Perfect Tales of the Were - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,31

couldn’t deny the evidence of her own eyes.

Tentatively, she reached out her hand toward him, and Cody surged forward, placing his head under her palm. He was soft, though a little bristly. Fur. Luxuriant fur that invited her to run her fingers through.

“Do you really want me to scratch behind your ears?” she asked in a low voice, feeling a bit odd talking to a giant wolf. Cody’s furry head bobbed up and down in an unmistakable yes motion. She chuckled and moved her hand upward, toward his ear. “All right then.”

She petted him, learning what he wanted her to do. One part of her mind was enchanted with the giant, furry version of Cody, while another stood off and watched, almost unbelieving at the night’s turn of events.

Cody, as the wolf, stepped closer to her and laid his head on her shoulder. It felt right to hug him close, even as her body gave in to the tremors of residual fright shaking her to her core. She gasped for air, running her hands over his back, his soft fur soothing to her senses.

“Oh, Cody. I don’t understand any of this. It feels like a dream, and yet… You’re so real.” Her words were almost a sob, but he just stayed still and let her cling to him.

Cassandra was no expert, but she didn’t think a regular dog would stay so still while their human friend lost their marbles. The thought made her smile, and a watery chuckle issued from her throat as she pulled back to meet his canine gaze.

She saw it then. The eyes. Cody’s eyes. He might be wearing a fur coat and walking on all fours, but she would have known his eyes anywhere. That really was Cody in there, watching her. Protecting her. Caring for her.

How had she gotten so lucky? And why in the world would this amazingly magical man be wasting his time with boring old her?

The swirl of magic returned, and the wolf became Cody, crouched in front of her, his glorious body naked, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes remained the same throughout, confirming her thoughts. It didn’t matter what form he wore. He was still, always, Cody at heart.

She reached for him, and he took her into his arms, moving so that they were sitting on the sofa again, his body cradling hers. He just held her and held her, both of them seeming to be overcome with the emotion of the moment. After the silence had stretched and she’d calmed a bit, she found the breath to speak, quietly.

“Thank you for showing me you, Cody.” He just hugged her close, and they sat there, like that, for a moment out of time that was both pure and charged with discovery and acceptance.

A thought occurred to her. “Is this why everyone in town was so standoffish with me? They were afraid I’d somehow discover this big secret?”

Cody drew back a little and smiled at her. “We’ve learned to be ultra-cautious in these modern times,” he explained.

She put her head back on his shoulder and breathed deeply. “I can see why. I hope this sort of thing doesn’t happen all the time.”

“No,” he told her, stroking her hair in a calming way. “Hardly ever.” He sighed. “We’re very careful. Very few people are ever let in on our secret these days. We’re just legends. Myths. That’s how we avoid trouble.”

“But somebody knows about you. About the town,” Cassandra said, lifting up a little to meet his gaze. “Otherwise, Jones and Pepe wouldn’t have been laying traps.” She sat up, going to her corner of the couch.

Cody ran one hand through his hair in clear frustration. “Yeah, that’s a problem. But we’ll get to the bottom of it, eventually. Joe isn’t one to let a threat to our Pack go unanswered. Tonight was a good start. Shane is probably questioning those two as we speak. He’ll get something useful out of them, I’m sure.” He moved closer, putting his arm around her shoulders again. “But for now, I think it’s time we went to bed. That is, if I’m still welcome.” He gazed at her with puppy-dog eyes that made her laugh.

“As if I would throw you naked out into the night,” she said, rising to her feet and offering her hand to him. He took it and rose, standing beside her for a moment. “Come on. I need sleep. Maybe I’ll understand all this upheaval better in a few