The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,54
contrast was mesmerizing. Usually the multicolored wolves had more mottled coats, but the white on hers stood out like freshly fallen snow.
Her green eyes were fierce, but she kept her head submissively low. A growl rumbled in her chest when she noticed Tak approaching.
“I got this,” Tak said with cool confidence. He stalked past Lakota and stopped between them. “The women may run, but their wolves always know a good alpha when they see one.”
Melody’s lips peeled back, and she licked her fangs.
“Careful, Tak. She’s not from around here,” Lakota reminded him.
Tak turned around, a smug grin on his face. “Let me take care of this. I’m not going to hurt her.”
Lakota folded his arms. “No, but she might hurt you.”
As if insulted, Tak lifted his chin. “I’m like the Pied Piper. Watch me work my magic.”
Melody’s wolf backed up a step, a chunk of rock breaking off and falling below. Lakota drew in a sharp breath.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Tak said smoothly, advancing toward her. His alpha power rippled through the air. “Calm down and submit like a good girl.” Her wolf wouldn’t understand his words, but she would feel the meaning behind them.
Tak froze when Melody suddenly streaked toward him. She leapt into the air like an experienced warrior and threw him onto his back. Before he could push her off, she charged at Lakota and knocked the wind out of him. He flew backward and hit the ground, her wolf straddling him.
She lunged viciously at his face, but instead of attacking, she licked it clean.
Tak stood and brushed the leaves from his pants. Not that Lakota could see much of what Tak was doing. Melody’s wolf was wiggling, flapping her tail, whining, and licking him all over his mouth and face. He wasn’t certain whether she wanted to befriend him or gobble him up like an ice cream cone.
Tak appeared in his line of vision and bent over, his hands on his knees. “She acts like she’s known you all her life.”
Lakota shoved her off when he heard a current of suspicion in Tak’s voice. Without warning, Melody ran at breakneck speed toward the cliff and leapt off the edge. Both men chased after her and skidded to a stop when they reached the rock. Twenty feet below was a swimming hole, and her wolf was paddling in the water like a duck.
Tak stripped out of his pants and shoes and tossed them over the edge to where the bank was. “Someone has the right idea. Why don’t you bring the horses down for a drink?” He dove off the edge, hugging his knees, and created a loud splash when he hit the water like a cannonball. Seconds later, Tak’s head appeared above the surface, and he whooped with delight.
Irritated, Lakota grabbed the horses and headed left until he found an easy path that led down to the riverbank.
Why am I so damn mad? At first he thought it had to do with Melody’s wolf almost blowing his cover. Tak could have caught on and realized something was up. But in truth, Lakota wanted to jump in the water and play with her wolf. He wanted to be as easy with her as Tak was. It was the first time he’d met her wolf, and that was an honor among Shifter family and friends. He wondered how differently their meeting would have gone had they been alone—how he would have cradled her wolf in his arms and shown his affection. Now her first memory of Lakota was going to be him shoving her away. Her wolf didn’t know anything about bounty hunting and undercover operations. She didn’t deserve to be punished with his ambivalence.
And that first impression might be a lasting one.
When the horses caught sight of water, they trotted ahead of him. Their hooves splashed in the shallow end as they lowered their heads to drink. Lakota left them and headed up the bank to the right, noticing a small waterfall within the retreat. Melody’s wolf had claimed a flat rock beside it. Her head tilted to the side at the naked man floating on his back.
“Get in here!” Tak yelled. “Life doesn’t get better than this.”
No sense in arguing. The heat was sweltering, and the cool water sang to Lakota like a siren’s song. He stripped out of his clothes and dove in. The water shocked him for all of three seconds, then it was just cold, clean, and refreshing.