The rosy glow on Nika’s cheeks fascinated Jaemus. She fanned her face, bracelets jingling on her slender wrist, as she waited for him to give a reason why he wanted to see her.

Right. Why had he told her that?

Because it’s true.

“I’ve had a bit of a difficult time as of late,” he began, feeling a little off balance, exposed, as Nika stared at him. He dropped his attention to the beastie sitting between them. Crouching, he rubbed Daisy’s ears until the dog’s eyes closed. He let her lick every one of his fingers before standing again.

“There have been some changes I’ve had to come to grips with. Some… traveling I hadn’t expected to do.” He blew out a breath then sucked in a new one. “Taking this job, being here with you now… I don’t know. It feels right. It feels good. Normal.”

Nika’s gaze softened, those pale green eyes drawing him in, and the desire to press his lips to hers nearly overwhelmed Jaemus.

“I still can’t believe you’re here.” Her tongue came out to moisten her lips, and he cursed the stiff confines of Reardon’s borrowed jeans. How did men wear these in this time? Most uncomfortable.

“I said I would take the job when you offered it yesterday,” he reminded her.

“I know, but I was filled with doubts this morning.” She let out a little laugh that put a light in her eyes, igniting something inside him. They truly sparkled like gems and reminded Jaemus of the glowing that happened to werewolf eyes. What would Nika look like if he turned her?

He instantly squeezed his eyes closed. Not going down that path. He couldn’t imagine taking Nika’s beautiful humanity away from her. That would be cruel. That would be something Reardon would do—had done—and Jaemus wasn’t making the same mistake. He didn’t even know if he could change her anyway. He’d hardly had a werewolf tutorial. He had no idea what the rules were.

“No reason to doubt, sprite,” he said. “If I said I’ll take the job, I’ll take the job. I’m a great many terrible things, but I keep my word.”

Without responding, Nika led them back into the post while Daisy plopped down on a mat by the front door, appearing to settle in for the day. Nika turned to face him. “I’ve been in your presence for a little while, Jaemus, and I don’t see anything terrible about you.” Her gaze combed down to his feet and back up to his eyes. He felt as if he’d been stroked though she hadn’t put a finger on him.

How he wished she’d put a finger on him. Maybe all her fingers.

“Give it time, aye. The terrible is bound to come through.”

Nika turned the sign on the door so the Open side faced out. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” She studied him for a moment longer. “You’re welcome to wander the grounds until showtime, but I assume you have a costume to get into that you didn’t bring with you.”

“Aye, my costume is back at the sanctuary, but actually I was planning to look around town before the show. I’d like to find a place to stay.”

“Things a little crowded at Silver Moon?” Nika got behind the counter where the ringing machine Carrie and Zavier had used yesterday sat.

“You could say that.” He shrugged. “Know of any available places close by?”

“Is this job your only employment?”

“Aye.”

“And you do recall I can’t pay you much, right? Probably not enough to rent a place.” Her lips turned down. “I wish I could give you more, especially because your acting skills and costume are beyond expectations.”

“Perhaps once things take off again, when your post is the thriving business you wish it to be, you could give a good Wolfman a raise for his services.” Jaemus loved that his words brought the smile back to her amazing mouth. A mouth he was becoming more and more enchanted by.

“Perhaps.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “Maybe we could cut another deal in the meantime.”

“What kind of a deal?” He was definitely interested in any deals that involved Nika Skarvinksi.

“Well…” She toyed with the big curls resting on her shoulder then shook her head. “Oh, never mind. I don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“But now I want to know what you’re thinking.” He waved his hand. “Out with it, sprite.”

She drummed long fingers on the counter between them. The sound and the movement hypnotized him as he fantasized about those fingertips resting on his chest. As they lounged in a comfortable bed. Naked.

Definitely naked.

“Did you see that barn out back when I gave you the grand tour?” She pointed to the back of the trading post.

“Aye. It caught my eye. Looks solidly built.” Strangely, it reminded him of the past—a time that belonged to him.

“My tato built it. I live in a loft apartment inside that barn, but the lower level is… available. I mean, it needs some work… actually some probably isn’t the right word. Are you handy, Jaemus?”

“Aye.” At least he was in his time. He often fixed things at the fortress the army called home, and he was usually the one who erected temporary shelters when the men needed them. That was why he’d easily turned branches and leaves into a shelter on that blasted island Flidae had sent him to.

“Well, if you wanted to fix it up yourself, I wouldn’t charge you to stay there. It’s nothing elaborate, but—”

“I’ll take it.”

Nika’s gaze shot up to his. “Don’t you want to see inside or something first?”

“No.” Whatever condition the barn was in, it had to be better than being trapped with Reardon. He was trying to work on forgiving his brother, but he needed some space to be able to do that.

And the notion that Nika also lived in that barn made it an attractive option.

She smirked. “What if the barn is mice ridden?”

As if mice are the worst things I’ve slept amongst. Or eaten for that matter.

“I have no fear of mice.” In fact, the mice should be afraid of him.

“What about snakes?”

He shook his head. “I’d be happy to cuddle with them.”

Nika laughed and the sound floated through Jaemus, making him feel like seaweed floating on the water, weightless, carefree.

“Cuddling with snakes. Okay, then. Maybe playing Wolfman isn’t such a stretch for you.”

You have no idea, sprite.

“I have no problems sharing that barn with any manner of beasties.” Or trading post owners with curls his fingers longed to dive into and lips his mouth ached to taste.

Nika came out from behind the counter and motioned for him to follow her to the office. She went to her desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out something that clinked in her hands.

“Extra keys.” She held them out to him. “If you want to get started on the necessary improvements before the one o’clock show.”

He took the keys, holding on to her hand and watching her eyes go wide as she looked at him. “Your kindness is much appreciated, sprite.” He dropped a light kiss on the back of her hand, loving how her smooth skin felt against his lips.

She started to speak, but had to clear her throat and try again twice as he held onto her hand. “You might not think I’m so kind when you see the state of the barn.”

He looked at her for a beat longer, imagining himself taking a step closer, lowering his head, brushing his lips against hers. Her beauty was unlike anything he’d ever seen in Ireland. Fair-haired lasses more than willing to offer him whatever he’d wanted had been plentiful. He hadn’t been one to refuse their advances.

But Nika? She stimulated him on a whole new level. One he wanted to explore, even if his time here was limited.

Jaemus took that step closer, his gaze focusing on her mouth and making plans to claim it. His thumb rubbed along the knuckles of her hand he still held in his.

“Nika?” a voice called from out front.

He jolted a little, dropped Nika’s hand, and shifted his gaze to the keys in his hand. “I’ll let you get to work. See you in a few hours.” He swiveled on his heel and marched out of her office, telling himself not to look back.

Of course he’d never been one to listen to himself.

A quick glance over his shoulder revealed Nika staring at him with an expression on her face that matched the rapid pulse beating in his blood. Had she wanted him to kiss her? What would she have done if he had? Kissed him back? And why could he hear her heartbeat as well? Was it favorable that it matched the tempo of his own?

Puffing out a breath, he said a quick hello to Zavier who had been the one to call to Nika and made his way out of the trading post, Daisy following him. Leaning against the front of the building, he hooked his hair behind his ear then gave his temple a quick rub.

“Gods be damned, pup, I almost kissed her.” The office around them had melted away and there was only her standing in front of him. Kissing her would have been a mistake. She was his employer now. She’d been kind in offering him a place to stay. He couldn’t take advantage of her good nature. He had to keep the boundaries in place.

Besides, he wasn’t staying.

Reardon had thought that too. Flidae’s voice filled his head.

I’m not like Reardon. Nor did he want to be.

We’ll see…

Shaking his head, Jaemus pushed off the building and followed the gravel path to the barn with Daisy right on his heels. Finding a small door at the side of it, he guided the key into the lock and turned. When he opened the door, Daisy bounded in and headed for the narrow stairs.

“No.” At the sound of Jaemus’s voice, the dog stopped with her paw on the first step. “We’re not going to your home. We’re going to make down here my home.”

The dog looked up at the door at the top of the stairs, let out a little whine, and wagged her tail.

“Aye, I know. Trust me. I want to go up there too, but only when your mum is home and only if I’m invited.” It scared Jaemus how much he wanted that invitation.

As his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the barn’s interior, the first thing to hit him was the smell of old wood. He inhaled deeply and for the first time since being banished from Ireland by Flidae, he felt… settled.

Strange. He couldn’t be farther from his regular life. He hadn’t held a sword in weeks. He hadn’t let loose any battle cries, set fire to the bodies of the fallen, counted his acquired riches. The only blood he’d spilled recently had been his own. He wasn’t accustomed to this place or this time and yet, a sense of belonging washed over him in that barn. An unseen, unexplainable force pulled at him, drew him in, made him want to make this barn into something he could call home.

Daisy came over and sat by his boot, her golden eyes turned up expectantly and her wagging tail stirring up the layers of dust covering the floor.

“Getting a start on sweeping, pup?” He petted Daisy’s head then investigated the barn, taking an inventory of the space.

Large windows lined two of the walls, letting in the summer sunshine and creating yellow rectangles on the floor. Jaemus crouched and used his hand to brush away at the dust, revealing wide planks of wood beneath his feet. Some of the boards were damaged, but after replacing them, he was confident he could restore the floor to its former glory.

Thick posts and beams interlocked around him to create the frame of the barn and they were in wonderful condition. All the joints still looked tight. Nika’s father must have been an excellent craftsman for the structure to weather time so well.

At the back gable end of the barn, two wide doors sat crookedly. Jaemus walked toward them and had to use most of his bulk to open one of them. A loud squeak sounded as rusted hinges complained about Jaemus disturbing them. He made a mental note to replace those as well and repair the doors.

He spotted electrical outlets—something Dylan had showed him back at Silver Moon—so there was power to the barn. Not that Jaemus needed electricity, but as his brother had pointed out, it was indeed convenient.

A low wall in the back corner sectioned off what looked like a small, rudimentary kitchen and beyond that was a tiny bathroom. Again, Jaemus wasn’t used to having either of those modern inventions, but wasn’t about to snub his nose at them. If everything worked in both, he’d use them. They looked as if they just needed a thorough cleaning.

“We’ll need a few supplies, won’t we?” He looked down at Daisy who had followed him as he’d meandered through the space. “And maybe some free labor.”

Twenty minutes later, he was back in the barn with Dylan, Meredith, and her bucket of cleaning supplies.

“Holy shit,” Meredith said as she scanned the place. “This needs more than a tidying.”

“If I said it needed a complete scouring, would you have agreed to come?” Jaemus raised his eyebrows at the woman.

“Hell, no.”

Dylan laughed. “Aww, c’mon, Gram. You love to clean.”

“And I’m damn good at it, but this is… this is extreme.”

“If you’re not up for the challenge…” Jaemus shrugged.

A fire flared in Meredith’s eyes. “Step aside, son. You are about to get schooled in the Ways of Clean.” She dumped her supplies out on the floor and waved the bucket at Dylan. “Fill this, kid.”

Jaemus had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. When he’d approached Dylan about helping him clean the barn, the boy had dropped his comic book and abandoned the wolf he was using as a pillow in the grass behind Brandy’s house.

“Sure!” Then his shoulders had hunched a bit.

“What’s the matter?” Jaemus had asked.

“Mom won’t just let me go with you. Neither will Reardon.” Then he’d snapped his fingers. “We’ll ask Gram to come.”

Jaemus had hesitated, but Dylan insisted.

“We can trust her. Gram always wants to help everybody.”

Sure enough, the boy had convinced Meredith that cleaning the barn was a worthy cause. And yes, maybe they’d led her to believe they were cleaning it for Nika, but Jaemus wasn’t ready to reveal he’d gotten a job or a place to live yet.

He wasn’t ready to reveal that maybe… maybe he rather enjoyed Canville, Vermont.

****

He was going to kiss me. That thought cycled through Nika’s head all morning long as she and Zavier used their lack of customers as an excuse to design and type up a shiny new advertisement for The Wolfman Show. Zavier was great with making flyers, and Carrie was a whiz with a movie-making app, so Nika would have a video to go with the advertisement.

All she would have to do next was wait for word to get out and watch the visitors—the ticket buyers and trading post shoppers—roll on in.

He was going to kiss me.

Nika’s hands flopped at her sides. She kept thinking that notion had faded from her memory as she worked on something else and then poof. It popped right back in there and made her entire body tingle. The way Jaemus’s golden brown eyes had zeroed in on her mouth had been… predatory. She was baffled by how much she liked being prey. Not something she would have guessed would be up her alley, but here she was, hours later, still quivery with need over the way Jaemus—a perfect stranger—looked at her.

He was going to kiss me.

“Oh, for God’s sake… ” She smacked a hand to her forehead as she stood at the copy machine outside her office.

“Easy there,” Carrie said as she stowed her purse in Nika’s office. “Don’t want to rattle anything loose in there… well, anything else, I suppose.”

“Shut it, girlie.” Nika hit Carrie’s arm with a stack of the flyers she and Zavier had made.

Carrie laughed and grabbed the stack, giving them a look. “Wow! These came out great.”

“Zavier has an eye for this stuff.” Nika stood behind Carrie and peeked over her shoulder. “I like how he put the faint silhouette of Wolfman in the background and the location of the show in the full moon image was a brilliant idea.”

“Yeah.” Carrie touched a finger to the moon. “You should have seen this project Zavier did for English class. He designed an alternate cover for Night by Elie Wiesel. It was amazing.”

“Smart and artistic. Zavier’s got it all, doesn’t he?” Nika studied Carrie’s face as she absently caressed the flyers in her hand.

“Yeah,” Carrie said again. “I think he’ll make a brilliant lawyer, but art stuff brings him more joy, you know?”

“So why doesn’t he go the art route?”

Handing the flyers back to Nika, Carrie huffed. “His mom doesn’t want him to ‘waste himself’ on art.” She made quotes with her fingers as she rolled her eyes.

“I see. Well, he’ll learn he’s got to follow his own heart if he wants to be truly happy.” Nika also hoped he learned that Carrie’s father couldn’t keep them apart. Not if they wanted to be together.

“What about you?” Carrie asked.

“What about me?” Nika popped into her office to make a list of where she wanted to handout the flyers.

“Will you learn to follow your heart to be truly happy?”

“I’m happy, honey.” Teens. Where did they come up with half the stuff they said?

“Since meeting our new Wolfman, yes, you do seem happy.” Carrie grinned. “That look on your face tells it all, Boss.”

“What look?” Nika scowled and waved a hand at Carrie. “There’s no look. I’m just relieved to have found someone to replace Jared.” And I’m absolutely turned on by our new Wolfman. She closed her eyes before the image of Jaemus’s intense eyes this morning could paint itself across her vision.

But it was too late.

He filled the space between her ears instantly. Ah, shit. Who was she kidding? His image had never left.

“Relieved… yeah, sure.” Carrie elbowed Nika as the two of them walked out front. “Where is our Wolfman anyway?”

“What time is it?” Nika had been so busy with flyers—and daydreaming—that she had no idea how much time had gone by since she’d been almost kissed.

Stop it! She had to get a grip on this. Her business wouldn’t benefit from Jaemus taking the job if she didn’t focus all her attention on getting the word out. She didn’t have time for wondering how his lips would have felt pressed against her own. The trading post had to come first.

Or Robert would come for it.

“Almost show time,” Carrie said, glancing at her phone.

“I’m sure Jaemus is getting ready then.” Nika put some of the flyers by the register and tucked the rest under her arm. “Let’s lock the front door and go watch him.”

“What if customers come in?” Carrie asked.

“They aren’t going to come in before the show, but hopefully after it they will. A few minutes before the show ends, you can run up here and reopen.”

“Okay.”

Five minutes later, Nika and Carrie were seated on the first row bleachers in the theater with Daisy at their feet. Nika explained away her fluttery heart by telling herself she was out of shape and the walk down from the post had gotten to her.

That was, of course, complete bullshit, but she impressed herself with her delusion.

The bleachers looked a little fuller, didn’t they? Nika wondered if word had already begun to spread locally. Surely people had heard about Jared’s arrest by now. Some of them must know about Robert circling like a shark too, particularly because he seemed to be announcing it at Rosie’s Diner. If nothing else, curiosity may have brought some folks out to see what was happening.

I’m trying, Tato.

“Nika.”

She turned around to see Robert had slipped into the bleachers directly behind her and Carrie. Daisy let out a little growl, but that was as mean as the dog ever got.

“Scumbucket,” Carrie said.

Nika put her hand on Carrie’s arm, both loving her loyalty and fearing the kid would rile Robert up more than that vein at his temple already indicated he was riled.

“One of your biggest problems here, Nika, is the subhuman staff.” Robert narrowed his eyes at Carrie as if she were a stain on his favorite tie.

“All right. Let’s everybody play nice and enjoy the show.” She elbowed Carrie. “Got your phone ready to capture some footage?”

“Yeah, Boss.” Carrie reached back to the pocket of her jean shorts and pulled out her phone, wiggling it between them. “Heavy on Wolfman?”

“He’ll be the one to sell tickets.” Nika checked the time on Carrie’s phone. Two minutes to one o’clock. Two minutes to seeing Jaemus.

Well, Jaemus in his extraordinary costume at least.

“I’m eager to see your treasure,” Robert said. “He must be remarkable if you think he can save your trading post, Nika.”

“Remarkable is exactly the right word, Robert. The new Wolfman is remarkable.” She focused her attention on the theater before them, willing Jaemus to show up right now and save her from Robert’s jabs.

Suddenly a lone wolf howl echoed through the trees, making goosebumps rise up on Nika’s skin as Daisy sat up and sniffed the air. The small crowd bristled on the bleachers, many craning their necks to get a better view. That one howl had commanded their complete attention.

“Dramatic,” Carrie whispered around a giggle, her phone poised and ready to record.

Red Riding Hood came out and did her opening lines. The girl had always been good, but she often said her lines in a monotone voice. Today, however, a little something extra resonated behind her words. Something Nika was almost sure was passion.

Hmm. Had Jaemus inspired her as well? And if so, how much inspiration had he offered? Did he go around getting every female he encountered all hot and bothered for him?

Probably.

The question was did he do it on purpose or could he not help it? The man was gorgeous. No disputing that, but did he use that fact for good or evil?

Please use it for good, Jaemus. And only use it on me. Nika realized she had no right to ask for that last part, but she was feeling greedy this afternoon.

Red Riding Hood took her basket and skipped along en route to Granny’s house and encountered Huntsman. They exchanged their lines, but when Jaemus ripped through the trees in all his fur-and-claw glory, the audience went wild.

Wolfman wild.

Screaming, cheering, hooting, hollering. They did it all in awe of the new Wolfman. Jaemus didn’t have to utter a word for them to immediately love him. His costume once again made Nika’s jaw drop. How in the hell did he make it so realistic?

The fur on the rippling muscles of his back was amazing. She felt as if she could reach out, tug it, and totally believe Jaemus had grown that fur since she’d seen him this morning.

And those rippling muscles? Good God. Knowing those were one hundred percent Jaemus and not the work of a gifted make-up artist made a heat build between Nika’s legs. Did vaginas catch on fire spontaneously? Because this guy could ignite that spark even dressed in a beastly wolfman costume. That took freaking talent.

Nika watched with intense fascination as Jaemus bounded through the audience, climbing bleachers and pausing to sniff at visitors, much to their delight. Laughter filled the woods as he toyed with people’s hats, pretended to groom a man with a particularly extensive beard, batted a little boy’s shoelace like a playful puppy, wrestled a stick away from Daisy, and finally dropped to his knees on the bench in front of Nika.

His close proximity alone made her heart beat faster. Did he seem bigger up close? He was a big man already. Deliciously big, but Wolfman appeared larger somehow. The long whiskers on either side of his muzzle twitched as he sniffed the air around her. His big golden brown eyes had a luminous quality to them and when his gaze shifted to Robert sitting behind her, a low growl slid from his throat.

“This is your so-called treasure, Nika? Doesn’t look like much more than an overgrown mutt.” Robert scoffed and folded his arms across his unimpressive chest.

Jaemus’s muscles tensed so subtly if Nika hadn’t been so close to him she wouldn’t have noticed. Even so, when he sprung forward and leaped over her and Carrie to land on Robert’s bench just inches from him, she nearly fell off her seat.

“Holy shit!” Carrie swung around, her phone trained on Jaemus. “Did you see that?”

See a man jump over two people with the ease and grace of a real wolf? Uh-huh. She’d seen it. Could she explain it? Nope.

Where did this guy come from? And what made him want to apply to be her Wolfman? He was ready for casting in blockbuster movies.

A bead of sweat rolled down Robert’s forehead as he sat still, trying to look completely unaffected by Jaemus’s sudden movement. “So you’re a gymnast. Big deal. That’s not enough to save this trading post. I will build a Mr. Sprinkles here.”

Jaemus let out another growl. This time he rolled his lips back to bare a full set of vicious teeth—wolf teeth.

Wow. This guy goes the extra mile.

Nika’s former Wolfman had been a complete amateur compared to Jaemus.

“I don’t think our Wolfman likes you, Mr. Senclair.” Carrie chuckled as she zoomed in with her camera.

Jaemus tilted his head up toward the sky and let loose another loud wolf howl that had the audience on their feet, howling along with him. The energy coursing around Nika was incredible. For a moment, she felt her father’s presence more strongly than she had in a while.

He was there. She was sure of it.

And he approved of Jaemus.

“I don’t give a shit if this idiot likes me or not,” Robert said. “Can we talk in your office, Nika?” He reached out his hand as if to touch Nika, but he never made contact.

Jaemus got between them. Turning so his back was to Robert, he held out a hand toward her. A hand with bulbous knuckles, long claws, and a spattering of silvery fur on the back. He turned his palm up, revealing dog-like pads, and extended his fingers a bit.

Nika stared at that animalesque hand for a few moments as the crowd went absolutely silent around her.

“I think he wants you to take his hand,” Carrie whispered.

This pulled another raucous cheer from the audience and a few “take it” calls.

She met Jaemus’s golden brown gaze and sucked in a breath over the way those eyes of his positively glowed as he stared at her. Regardless of the fact he was in the Wolfman costume, he managed to make her feel exactly as he had when they’d been in her office earlier today.

When he’d almost kissed her.

Slowly, Nika raised her hand and slid it into his palm. It was tiny in comparison to his massive… paw?

Gently—much too gently for a man of his size wearing silver wolf fur—Jaemus closed his clawed fingers over her hand. With a slight tug, he guided her off the bleachers and led her to the main theater area. When he got there, Red and Hunty were standing together, both with a look of what’s-going-to-happen-next on their faces. Jaemus had gone off script. Way off script.

He let go of Nika’s hand and went over to Red and Hunty. He sniffed Red up and down while Hunty maneuvered in between them. Then Jaemus skulked back to Nika and fingered her hair, putting it up to his nose and inhaling deeply.

Those goosebumps were back on her skin, and Nika berated herself for being turned on by a man dressed as an overgrown pooch.

What is wrong with me?

Jaemus pointed a crooked claw at Red and Hunty then nudged them together so their shoulders touched. When he stood beside Nika again he put his arm around her, tucking her in at his side.

“Oh, you want her instead of Red Riding Hood?” Hunty asked with a chuckle that was echoed by the crowd.

Jaemus nodded his big wolfman head and all out laughter erupted from the audience.

“So I can have Red?” Hunty took Red’s hand.

Again, Jaemus nodded and before Nika could catch her own breath from laughing, he swept her off her feet and carried her into the woods bordering the theater.

It wasn’t the usual ending to the show, but she wasn’t complaining.