"I followed my heart, and it led me to you."
Aimee turned, with sadness in her eyes and a horrible feeling of Deja vu. "It should have led you back home to your mate Connor, not to me; I don't belong to you anymore."
His green eyes were tortured as he stood, proudly naked before her. The threat of rain earlier followed through as fat droplets fell from the sky, and Aimee wondered if the Goddess herself was crying at what was unfolding here.
"I love you, Aimee; I never stopped loving you. My Dad made me choose the pack because you couldn't lead by my side as an equal when you were human, but now you can. All you need to do is choose. Choose me, be with me. The way the Moon Goddess always intended it to be."
Whatever Aimee was about to say was cut off as a painful cry broke free in its place. Connor caught her as she buckled. The mark on her neck glowed bright red as Aimee's body contorted in agony, "What's happening?" The Alpha yelled as Aimee how
Hendrick watched as his angel slept beside him. Though he was a man of few words, Hendrick knew he loved Arial. It didn't matter that she bore the Alpha's sons or even her reasons for wanting the Luna spot in the first place. Deep down inside, where no one cared enough to look, Arial was just looking for someone who loved her enough to forsake all others. What she didn't seem to realize is that he was right here, all along. What started as teaching a gorgeous girl a few tricks in the sack quickly spiraled into so much more. And last night, Hendrick's wolf chose her too. The question was, would Arial choose the love of a lowly Gamma over the power and glory of being a Luna? He could offer her a comfortable life back at her birth pack, or if she couldn't face going back there, they could apply as a family to transfer to another pack or live as feral members, keeping to themselves. He would go wherever Arial lead; as long as she was with him, he didn't care.Hendrick watched as
Connor felt a little unsteady as he walked home. As far as he was concerned, his car belonged to the pack anyway, and after settling things with Arial and the kids, he wasn't sure what his place in the hierarchy would be, so walking was the logical option anyway. As he rounded the corner onto his street, he noticed a truck parked in his driveway, and as Connor sped up, he saw Arial locking the front door of their home; the boys were already in the truck, and the back was filled with their belongings."Arial, what's going on?" He asked quietly as his wolf began to howl, and his heart skipped a beat. Hendrick made as if to get out of the driver's side, but Arial stayed him with her hand, and a hint of vulnerability passed across her face as she answered."I can't do this anymore, Connor. You have loved Aimee for the entirety of our mateship, and I feel like I'm just a poor substitute. I deserve better than that."Connor stared at her in utter disbelief. "You
His bike ate up the miles as Braxton left the past behind him, yet the Henchman could find no peace as the distance grew longer, and a new day dawned. He pulled into a hotel, wary and tired in a way he knew no amount of sleep could fix. He missed Aimee so much. A big part of him wondered if she and Connor had left town together since the Alpha was missing too, but the idea hurt so badly Brax shut it down before he went mad. As he paid for a room, his wolf damn near begged to go for a run, so after he stowed his bag away, he set Lincoln free to roam the stark land around the hotel. A powerful pack had passed this way recently, their scent overwhelming Braxton's sensitive nose as he wandered in the desert sand, and with a start, the henchman realized the Royals must be moving through town. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he hurried back to the safety of his room and phased back to his human skin before throwing his large frame down on the bed. It would get easier each day to
The phone dropped from Aimee's fingers, and if Narelle wasn't there, she didn't know what she would have done. The Moonhowler pack was a hard three days ride from home, but it was where Aimee had ended up, and her old friends were only too happy to let her stay. Aimee hadn't told Damon or Narelle what happened to make her pick up sticks, and she was grateful that they didn't push. It was all so raw, and she just needed time to process-not that she would get it now."Dad's in hospital; from what Eric told me, it looks like the club was attacked while they slept. Mass fatalities, aside from Dad and six others that were away at the time, everyone else is..." Aimee's heart finally caught up to her brain, and her face paled as she lost the use of her legs, "Oh Gods, does that mean? Surely I would know? Could Brax be dead? He is the Sargent at Arms. He'd have been right in the thick of the fighting!" A low keening came from deep in her belly, and her body started shaking v
The doors to the waiting room burst open announcing Aimee's return, and Ratchet rose to greet her, embracing her within his lanky frame."How bad is he?""It doesn't look good Aimee, he's been asking for you," Ratchet looked so grim, Aimee was almost too afraid to hear the answer to her next question, "Who's left?" and Eric spoke up from the seat closest to the doorway. "Maddog, Rogue, Stud, and Sandman are taking care of things back at the club. Other than us, there were no survivors." Aimee felt her heart splinter, but she asked the hardest question anyway, "Where is Brax's body?"Ratchet looked at her in puzzlement, stepping back to make sure he heard correctly. "I thought you already knew? Brax turned in his cut and left the club shortly after you. No one's been able to reach him, but he was nowhere near the club when the fight went down.""Is there an Aimee Carter in here?" An elderly doctor poked his head in, and Aimee nodded, "Your father wishes to
Luther had to commend Aimee, for a human who chose to transition into a shifter for love, the wolf that answered her call was a strong one. After subtly testing her throughout their conversation, Luther surmised that Vixen was of high Beta rank, which was pretty unheard of in a changeling. After learning that Connor had left, Aimee hadn't missed a beat. With conciseness that impressed the older Alpha, she had explained all that transpired in the past twenty-four hours. Not unlike Luther, Aimee had lost all of her club hierarchy, including her father, in one fell swoop. By the time she was silent, the sky was streaked with pink, and dusk approached."Given that this was initially a pack issue, and my club got caught in the crossfire, I wanted to know how many warriors you'll assign to me tonight when we retaliate?" She asked him directly. Luther liked to think he was a fair man, but the idea of trusting his pack members to a green wolf didn't sit well with him, particularly wh
If he was talking to a customer, the chances were he would never have heard the breaking news on the radio. But Braxton was alone in his garage working on his motorcycle when it came through loud and clear."The Aces and Eights motorcycle club appeared to have been attacked while sleeping at the clubrooms early this morning. Witnesses say that growling could be heard within the bar, but it wasn't considered unusual given the club's nature. One man was taken to Memorial hospital, and we understand that he later died from his injuries. There were no other known survivors. We can now reveal the deceased man was the club president William 'Wild Bill" Carter, aged 57. He is survived by one daughter that we have been unable to interview. Still, reports tell us she was last seen arriving at local businessman Connor Salvatore's home shortly after leaving the hospital."There was a loud roaring coming from somewhere, but Braxton couldn't identify where, while his wolf
The beat-up old ford clattered its way along the dirt road ringing its guts out as the driver swerved to miss potholes while maintaining a reasonable speed. Aimee lay down in the back seat, thrashing like a possessed banshee one second and the next lying so still Eric had to check to make sure she was still breathing. As one hour bled into the next, the smiling assassin wondered if they would make it to Moon howler in time to save Aimee. She was a putrid shade of grey, and the last mile had been spent with Aimee's head hanging out the window, showering the landscape with vomit torpedoes that had Eric seeing her in a whole new light. The landscape changed as he finally entered the valley, forest sprung up, and the fortress that was Moonhowler came into view, 'Thank Christ for that.' The smiling assassin thought as wolves appeared, running alongside the vehicle. He was escorted to the front of a building where a young woman waited. Beside her was the last face Eric expected to see as
The Aces and Eights stood in a clear standoff with the Ladrona pack as Jenny made her escape. Another time, another place, her wolf whispered in regret. With her brothers' help, she managed to get into the back of the family truck, and with a look that spoke volumes, her father lowered the canopy, making sure to leave a gap so that Jenny could see the night sky. "Mates, huh?" she whispered to herself as they drove steadily out of the territory; despite the dire situation, Jenny Vasquez smiled like a woman in love. Her human had proved himself anything but weak tonight, and she couldn't deny that Adam was as sexy as all hell. She hoped that their paths would cross again soon. In fact, she looked forward to it. In the meantime, though, her whole family had picked up sticks and left a pack where they held a prominent position, and they'd done it for her; she really owed her father and brothers for coming through for her. It seemed the Vasquez family were destined to be rogues again-but a
"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" Aimee muttered as she and Adam snuck across the yard from the packhouse. Adam looked nervous, and he was slow to answer, "Do you believe in dreams, boss?" Aimee looked at him sideways as they rounded the corner."What kind of dreams?" She asked as they went past the clinic and through the main gate leading to the holding cells."The kind of dreams where a beautiful lady comes and tells you that your one-night stand is also your mate and that if you don't get her out of the hole, her pack will kill her kind of dream?" Adam confessed."Holy shit!"Aimee looked at Adam to see if he was taking the piss, but one glance told her he wasn't. She exhaled slowly, "Enough said." She conceded as they stopped in front of the hole. Aimee tried forcing the lock, but it easily withstood the strength of a wolf, and Adam shook his head, laughing quietly as he pulled out a mini blowtorch from his jacket.Kneeling, he crouched while
Braxton and Aimee lay in bed, cuddled up at the packhouse. After the Alpha had done a complete one-eighty, insisting on them staying as his guests until Adam was better, the MC management was quick to hit the sack after their long ride."What do you think will happen to her?" Aimee asked, and Braxton stiffened beside her. He reluctantly told Aimee about the hole and what usually happened to anyone put in it. As expected, his woman was furious. "That's ridiculous," Aimee sputtered, "You heard her tell everyone that Adam's her mate, so she stole a bike and punched a human? It's hardly cause for execution."Brax shrugged uncomfortably. In many ways, Aimee was still human; she operated to human laws and struggled with the shifter caste systems- it was a huge adjustment for a human turned werewolf, and sometimes he struggled with how to approach her on things like this-nevertheless he had to try."Xavier has no choice. He bought a team of warriors with him to aid his
Jenny tried to move past the lump in her throat as Adam lay bleeding on the gravel. Jax had her arm, dragging her away when Jenny's wolf muscled her way through, catching Jen completely off guard. "Leave me alone. I need to stay with my mate." Rosa's firm voice growled, and Jenny lost control of her body completely. In a flurry of tangled arms and legs, Rosa fought mindlessly against those seeking to restrain her. Brown eyes turned to charcoal, and the trembling began. Someone yelled, "Watch out, she's shifting!"And then Jenny's world turned black.Somehow Xavier managed to stop a full shift. But Jenny was immediately taken back to the packhouse, unconscious. Her brothers carried her to an SUV and made sure she was comfortable in the back before it drove off. Then Jaxon and Kyle turned around, tentatively asking, "What will happen to our sister?"Xavier shook his head, refusing to answer. Pack rules were clear. It was how he maintained order amongst the criminals. Jenn
The boy put up a fight, phasing into his wolf as soon as he realized that it was his best chance of winning. But, he was no match for Braxton. Aimee's mate showed incredible restraint, beating the beta wolf into submission without breaking a sweat and the Prez thought to herself that he should be rewarded for that when they were alone. A fact that was wholly endorsed by her wolf. Now they were in front of the garage where the bike thief was hiding. Holding her brother as bait.Aimee caught a movement in the shutters as she removed her helmet, and she found herself looking into the eyes of a woman as she stared back at her.Bingo.In a clear voice, she called out, "Jenny Vasquez, we just want to talk. Come out, and I'll let your brother go. I give you my word."Slowly the door opened, and two figures emerged. 'Beta wolves,' Vixen confirmed. Ricochet's voice filtered through in her mind, 'Be careful, mate. The Ladrona pack betas won't hold back, be r
It was dark by the time Jenny pulled into her father's garage. The beautiful purr of the iron horse under her made the journey go by quickly, but as she looked at her watch, she wasn't surprised to see it was after nine pm. Dad would already closed for the evening, but Jaxon or Kyle might still be tinkering on something inside if she was lucky. She got off the bike and impatiently knocked on the window. Sure enough, a rattle of chains signaled someone was inside, and as the roller door rolled up, her younger brother Kyle was there, wrench in one hand, dirty rag in the other as he whistled at her latest ride. "Do I even wanna ask how you came by that, Jen?""Probably not," Jenny drawled as she tossed him the keys, "Take it for a spin, see if it needs anything done before we onsell-oh-and stay away from Howling for a while. The old owner is in some gang there."The Vasquez family were the law around Honey Glade- her older brother Carlos was the sheriff, and her sis
Adam O'Connor sat in the back row of his Gamblers anonymous meeting, silently listening to the others recite the twelve steps to recovery. He could have recited them backward with his eyes closed. That's how many times he'd relapsed. But this time was different. Now Adam was being held to account by the prez and the henchman-two club members he couldn't afford to get on the wrong side of.The brunette beside him stifled a yawn, and he idly wondered if she had a gag reflex, it had been a while. Now that Aimee had made the brothel a legit business, members couldn't get any more freebies, and Adam was damned if he'd waste his time wining and dining a one-night stand, and that's all the stud was after. At twenty-three, he was way too young to tie himself to one old lady.On his other side sat Carl. Carl was still going through withdrawal. Adam didn't much like him, which made things awkward since he was Carls sponsor. The balding, overweight Accountant traveled every week
This concludes His Achilles heel. Don't worry, though. The big story doesn't end here. The thing about my books that readers don't realize is they are all connected. The spinoff series of this book is called Aces and Eights: The inner six. If you got caught up in the smiling assassin's charm or the stud's cockiness, then this is the series for you. Read on to discover what becomes of the six original members of Braxton and Aimee's crew. If the supernatural is something you'd rather sink your teeth into, and sexy Braxton is on your 'to-do' list, then hook into the Fated series, where Brax and Aimee team up with the 'it' Alpha couple Shadow and Isabella Stalker-although this series is not for the faint of heart.Looking for a good Judge and Jury series? Did the legend of Karistus intrigue you? Damon and Lisa's story begins in Unworthy: The cleansing wars. My supernatural world has no limits. Do you crave a dominating dragon lord? Try Dragon Fire and fall in love with Ragnar or
Karistus could smell the decay as soon as she crossed Armageddon's boundaries. Behind her, Rage and Karma growled lowly as they were hit with the same stench, and it never got any easier for either of them. Wolves who had strayed too far from the pure path to be saved emitted the same odor-the worse the soul, the higher the smell, and Luther Salvatore was like a homing beacon to the judge and her jury.They found him out running. Karistus and her team looked like a shimmer in the air to other pack members- but to the accused, they appeared in full form. The old Alpha wolf saw them as he passed through the canyon, and as they thought it might, the chase began. He was a quick and agile adversary, but for the first time in his life, Luther couldn't outrun his judgment. Out of respect to their fellow enforcer, the trio made the kill swiftly, so Connor's father wouldn't suffer. A heartbreaking howl pierced the silence as Soraya felt her mate's passing and Luther left this ea