Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild) - By Kate Douglas Page 0,14

her own and, other than being unconscious, seemed perfectly okay.

He used his mind. They’d communicated a moment ago. Would it work again?

Lily? Can you hear me?

Who are you? What did you do to me?

I didn’t do anything. My name is Sebastian. Sebastian Xenakis.

Why am I not surprised?

Now what did she mean by that? He gazed at her and realized anyone watching them would think he was merely staring at an unconscious woman. I was looking at you and then . . .

It felt as if you shot something into my head.

A sharp pain?

Exactly. What was it?

I don’t know, but I felt it, too. Can you sit up? People are staring. I’m afraid they’re beginning to wonder what’s going on. A slight shudder went through her. He wrapped his hand around her lax fingers.

I am so embarrassed. Do I have to?

Biting his lips to keep from grinning, Sebastian glanced up and realized one of the waitstaff was standing close by. “I think she’s coming ’round. Is there a quiet room somewhere?”

The man nodded. “Follow me. Are you sure it’s safe to move her?”

“Yes. She’s almost conscious. I’d like to get her somewhere private.” He slipped his hands beneath her slim body and lifted her easily. She was tall—almost six feet—but so slim she barely weighed anything. She felt fragile in his arms, but he knew differently. She was a wolf, and powerful muscles rippled beneath her skin.

Her dress was slick and slippery in his hands, and he clutched her tightly against his chest. Dropping her wouldn’t be the best move about now, but it was more about feeling her body close against his than actually keeping her safe.

Peripherally aware of the anxious undercurrents in the room, of the bright flashes from cameras and cell phones, he moved quickly through the crowd, but he didn’t feel Lily’s body relax until he’d slipped through the doors and out of the ballroom. As the big double doors closed behind them, Lily opened her eyes and winked at him.

Sebastian felt it all the way to his toes.

Holding her close, he followed the waiter down a short hallway and slipped through a door the man unlocked and held open to a private office. Along with the desk and bookcases, a leather couch stretched along one wall.

Sebastian nodded to the waiter. “Thank you. I’ll bring her out as soon as she feels up to it. I think we’ll be just a few minutes more, okay?”

The man sighed. “That’s good. I hope she’ll be okay. You’re sure we don’t need a paramedic? Shouldn’t she be awake by now if she merely fainted? We wouldn’t want her to miss this reception. Her parents have done an awful lot for the museum and the folks who work here. This is our chance to thank her family.”

“That’s good to hear.” Sebastian gave the man a gentle mental push.

The waiter frowned, glanced about him nervously, and then left the office.

“That wasn’t very nice.”

“Excuse me?” Sebastian glanced down at Lily. She was still lying in his arms, but her beautiful amber eyes were wide open and she was smiling.

She was even more beautiful up close, and her aura was back to that amazing red. So much power in her. And enough sensual energy to destroy whatever shreds of Sebastian’s control remained.

Somehow he found what scraps were left and helped her sit.

“Shoving that poor man out of here like that. That really wasn’t very nice of you, was it?”

How the hell had she known he was . . . well, shit. Obviously his mind was an open page to her. Now that was rather disconcerting. “It was only a little nudge.”

“You took away his free will.”

His eyes snapped to hers. When he saw the sparkle in their amber depths, the spikes of yellow in her crimson aura, he knew she was teasing him.

“I’ll grant you that, but it gave you the privacy to quit pretending to be unconscious. How long do you think you could have run with that, figuratively speaking, of course?” When she merely rolled her eyes at him, he sat back against the arm of the couch so he could study her. “What happened in there, anyway?”

She shook her head as she carefully rearranged her gown. “You tell me. I raised my head and caught you looking at me. The moment our gazes connected, it felt like you shot me through the brain with a laser.”

Shaking his head in denial, Sebastian practically stumbled over the words. “I felt something, but the