Were Slave (2010) by Lia Slater Page A

his thigh,
tempting him.
    The wolf in him yearned to press her onto her stomach on the
grass and take her the way an animal would, the way he longed to. But that
would have to wait for a little while longer. He hadn't left her alone for
hours upon hours today without a purpose. No, there was a reason for Mace's
every action. And he hoped his actions today would prove to be wise.
    He gathered her soft curves against him and pecked her lips.
"I have a surprise for you."

Chapter Nine
     
    Nayla knew something wasn't quite right when she counted
thirteen wolves lounging around the campground rather than the usual dozen.
Next to the Were named Kaige sat an unfamiliar salt-and-pepper-haired wolf. She
stopped short and tugged at Mace's hand. "What's going on? Who is that?"
    He chuckled and leaned toward her ear. "Very perceptive. I
could introduce you but I'm certain you've already met."
    "I've met him?" She asked, but Mace had already left her
side and was headed toward Livia, who cowered as he neared.
    Nayla clasped her hands in front of her and stayed a safe
distance from the strange Were. There was something very familiar about his
eyes. And as he stepped away from the pack and drew closer, Nayla wasn't
frightened. He held his head down, as if ashamed and bowed at her feet. Well,
as much as a large animal could.
    "Who are you?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
    "Forgive me, my Queen. It is I, your loyal guard, Saul."
    "Saul?" Confusion mixed with the excitement of seeing
someone familiar, someone she thought she might never see again. Nayla draped
her arms around his massive neck, forgetting all propriety. "Saul, how is it
you?"
    "Are you well, my Queen?" he said quietly against her ear.
    "Yes, I am." She pulled back and examined his face, taking
in every detail. It truly was her Saul. "I'm fine. Look at you. How is this
possible?"
    He lowered his eyes again. "I apologize for my
deceitfulness, my Queen. I've failed to disclose that I am part Were."
    "Saul." She ran her fingers over his silver fur. "I had no
idea. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Someone so close to her, someone she
trusted, had always been what she'd feared most, what she'd most hated.
    "My Queen--"
    "Call me Nayla. You're my family. You've always been my
family."
    "Nayla," he said hesitantly, "I've been torn between two
battling worlds my whole life. To live without fear, I needed to choose one. My
option was, of course, limited. Weres were not welcomed into human society. Not
since long before the war."
    Nayla blinked her eyes to keep from tearing up. The man had
always been a father figure to her. What an awful life he'd had to live,
denying his true self. And to think she'd been part of the reason. "I don't
want you to hide it anymore. I want you to be you, whether Were or human." She
glanced over her shoulder at Mace, who now stood alone. Livia was nowhere to be
seen. "How did you find me?"
    "I saw Fenton freeing the wolves and I knew something was
amiss. When I went to your room and you weren't there, I followed your scent. I
met Mace halfway here. He said he was on the way back to the castle."
    "Why would he--" she began, but stopped when she felt Mace's
looming presence behind her, his warmth and wild scent encompassing her. He'd
moved so quickly and quietly, she hadn't seen him coming.
    He wrapped his arm around her waist and gathered her against
his body. "I want you to be safe, Nayla. And after seeing you succumb to the
cold last night, I can't ask you to continue on with the journey without a
known destination."
    Her mouth dried up and her pulse sped. "What do you mean?
Did you bring Saul to take me back?"
    "It's not that simple, love."
    "You're giving me up because I got a little chilled?" She
wasn't sure why she was so hurt by the idea. Isn't this what she'd wanted? To
go back to her normal life? Her feelings were unbalanced. Somehow, someway,
Mace had maneuvered into her heart. And she didn't know if she could give him
up so easily.
    "No.