Goldie [Pyrate's Treasure 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  “Yes,” she breathed. “But they really are harmless. I’ll introduce you to them tomorrow. Now go back to sleep.”

  Not sure he could, Caleb lay back and allowed her to settle back where she had been. Closing his eyes, he marveled at how right it felt to hold a woman, this woman, in his arms as she slept. Though she was smaller than the women he had dated in the past, she fit just perfectly in his arms. That made him wonder abstractly how well they would fit together on the dance floor.

  Taking a deep breath, he pushed away the other questions the middle-of-the-night phone call brought to mind. With a sigh, he allowed sleep to carry him off.

  When he woke again, long after the sun had risen, he found himself alone. Goldie had left at some point. If not for his überrelaxed body and the smell of her all over him and the sheets, he could have dreamt the whole thing. But she had been here, and there was something strong and good between them that he wanted to explore more fully.

  So why had she left without a word?

  Chapter 6

  Goldie walked through the village feeling as if someone was staring at her. Since there was no one else in sight, she shrugged off the feeling of shame at walking home in the same clothes she had worn the day before. She had woken just after dawn, cradled against Caleb’s side as if they were two halves that fit perfectly together.

  It had taken a half hour and every ounce of strength she had to leave her sleeping mate. But she needed to shower and change her clothes before the meeting with Caleb and her grandfather. She only hoped that her mate would forgive her for disappearing.

  She slipped into the large family house on the other side of town from Caleb’s cottage, sending up a silent prayer that she would not see any of her cousins before reaching her room.

  Just feet from her room, her sister, Emerald, emerged from her room next door to Goldie’s looking entirely too happy for so early in the morning.

  “Good morning, Sister. Where’s your mate?”

  “Morning. He’s sleeping at his cottage,” Goldie mumbled as she finished the trek to her room.

  She was not surprised when Emerald followed her into her room and settled on the bed.

  “How did he take it?”

  “Take what?” Goldie stripped off her clothes and tossed them into her hamper before crossing to her dresser for clean clothes.

  “The news that he’s mated to a shape-shifter. A shape-shifter who will be the first female to be Alpha of a pack ever.”

  Goldie did not answer as she took out clean clothes and carried them to the bathroom the two women shared. She was not surprised when Emerald followed and sat on the toilet as she climbed into the walk-in shower.

  “You didn’t tell him, did you?” her sister guessed.

  “Not exactly,” Goldie admitted before turning on the water and adjusting the water to as warm as she could stand it.

  “So what did you tell him?”

  Goldie ducked under the water, trying to block out her sister’s presence as she washed up. She hated the fact that she had not told him everything before claiming him. Caleb had the right to know everything and make his own choice even if the Fates had declared they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives.

  Emerald did not take the hint and waited as Goldie finished her shower. It wasn’t until she was dressed and combing the tangles from her hair that her sister moved from her seat. Standing, she crossed the bathroom and wrapped an arm around Goldie and looked at her in the mirror.

  “Tell him. As soon as possible. He needs to know. Before Grandfather makes his announcement at the pack meeting tomorrow night.”

  Goldie frowned at her sister’s reflection. “Grandfather’s making an announcement? What’s he going to say?”

  “No clue, but now that you’ve found your mate, maybe he’s going to step down and name you his successor. In any case, you need to tell him everything before anyone else gets to him. I can’t wait to meet him.” With that, Emerald kissed her cheek and walked out.

  Goldie dried her hair then took a few minutes and put on a light coating of the makeup she normally did not wear. With a sigh, she realized her sister was right. She needed to tell Caleb everything as soon as possible.

  Instead of going straight back to the cottage, she stopped long enough to pack her favorite clothes in a suitcase to take with her. Though she would eventually be named Alpha of the Pyrate Pack and live here, in the pack Alpha’s residence, her gut told her that for now she and Caleb needed to stay at the cottage where they could be alone.

  Heading back through the house, she dropped her suitcase and the carryall she used as a purse at the front door. Then she made her way to the kitchen. She needed a cup or three of coffee before she faced Caleb again and tried to explain the realities that were Pyrate Island.

  “Good morning, Goldie,” her grandfather said as soon as she stepped into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table reading a book and enjoying a cup of coffee as he did every morning.

  “Good morning, Grandfather,” she returned as she crossed to the industrial-size coffeemaker and poured herself a cup. She added the sugar and cream she always drank with it.

  “Did you claim him?” Edward asked as she sat down in the chair across the table from him.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And have you told him?”

  Goldie hesitated by taking a long sip from the cup and savored the dark, sweet taste. “Not everything, but I will before the morning is out.”

  Edward nodded. “See that you do. I don’t want to upset him by saying something out of turn at our meeting.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  With that, Edward returned to the book he was reading and Goldie drank her coffee as fast as she could. As soon as the cup was empty and she could feel the caffeine begin to circulate through her system, she rinsed out her cup and left the kitchen.

  Taking her bag, she headed back to the cottage, determined to share the secrets of her life and family. With each step hesitation and fear grew in her.

  What if he did not believe her?

  What if he refused to accept his position as her mate?

  By the time she reached the back door that she had left unlocked earlier, her stomach had tied itself in nervous knots and she wasn’t sure she could face Caleb. Instead of going inside, she set her bags down and settled on the top porch step.

  “You are an Alpha. You should not be afraid of anything, especially your mate,” she scolded herself as she watched the clouds pass overhead. “He is your mate, the other half of your soul. It is Fate’s blessing that you found him. He will understand when you explain everything to him. He will understand. He will accept the situation and his place as the pack Alpha’s mate. Now go inside, wake him up, and talk to him.”

  Taking a deep breath for added courage, Goldie stood and crossed the porch to the back door. She was not surprised to see Caleb standing on the other side watching her, his expression dark and enigmatic. He was dressed in a tan deputy sheriff uniform and had a cup of coffee in each hand.

  Opening the door, she stepped back. Without a word, he handed her a cup of coffee then sat down on the top of the porch steps where she had just been sitting. She sat down next to him, and they spent a few minutes drinking coffee and watching the birds hunting for breakfast in the backyard.

  Finally Goldie cleared her throat. “My family has lived on this island for more than a hundred years. We moved here to keep our secrets from the rest of the world who would have a difficult time understanding what we are.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “We’re shape-shifters. Wolf shape-shifters to be exact. Which is why I knew the lady who called last night was in no danger. The wolves running the beach last night were probably my cousins taking a midnight run.”

  Turning her head just enough to see Caleb’s face, she found his expression still blank as he stared across the yard.

  “We recognize our mates, our life partners, instantly, and as the saying goes
, ‘It is love at first sight,’” she continued. “I knew yesterday before I even met you that we were fated to be together for the rest of our lives. You are my mate, and I will love you until I die.”

  With that, Goldie stopped talking. What else could she say?

  She watched and waited as Caleb sipped at his coffee. It was several minutes before he finally set his mug down and turned to look at her.

  “I know I said I was open-minded, but I don’t believe you. There is no such thing as shape-shifters. They’re legend amongst American Indians and popular with fiction writers, but there is no such thing as shape-shifters.”

  Goldie took a breath and closed her eyes. So, though he was open-minded, he was also a see-to-believe kind of guy. Okay, if he needed proof, she would give it to him.

  Standing, she quickly stripped, dropping her clothes to the porch floor. Then she moved a few feet away from the steps and turned to look at Caleb.

  “Please don’t scream or shoot me. I won’t hurt you,” she said just before she shifted into her wolf form.

  * * * *

  When the beautiful naked woman stood before him one moment and suddenly turned into a black-furred wolf the next, Caleb fought down an urge to jump up and run. Instead, he sat very still and met the wolf’s, Goldie’s, amber-colored eyes as he tried to control his breathing and racing heartbeat.

  The wolf stared at him then whined as if begging him to believe, to accept, to understand.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said after a moment, feeling no fear toward the animal, but instead an awe he could not begin to understand. “In both your forms you are beautiful. And I can understand why you didn’t tell me yesterday, but what does this mean?”

  Goldie slowly walked forward until she could lay her head on his knee. Without hesitation, he rubbed her head and then began to scratch at the spots just behind her ears. She whined again as if trying to answer him then shifted her head as if to get him to touch just the right spot.

  After another few minutes, he pulled his hand away. “Okay, that’s enough. Shift back so we can talk.”

  In the next instant the woman was once again kneeling where the wolf had been. She looked up at him, her expression hesitant, nervous as if scared of his reaction. While he was overwhelmed and feeling the need for a five-mile run to clear his head, he cupped her jaw with one hand.

  His cock had been hard since he had seen her sitting on his back porch. Now that she was naked and kneeling before him, it began to throb with an overwhelming need to fuck her again.

  “I should be freaked out by the fact that the woman I’m falling for is a shape-shifter, but I’m not. My cock is so fucking hard it hurts. Having you on your knees like this is so damn hot,” he said, rubbing one hand across his erection.

  Goldie smiled as she moved even closer. “That’s how you’re supposed to feel. We are, after all, mates. You’re supposed to be turned on by your mate.”

  * * * *

  Reaching into his lap, she fumbled with his belt, then the button and zipper of his uniform pants. Once she had them opened, she fished his cock out and made the examination of it that she had wanted to do the night before.

  His cock was long and thick and the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She brushed her fingers down his length and traced around his balls.

  “Suck me, baby girl, before I lose all control and cover your beautiful girls with man juice.”

  Dropping her head, Goldie lapped at his balls before slowly working her way up his cock. When she reached the tip, she parted her lips and took the head in, swirling her tongue around it. She licked across the slit and smiled at the tangy, salty, tart juices she found there.

  “Oh, God, that feels so good,” Caleb ground out as he stabbed his fingers through her hair.

  She began to bob up and down his cock in earnest, giving him as much pleasure as she knew how. She knew he was close when his cock expanded even further and his hips began to shift, trying to thrust deeper.

  She pulled off and looked up at him. “Come for me, mate. Give me your magic,” she demanded, feeling strong and powerful even in this submissive act of loving.

  It took another few strokes before he stiffened, cried out, and came. His fingers tightened in her hair, and his hips bucked off the porch, driving his cock even deeper into her mouth.

  * * * *

  “Oh. My. God.”

  As soon as she finished cleaning his cock, Caleb reached down and pulled her up and onto his lap. He cuddled her close to his chest and brushed one palm over her back and side as his breathing slowed and he regained his composure.

  His mind was as wound up as his body had been just seconds ago. He was overwhelmed with the earth-shattering information she had shared so easily. He needed to be alone to think about how Goldie’s news would affect his life.

  “You’re a wolf. And a woman. And I’m your mate for life,” he murmured.

  His voice sounded surprisingly detached and bland, as if he had unplugged his emotions. The next moment he lifted her from his lap and set her on the porch. Before she could say anything, he tucked his cock away and then stood. After straightening his clothes, he started to walk away.

  “Caleb?” she called softly.

  “I’ll be back later. I need to meet your grandfather,” he said without looking back.

  He walked through the village, his thoughts a million miles away. What shocked him most of all was that he was not as surprised as he thought he should be by the news that he had fallen for a shape-shifter. Or that shape-shifters existed outside of the fantasy book and movie realm.

  When he reached the ferry landing at the center of town, he found the Town Hall and sheriff’s office. As he crossed the main road to the ocean-blue building that sat across the main street from the ferry landing, he felt overdressed for the casual atmosphere of the island. Several couples passed him on their way to the beach dressed in skimpy bathing suits.

  Stepping inside, he found the Town Hall was one large open room that looked more like a high school gymnasium than the center of a village’s government. There were two desks sitting in opposite corners of the large room, each with a second chair in front of them, but no one was working at that moment.

  He walked to the closest desk and read notices hanging on the two bulletin boards hanging nearby. One held state and federal notices regarding employment, safety, and other information required to be posted in public areas of all businesses. The second held notices regarding lost and found items, work schedules for several of the businesses in the village, as well as an announcement about a town meeting scheduled for the next afternoon a half hour after the ferry left for the mainland.

  Looking at the desk in this corner, he saw a sticker on the side of the desk identifying it as belonging to the county sheriff’s department. So this corner would be his office for the summer. Sitting down in the comfortable executive chair, he methodically went through the drawers and organized them to his liking.

  There was a drawer containing all the reports a deputy might have to fill out. Another drawer held several boxes of black pens and a tall stack of small pads that would fit his investigator’s notebook. Paper clips, old rubber bands, and other supplies were in the center drawer along with a two-page typed phone list that seemed to be the island’s phonebook. He was studying the laminated map that was taped to the top of the desk and wondered what Goldie was up to at that moment.

  “Good morning, Deputy,” Edward said as he approached from the front door.

  Caleb looked up and tried not to look guilty as he met the old man’s sharp gaze. After all, he had had sex with the man’s granddaughter three times since arriving on this island. How was he supposed to face the man and not be embarrassed?

  “Good morning, Mayor Edward.” He dropped his gaze back to the desk.

  “Ah, no embarrassment. It is a joyous occasion when a shape-shifter finds her mate. Or are you not happy with my granddaughter?”

  “Goldie?” Caleb asked.
“Who wouldn’t be happy with such a woman? I’m just having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that the woman I met yesterday afternoon is destined to be mine for the rest of my life. And then when she turned into a wolf this morning, well, let’s just say it blew my mind.”

  He watched as Edward lowered himself into the chair across the desk. The man looked old, tired.

  “Not only are you mated to a shape-shifter, but Goldie is the next Alpha of our pack. I’ve known since her birth that Goldie would be my successor as pack Alpha. Until recently I have not given much thought about turning things over to her, but now that she has found her mate…maybe it’s time.”

  “Pack Alpha? What does that mean?”

  “She didn’t tell you? No, of course she didn’t. She is trying not to cause you too much distress. She always was too good-hearted for her own good, always worrying about everyone else’s feelings before her own. As her mate, you will have to protect her from those who will try to use that innate compassion against her,” Edward said, looking deadly serious.

  “No, she didn’t, but you will, won’t you?” Caleb said, knowing he would not, could not, let the man leave the room until he was fully briefed on what the hell was going on.

  Chapter 7

  “What the hell were you thinking?”

  Goldie slammed the door and took up her “don’t mess with me” stance. Feet planted apart, hands on hips, and what she knew was her fiercest look. She met and held each of the five pairs of eyes that had swung her way one after another until each looked away, deferring to her status as their Alpha.

  “About what?” Emerald finally asked when it seemed no one else would. She sounded innocent and confused by Goldie’s anger.

  “What the hell were you thinking running down the public beach last night? You know you have to stay on pack lands when there are guests on the island.” Goldie began to pace.

  She knew she was overreacting to their misadventure, but Caleb’s walking away after she’d told him of her shape-shifting abilities hurt. Her emotions were pinging all over the map, and she did not know how to deal.