The devil She-wolf

His thoughts and fears

*Sterling*

Frannie Tempest.

The moment Evangeline had mentioned the She-wolf’s name, I wanted her to leave. I relished the images that come to my mind with thoughts of Miss Tempest, and in spite of the dire threats I have received, I’m not quite ready to give up the notion of being intimate with her.

After Evangeline leaves… thank goodness she hadn’t taken it upon herself to visit me before all evidence of my nasty encounter with Swindler has disappeared… I trade my refined brandy for a bottle of whiskey, my study for the garden.

Frannie Tempest. I let the name roll through my mind and stir the few memories of her I have hoarded away.

I want one night with her, damn it all. What is this madness that has possessed me ever since I met her? Her hair is as wild as I imagine she would be in bed. Her eyes are the green of spring. Her lips are plump and ripe. The taste of her is fading from my mind, replaced with all the brandy I have been drinking in an effort to tamp down my impatience while she considers my proposition.

A message from her has arrived recently, and the anticipation that burst through me was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Until I opened it.

My Alpha,

Your membership at The full Moon club has been restored.

Yours faithfully,

Frannie Tempest

So damned formal. Not even a hint as to her leanings regarding my proposal. And I have been unable to stop thinking about her since.

I drop onto the bench at the far end of the garden and bring the bottle to my lips. Hardly a civilized way to drink spirits, but of late, I’m not feeling very civilized.

I have spent the past two weeks in residence, waiting for the bruising around my eye and over my cheek to fade completely. With my position, I have no desire to raise questions or start rumors that I have been involved in some sort of brawl… especially as I had looked as though I came out the loser. Good Goddess, I have nearly been attacked by a gorilla in the dark lands and had a run-in with a tiger on the Eastern isles, neither of those creatures had seemed as deadly dangerous as Swindler.

If only I had seen the blow coming, I could have deflected it or countered it with one of my own. But devil take it! Late in my adolescence, my sight took a dreadful turn. It seemed innocent at first. I had difficulty seeing at night. Spectacles didn’t offer any help. Then my peripheral vision began slowly eroding until now it’s as though I wear permanent blinders. I have tested my limits during my travels in ways that I can’t in Blackrock City or at my estates. Now, I have a difficult time admitting that I can no longer control some aspects of my life.

Perhaps that is the reason I’m opposed to arranging for Evangeline’s money to find its way to Miss Tempest each month. I don’t want the lovely she-wolf to gain financial independence at this juncture because it might lessen her likelihood of accepting my offer. I need to provide her with a reason to want to be with me as desperately as I want to be with her. Knowing me alone is not enough. Money is an incredible motivator. Perhaps I will go around to the orphanage tomorrow, take the opportunity to remind her of my proposal. Perhaps even suggest that I will provide for her orphans…

Or would she likely take offense at that tack? Would she see it as beneath her to accept a gift from me in exchange for providing a night of pleasure in her arms? I might have to take a little more time than I had planned with this seduction, but seduce her I will. A time will come when the things I want will be denied me, but that time has not yet arrived.

Immensely satisfied with the direction of my plan, I drain the last few drops from the bottle and sit back. A moment of panic surges through me when I realize darkness has fallen. Damnation. I had been foolish to come out here so near to dusk and to be so absorbed with thoughts of Miss Tempest that I haven’t noticed the dimming light.

Standing, I focus on the lights spilling out from the windows of my residence. They are muted, difficult to see. It’s always more difficult at night to make out my surroundings… but if I just go slowly…

Of late, it seems I’m forever going more slowly. It isn’t a luxury I have when it comes to the lovely Miss Tempest. I need to take a mate while I can still give the impression that my vision is not a problem, while someone will still see worth in me… which means in turn that I need to satisfy this craving I have to taste and relish every sensual aspect of Frannie Tempest.