the brother said, settling in the seat across from me.

I felt like there was a spotlight on me. Nothing in his expression looked calculating or judgmental, but still I felt judged. Especially since he had nothing to do while the witches and I ate the scones and jam that had been laid out on the table. "Um, hi. I'm Griffin."

It was a little disconcerting, that Edmund and Wulfric didn't have plates or cups in front of them. I had never realized how uncomfortable if could be to eat in front of people who couldn't join in. Was this what it would always be like with Wulfric? Him sitting there, watching me eat?

Because he was watching me.

His eyes followed my food from hands to lips, and then lingered there while I chewed. When his eyes flicked up to meet mine, attraction sparked between us again.

Call me a sex addict (you probably wouldn't be wrong), but it was becoming harder to convince myself to take things slow with him.

"So, Griffin... you live around here?" Edmund said. His voice snapped the tension between myself and Wulfric, and it took a few seconds of staring at him before my brain caught up to the question he had asked.

"Yeah, I do. My pack's territory is about twenty miles south of us," I answered. I took another bite of my scone just for something to do with my hands.

"His uncle is the pack's alpha," Glenna added conversationally.

Edmund's eyebrows shot up and he opened his mouth to respond, but Wulfric spoke first. "Really? Does that affect your standing in the pack?"

Why was he asking? Did he want me to be high-ranking? If he did, he was going to be disappointed. "Not really. There aren't many ranked positions in my pack. Just my uncle and his co-alpha. And my Pop, I guess. I mean, my father. He's head of security."

Edmund laughed at that, looking positively delighted. "Your dad is head of security? Is he going to get jealous and overprotective now that you've found your mate?"

A tension I hadn't been aware of holding released at his words. One of the vampires had verbally acknowledged Wulfric as my mate, and it made me feel so much better already. It wasn't quite an acceptance, but it was something in that general direction. "Sorry, probably not," I said, apologizing because it was clear Edmund would have enjoyed the prospect of Wulfric having to deal with that. "My little sister found her mate a while back and he never got overprotective with her. So, Wulfric should be safe."

"Well, damn," Edmund said, smiling at me like we were friends.

I peeked at Wulfric to see how he was handling this teasing and found him looking sardonically at his brother. "Schadenfreude? You?" He said dryly.

"Of course not!" Edmund gasped, though I could see from the glint in his eyes that he wasn't being totally serious. "I'm just looking out for you."

Wulfric's hand on my thigh wandered a little, as if to remind me it was there. I couldn't prevent a tremble from making its way through me in response. "So, you have a sister, a father, and an uncle. Tell me about the rest of your family," Wulfric said as though he wasn't driving me crazy.

It warmed me that he was asking about something so important to me, and I happily obliged, naming each member of my family and providing a little bit of information about them. I didn't want to overwhelm him, but he was going to need to know this stuff... if he stuck around.

By the time I was finished, there was nothing but crumbs on anyone's plate. Glenna and Safiya made quick work of gathering up everyone's dishes by hand while the tray with the scones and teapot on it levitated into the kitchen. How did they decide what to use magic on and what to do manually, I wondered?

"Off to work," Safiya sighed dramatically. "It was good seeing you, kid. You should come around more often."

This last part was directed at me, and I flushed at being called a kid in front of my mate.

"Edmund, would you like to assist us in the shop today?" Glenna asked. If she thought she was being subtle about leaving me and Wulfric alone, she was wrong. But I was grateful nonetheless.

The witches left and I stood up when Wulfric did. Edmund smiled at him, then focused on me. "It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Griffin. I hope we will have more time to get to know one another soon."

That warmed me again, and I decided I really liked Wulfric's brother so far. "Me too."

And then I was alone with Wulfric.

"Did you want to go somewhere more private?" I asked.

He looked down at me with heated eyes and I watched as his left brow lifted just the tiniest bit. "I do, but I'm afraid we'll have to make do with the living room for now."

"What do you mean?" I asked, following him to sit facing each other on a couch.

"As I have no need of sleep, I don't have a private space in this house. And I'd rather not venture out into the daylight today," he said.

I wanted to pick apart everything he said and ask questions about all of it. In fact, I wanted to know everything about him and could have sat here asking questions all day long without running out of them. But that wouldn't be much of a conversation for him and I knew I had to prioritize for now. "Why today? Would you be more willing to go out in sunlight on a different day?"

That wasn't actually the highest-priority question, but I thought we could lead up to the other one (did not sleeping mean he had infinite stamina?).

"Perhaps," he said, "depending on my motivation. Not for long, though. I have a high sensitivity to sunlight."

Oh, right. Vampire.

And that reminded me of a question that had been the center of my curiosity since I found out about Wulfric. "Do vampires feel mate bonds?"

His brow furrowed a little and his eyes shuttered. I truly thought he wasn't going to answer me until he spoke. "I'm not sure about traditional vampires. My family does, though."

My heart beat faster at the confirmation that Wulfric could feel the pull. It must have been so difficult for him to leave like that the day Fen took him to me in the woods! Unless he felt it differently than I did?

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but Wulfric smirked a little and pressed a finger to my lips. "You're full of questions, aren't you?"

I nodded, not speaking since his finger hadn't moved away yet.

"And you're an impatient thing, I think," Wulfric added. This wasn't phrased as a question, but I still nodded in response. I really could be, which was ironic when I had stalled on all the most important life decisions so far.

His smirk grew and he leaned in to murmur in my ear, "I'm going to teach you to be patient."

The skin on my arms erupted into goosebumps. Wulfric stayed leaning in close to me, and I could see in his eyes how much he was enjoying his little teasing act. Well, if he wanted to start a game, I would play.

Impatient, he had called me. Well, I had no trouble acting the part. Wulfric was just inches away from me. I turned my head and barely had to lean in at all to connect our lips. There was a split-second of absolute terror while I waited to see how he would respond, but Wulfric was quick to kiss me back. His tongue flicked playfully at my lips once, and the second time I sucked it into my mouth to caress with my own. Firm hands closed over my hips as he leaned in while simultaneously easing me back onto the couch. I relaxed under him as our tongues swirled and my hands wandered the skin under his shirt. Wulfric was cool to the touch, which was at odds with how he set my body on fire. The confusion of my senses sent my body into overdrive.

So good.

Our kiss naturally ended and we stared at each other. I could only imagine how moony my expression was, but I didn't care. All my doubts were temporarily silenced.

He must want me. No one's ever kissed me like that before.

There was heat and affection in his eyes, the combination potent and heady. They shifted toward something more calculating and he said, "I thought werewolves were supposed to be all fumbling and inexperienced when they met their mate?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Don't you all believe in keeping yourselves pure? Saving yourselves?"

My stomach sank, and I crashed down from my high. "Not all of them," I protested. Though he was mostly right. Even in my generation, most werewolves liked to wait for their mates. I was the depraved, needy, pathetic exception to the rule.

Was innocence what he wanted from me? I didn't have any left to offer. It made my stomach churn.

"Just what have you been up to, you naughty boy?" he whispered huskily, leaning in close to nip at my shoulder.

The erection that had been deflating sprang back to life at the complete lack of judgment in his tone. In fact, he sounded... pleased? "Want me to show you?" I offered, scarcely believing my own boldness. This man had my emotions swinging like nothing and no one else ever had.

"Patience," he said, and kissed me again.