Honerera held her ribs and grimaced. Tanner had kicked her last night, and she wasn't sure if they were broken or merely bruised. It hurt to take a deep breath, and it was unbearable to carry her backpack on her right shoulder. She moved slowly and gingerly through the school on the way to her locker. She had taken some ibuprofen, but it barely touched the pain. She was late and was still putting her books away when Aaron came with his entourage. He slammed her locker shut and caught her hand in the metal door. She glared at the floor as she pried her crushed fingers loose. "Hey fatty, get out of my way. You're blocking my locker." He pushed her aside roughly. "Stupid trailer trash bitch." Seeing that teasing Honerera was the theme of the day, and the girl hadn't run off as quickly as usual, Mark joined in the game. "Yeah, I heard her mom was a crack whore. Sold her off to her uncle for a fix and ran away." Honerera had heard all these insults before, the story th
Gabriel wasn’t about to let a bully go unpunished. Especially when that bully had laid a finger on his mate. Like a predator stalking his prey, Gabriel followed Aaron Mortem’s every move. He watched the football practice from the shadows of the bleachers. The kid was flexing his supernatural DNA as the high school quarterback, but as a wolf, he wasn’t impressive. Gabriel doubted the kid even had the strength to fully shift. He waited patiently for the team to filter out of the locker room, and then silently and stealthily followed him to his car. The kid drove a proper redneck truck, complete with a lift-kit and oversized tires. Gabriel watched stealthily as the kid pulled out of the student parking lot, and then he pulled out behind him in his own black pick-up.Instead of driving straight home, Aaron Mortem veered off the paved road and started bouncing at break-neck speed along a rough dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust behind him. Gabriel followed behind him and shook
For a while now, Honorera had suspected that someone was watching her in her dreams. And now she felt like someone was watching her during her waking hours. She couldn’t exactly explain it, she just had that eerie feeling that eyes were following her, and it was starting to irritate her. She scrubbed the dishes with more force than necessary, trying to expel some of her agitation. She hadn't slept well in weeks, because every time she drifted off, she was having some version of the same dream. A sweet, feminine voice was calling her to come into the forest. "You'll find it there..." the voice promised. Find what? Honorera prowled the forest in her dream, looking for she-didn't-know what. Sometimes she forgot that she was looking for anything. Then she got that disturbing feeling that she was being watched. She scanned the trees, but she couldn't see into the darkness. She didn't know whether to be curious or afraid. Was someone else looking for something mysterious in the
Honorera felt awkward sitting in her English class once she realized that the man in her dreams was none other than Mr. Shepherd. It was weirdly intimate, as though she had seen him naked. She sat in the back of the classroom and kept staring at him, memorizing his features, and sometimes even absently doodling his likeness in her notebooks. Worse still, he seemed to feel her stare and often turned to meet her eyes. There was a strange feeling, a searing heat in her chest whenever their gazes locked, and she struggled to tear her eyes away from his mesmerizing silver-gray orbs. Mr. Shepherd liked to pace through the classroom as he taught the class and when he came near her desk, her heart started to pound as if she had just sprinted across the football field. Sometimes he smiled at her, and she imagined that it was a special smile meant just for her. She almost believed it was a knowing smile, that seemed to suggest that he knew exactly what she was feeling.It was impossible
Honorera didn’t have a driver’s license. Even if she had had it, she didn’t have a vehicle to drive, so she walked all the way from her home on the mountain to the convenience store in Pete’s Peak. She wished she could go into Rutberg, to a real grocery store but if she asked for a ride to town, Tanner would know she'd gotten money somewhere. And if he knew she had cash, he would take it from her, citing all the expenses he had incurred by feeding and sheltering her for the last sixteen years of her life.She had a list prepared of the items she needed for the house. Nothing very extravagant. Dish soap. Laundry detergent. Toilet paper. Food. She had carefully calculated the price of every item to make sure she wouldn't overspend. She felt the eyes of the store clerk following her as she moved up and down the narrow aisles filling up her basket. She brought the items to the cashier and handed him the sturdy, reusable bags. She needed strong bags with handles since she would
Honorera washed her hands and started peeling potatoes for dinner. Cooking was something she enjoyed, and she hummed softly while she worked. She was in a good mood and felt calm and relaxed after the strange interaction with the wolf in the clearing. She didn’t even know there were any wolves this far south in Vermont. She was lost in her own musings when she heard things being slammed around in Tanner’s bedroom. Calm fled and she felt the anxiety rise in her gut, and her muscles tense. She never knew how he was going to be, but already the vibe felt bad. He entered the living room and halted suddenly, sniffing the air. "What?? What is that smell?"She sniffed too, "Um, onion?""Fucking hell," he inched closer to her, crowding her with his oversized body. "It's all over you. Who have you been with? You goddamn whore!" He moved fast. Sometimes he could move with supernatural speed, even when he was drunk. He slapped her, and pushed her against the refrigerator, holding h
Honorera was dreaming.She was in the forest again, walking in the waning evening light. She was not scared of the dark, ever. It embraced her, as the forest embraced her. She was looking for something again... no she was looking for someone. She headed for the clearing, for the rock. She felt a little strange, her arms ached and her head felt heavy, even in the dream. It was there again, that sensation that someone was watching her, moving toward her, and she tensed, ready to run. Who was in the woods? Was it Mr. Shepherd? All the times in this dream she had run away... but this time something urged her to move toward the stranger, to find him, to see him. "I know you are there." She called into the night."Don't fear me, my love. Come to me," he answered her. She knew that voice, deep and sexy. She moved toward the sound and saw a shadowy figure moving between the trees. She wondered if it was a trick. It simply wasn't possible that a man like Mr. Shepherd would even s
Before Gabriel went to get food, he decided to find Harold Mortem. He had questions, and he suspected that Mortem had some answers. He googled the location of the offices of the quarry and headed there. It was a rather impressive two-story office building not far from the quarry site. The modern steel and glass edifice looked completely out of place in the small, sleepy mountain town. Inside was a lavish and expensively decorated lobby and a pretty, bored-looking blond secretary who was slouched in her chair picking at the split ends in her hair. "Hello," Gabriel gave her his most charming and disarming smile, "Is Mr. Mortem in?"She glanced up and then sat up straighter when she realized how handsome the large man was. “Do you have an appointment?" She asked him properly."Well no ma'am, but I'm his son Eric's teacher, and I have something very important to discuss with him." His southern drawl rolled off his tongue, causing a warm flush to color the woman’s cheeks."Oh. Oh we
Gabriel scooped her up and carried Honorera to the bed. He laid her down as if she was as fragile as glass. Then he knelt on the bed next to her and continued the kiss where he had left off, fully unleashing his passion. His hands pulled up her shirt so he could touch her bare, heated skin. She moaned and writhed underneath his touch, wanting more, needing more. Her hands tugged impatiently at his t-shirt, yanking it up until he obliged her and pulled it off over his head... before doing the same for her. Honorera was naked before him, in only her panties, since his over-size t-shirt was all she wore to bed most nights. He’d never seen anything more beautiful.He worshiped her body, kissing her neck, biting lightly at the tender junction of her neck and shoulder, before he turned his attention to her breasts. Her breasts were full, the dusky nipples pearled in the cool air. He kissed the soft flesh before drawing the nipple into his mouth, sucking lightly until she groaned a
Gabriel climbed the stairs, his shoulders stiff and sore with tension. He'd been working for weeks, digging through all his contacts, trying to find anything he could on Honorera, her family, her past, and the price on her head. But he'd made almost no progress. He traced Tanner and Kayla Lee back to a small pack in Ohio. Kayla Lee had been an almost invisible member of the pack, an obedient omega. When her brother was exiled, she went with him. Possibly she was forced by her brother to accompany him into no man's land. But somewhere along the way, they had parted.Todd would not reveal the owner of the contract, and King’s denied all knowledge of the mark. "It's not one of mine, Rico. When are you coming back to work? We need you man, the boys are getting sloppy without you."When he reached the top of the bedroom, he was surprised to be met by his mother. She was wrapped in her favorite tattered terrycloth bathrobe, but she was no less intimidating as she propped her han
Something was wrong. Honorera didn't know what it was, but Gabriel was different. He had a dark and stormy expression, and he was distracted all the time. She couldn’t help but ask herself, had she done something wrong? Or perhaps he had simply grown tired of her? Whatever the reason, she felt the change deeply and keenly, and it scared her. Whatever small progress she had made at being more confident shriveled away, and she felt herself shrinking back into her old shell. Gabriel still woke her early to train, and he trained her hard. She hated the weights, but she loved the kickboxing lessons. She thought she was getting stronger, but Gabriel gave her so little feedback, she couldn't tell if he approved. After breakfast, he often disappeared without much explanation. "Sorry love, I have some work to do," he would say, and he would take his laptop and phone and retreat into the study and close the door behind himself. Or he would kiss her forehead and pass her off to his
The tour moved on. There was a big meeting hall that the pack used for public events, a small private school for the pack children, a brightly painted playground, and a small medical clinic. Honorera was impressed. The pack was like a town all to itself. "How many are there of you?""We have about 200 adults, plus their children," he answered, and she was surprised. She had imagined a group of about 20 or so."And they are all able to shift?""Most of them."She would never have guessed there were so many supernatural beings in the world, let alone in one small town. She tried to imagine that her own mother had been a wolf, but she couldn't picture it. She'd seen old, faded, and creased photos of her mother in Tanner's room. Rachel Talbot looked like a small, mousey woman. Honorera’s mother didn't look capable of swatting a mosquito, let alone changing into a mythical creature.It was past lunchtime when the couple wandered back to the main house, but Elena had left them some s
Gabriel's father called him into the study. It was a classically masculine room, with dark paneling and shelves of antiquarian books that no one in living history had ever read. Gabriel sat in the chair across from the imposing desk and waited while his father seated himself, and steepled his hands in front of him. "Son, I know you've waited a long time to find this girl," he said carefully. Gabriel could only nod in agreement, while watching his father warily."I'm happy for you. There is no greater joy than finding your mate. But Gabe... you have to know, this girl is not fit to be your Luna."Gabriel stiffened, and his fingers tightened over the wooden arms of the chair. "What do you mean?""She is weak, in every way. physically, mentally, and emotionally... she is completely ignorant of our ways and our culture. She doesn't shift, she may not even have the inner wolf. How can such a broken girl be the caretaker of our pack?"Gabriel suppressed the urge to growl. Had it
Before she was quite ready to face Gabriel’s family, they had left the highway and driven deep into the hills. The forest closed around them, and the landscape became more and more rural until, at last, they pulled up in front of an ancient-looking brick house. It stood two stories and sprawled into two wings from the main building. Black shutters framed the windows, and Ivy was growing up the sides. Gabriel parked the truck and went around to help Honorera down from the passenger seat. Before her feet hit the ground, the front door of the house flew open, and people tumbled out. Honorera shivered in fear and hid behind Gabriel’s broad back. "Hello Mum," Gabriel held his arms out to his mother, but Elena simply brushed him aside. "I don't want you right now. Where is she?" Gabriel pulled Honorera out from behind him. "Honorera, this is my mom. Elena Shepherd." "Oooh!" Elena clasped her plump hands in front of her breast, "Aren't you just adorable! Gabriel, she's preciou
Honorera shivered, half in fear, and half in excitement. She didn't even know what that meant, but it sounded intense. She wrapped a towel around herself, tucking the loose ends between her breasts before grabbing another to towel-dry her hair. She wrapped it around her head like a turban and escaped from the steamy bathroom and the impossibly tempting vision of Gabriel covered by only a scant length of terrycloth.She pawed through her newly purchased clothes but she had only the maroon baby doll nightgown to wear to sleep. She hadn't really had time to think about practical pajamas during their shopping spree. What would he think of her provocative night clothes? Would Gabriel think she was deliberately teasing him?Did she want to deliberately tease him?She put it on the skimpy negligee, and then looked at herself in the mirror that was mounted beside the closet door.Good lord, she thought, I look like a call-girl."Uh... Gabriel? Can I borrow a t-shirt to sleep in?" Her high and
Honorera came out of the bathroom, braced for the worst. Gabriel held up a black Speedo bathing suit, with the tags still attached. She stared at the suit, not understanding. "Wha...What?" "They sell some suits in the gift shop, but there isn't much selection. I hope it fits." She took the simple black suit and raised her eyebrows at him. "Really?" "Yeah really." He smiled and held up his own pair of brand new, wildly colored, Hawaiian print swim shorts that he had procured for himself. "Let's go swimming." Gabriel had thought he was too tired for a swim. He'd been driving all day, and his muscles were tired and stiff. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed, cuddle up to Honorera, and sleep. But he’d seen the way she had lit up at the idea of a swim in the indoor pool, and he couldn’t bear to disappoint her. Suddenly it seemed like his whole purpose in life was just to make this young woman happy. When she stepped out of the bathroom dressed in the black swimsuit, all t
"Hey sleeping beauty, wake up." Gabriel nudged her awake. "Mmm?" Honorera sat up in the bucket seat and rubbed her eyes. It was dark already, and they were in the parking lot of a restaurant. "Where are we?" "Pennsylvania. We will stop here for the night. I thought we'd get a bite to eat, and then head to the hotel." "Oh." Honorera bit her lip and couldn’t help but wonder if they would share a hotel room again. Would they sleep in the same bed? She didn’t know if the idea made her feel nervous, or excited. She had already shared the cottage with him in Pete's Peak, she had already passed several nights sleeping with Gabriel’s huge arm curled around her, and he’d always been a perfect gentleman. He came around to her side of the truck and opened the door. "Do you like Chinese food?" Her eyes widened. "I've never had Chinese food." "Never? Well, tonight you will try it. Hopefully, we can find something you like." He helped her out of the truck and kept his hand on th