A year ago, if someone had told me I’d be working at a school filled with shifters, I would have said they were crazy.I checked my phone to see how long I had before I needed to get dressed and get on the road to POSHA—the Polar Shift Academy. It was only five-thirty, and with the academy’s very progressive start time of nine in the morning, I’d have plenty of time to kill.With so much pent-up, nervous energy in me, I decided to take a quick run through town. Running would help me get some of the nervous energy from starting my new job out of my system and would have the added benefit of loosening up all the tight muscles in my neck and shoulders before I had to spend the day running around and chasing children.Sliding off the velvety seat cushion, I left my seating chart and files on the kitchen counter and walked back to my room to change.It still threw me for a loop every time I walked into the bedroom of the quaint beach house. Looking out the huge windows and seeing the shore
BrattWell, this was the best day of my life.It wasn’t every morning that a beautiful woman ran into you like a speeding train, but I wasn’t one to complain. At least not until I saw her blue eyes roll and flutter with the impact.My coffee splattered all over my black T-shirt, seeping through to my skin. Lucky for morning-jog Barbie that my temperature tended to run a bit higher thanks to the lycan blood coursing through my veins. A toasty 104.9 was the standard temperature for a grown wolf, which made it harder for us to burn from warm liquids.I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was disappointed that the sexy little blonde didn’t laugh at my joke straight away, but at the speed she was running, running into me probably felt a lot more like running into a solid oak tree rather than a person. When she wobbled a bit, I quickly grabbed her forearm to steady her.What followed thereafter was an adorable litany of the small woman fretting over me. There was something strangely endearing abou
BRATT.About an hour later, Travis was fully briefed, my son was fed and snugly buckled into his car seat in the back of the Jeep, and we were on our way to Polar Shift Academy. Smiling, I watched Noah wiggling to The Beatles in the rearview mirror as I drove.I couldn’t believe how fast time had flown. It felt like only yesterday that I was cradling him, worried I’d break him because he was so fragile and tiny. Now he was starting his first day of kindergarten, learning to have his own interests and dreams.He truly had become a little person before my eyes.I fought back the lump in my throat as we made our way through town and pulled up to the state-of-the-art academy. The place was a source of pride for me, seeing as I’d had a hand in some of the plans and hiring to build such a progressive and advanced school.My business, Fur Sure Solutions, specialized in shifter-friendly construction projects. We’d done everything from shifter parks and clubs to houses, apartment complexes, an
I couldn’t believe it.The hot lumberjack I’d plowed into earlier that morning was standing right there.And he’d just whistled loud enough to bring a speeding freeway to a screeching stop.Rounding up the kids, I made my way over to Paulette and discreetly asked if she could take them inside. I wanted to say hello to the handsome stranger and at least get a name.All throughout the morning, I’d struggled to get that crooked smile and the smell of him off my mind. I’d done just about a million other things that morning to get ready for my first day. I got that chamomile tea and took a Lyft home, where I took a scalding shower, got dressed, and prepared goodie bags for the kids before finally hopping in my car to drive to work.All that time, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I regretted not getting a name or at least buying him another coffee to make up for the one I ruined.If he was here, that meant he was a parent. That was confirmed when one of the kids broke off from the group
The morning went smoothly enough.Paulette handed out the goodie bags that were filled with some healthy, allergy-friendly snacks along with some toys that would help us with one of our first lessons: colors.I’d had the idea to pick up a bunch of small squishy toys, each of them in a color of the rainbow. The nice thing about squishy toys was that they were popular among the kids, couldn’t hurt anyone if they got thrown, and had the added benefit of being a great source of sensory input when kids got antsy or upset.We taught them a fun song about the colors in the rainbow, and I had the children lift the right colored toy as we sang through the colors. Then, we moved on to secondary colors by having the kids mix different colors together with wads of play dough.Finally, we started learning the alphabet, the foundation for learning basic sentence structure, nouns, prepositions, basic capitalization, and punctuation.The day already felt incredibly full by the time the bell rang for
BRATT. It was strange to walk up the stairs and into the office without Noah clinging to me like a little koala bear. Sylvia, my administrative assistant, was at her desk and gave me a knowing look when she saw me. “How’s our boy doing?” she asked. “There was a moment where he latched onto my leg—first-day nerves and all that. His teacher is really great with him, though. Got him to go in willingly. No tears at all.” “I’m glad Noah’s doing well, Bratt, but I was asking about you.” I blinked, momentarily confused, then laughed. I sat on the edge of her desk, bending one knee. “Is it that obvious?” “I’ve known you since before Noah was born, so I do like to think I have an eye for your moods.” Sylvia’s eyes crinkled. “Plus, I’ve raised a litter of my own. I remember the first day of school very well.” I nodded and exhaled heavily. “I feel like I’m missing a limb. It’s taking just about everything in me not to turn around and take him out of school.” “You’ll get used to it in no
BRATT. Taking Noah to my folks’ place was always a treat for everyone involved. I usually got to eat an amazing homecooked meal with my parents, Noah got to be spoiled by his grandparents, and Mom and Dad got a chance to spend time with their only grandson. My mother, while identifying primarily as a shifter, had a lot of Italian heritage in her bloodline. In fact, she was the first generation born in the States to my late grandparents after they immigrated. Because of that, food had always been equated with love in my household, and we ate a lot of amazing food. Now that my parents were retired, my mother spent most of her time improving old recipes. Buying her a pasta press for Christmas a couple of years prior was the best and worst decision I ever made. When we pulled up outside of the house, even Travis could smell the fresh garlic and butter from outside their beachfront bungalow. “Holy shit,” he said as we climbed out of the car. “Uncle Travis! Bad word!” “I know, I know,
We really had to stop bumping into each other. Every single time I ran into Bratt Lucas, it got harder and harder to say no to him—to myself. I wondered if he was aware of the way the world around me had gone quiet when I saw him looking at me from the bar. I wondered if he could hear the way my heart had pounded against my sternum when he slid off of his barstool and walked over to our table. “We have to stop running into each other like this,” he said, looking right. My heart throttled as alarm bells went off in my mind. This man was a shifter, the very thing I’d sworn myself off of after Wyatt. More than that, he was the father of one of my students. I’d only just got my life back. I couldn’t risk losing it again. But the power and confidence about him… The perfect body and flawlessly groomed facial hair… The smell of him. It felt as if I was wandering through a desert, starving and parched, and he was a spread of the most decadent foods and the promise of a cold drink of water.
CILLIAN “You sure you wanna be doing this?” AP asked as he snuffed out the cigar in the ashtray. “I mean, this is kind of permanent.” “It’s already set in stone for me, AP,” I said as I chuckled at his disgruntled expression. “But marriage? Isn’t it enough that you two marked each other? Why you gotta go and get all traditional? Oh, wait, never mind. That’s just who you are.” “What’s the matter, AP? You don’t like my sister?” Aiden asked as he stood before the mirror, fumbling with his bow tie. “You all know what she did to me in tenth grade,” AP grumbled. I laughed. “Still can’t get over the fact that she kicked your ass, huh?” I laughed. “Ciara didn’t kick my ass,” AP insisted. “She cheated. There’s no way a girl of her size could fit that many pies in her little stomach. Losing that contest ruined everything for me.” “Didn’t you end up with Malia a few months ago?” I asked as I stared at myself in the full-length mirror. “Yeah, but I’m not one to settle. Everyone knows tha
“This is nice, isn’t?” Laya asked as we waited outside the Picasso. I couldn’t help but smile as Laya looked over the menu posted on the wall. “Really, when was the last time we got to do this with just us girls? It seems like we’re always stuck with one of the guys, you know?” “Never,” Sam said as she checked her watch. “Do we know when Melody and Kenzie are going to get here? I’m starving,” I said as my stomach started to grumble. “Kenzie said she’d be here around six thirty the last time I talked with her,” Sam said. “Isn’t that them over there?” Daisy asked. I turned my attention toward the walkway and smiled as Kenzie and Melody stepped off the escalator. “Hey!” Melody shouted as she rushed through the crowd. “What took you so long?” Laya asked as Kenzie threw her arm around my neck and gave me a tight hug. “Traffic,” Melody answered. “But damn, this place is nice.” “Wait five minutes and the Bellagio fountains will start,” I said as I released Kenzie to hug Melody. “I’m
CILLIAN “Holden,” I snapped. “Yeah, I heard,” Holden said as he scrambled to disconnect from the system. I pulled him away from the system and shoved him toward the door. We did not need to get arrested for trespassing. “AP, Laya! Torque, Hatchett!” I called over my shoulder, hoping they heard me. I spotted AP and Laya rushing around from the back of the house. Their shadows bobbed through the broken windows. “We’re right behind you,” Torque called. I took a moment to glance over my shoulder and take one last look at the destruction. Everything was so surreal. It was as if the place had been in a war zone. The stench of death lingered in the air, but I knew it had nothing to do with the Corpse Lily. I was smelling what remained of Colleen and Tippy. “Pick up the pace,” Torque snapped as he rushed by me with Hatchett on his heels. We made it outside, and I glanced to the west. The clouds of dust coming off the tires grew as my heart drummed violently in my chest. “Take the back
Igasped and shot up. The room was pitch black, and my heart pounded fiercely in my chest. “Hey, you okay?” Cillian asked as he shot up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Relief came over me when I realized I wasn’t dreaming anymore. I was safe and all was well. “Yeah,” I said. “Just a strange dream.” “Come here,” Cillian said as he lay back down. “Come sleep on me. I promise I’ll protect you from those bad dreams.” A smile drifted over my lips as I scooted down into the nook of his arm. He was so warm and comforting, it amazed me that he could banish the bad thoughts in my mind so easily. “What did you dream about? Or do you not want to tell me?” Cillian asked as he played with the tips of my hair. “It was weird. I was back at the sacred oak tree, and it looked sick, like it was dying.” “That’s not a good sign,” Cillian whispered. “But then the red fog came through and I was rescued by Preacher in a chopper.” “What, I don’t get a cameo in your dreams?” Cillian teased as he h
CILLIAN The gentle knock on the hotel door roused me from my sleep. Pins and needles plagued the arm Ciara was sleeping on. Carefully, I slipped my arm out from under Ciara’s head and nudged her to the pillow. It had been more than a rough night, and I couldn’t bear the thought of having the maid wake her. Slipping the sheets off me, I let my legs fall over the edge of the bed. Ever so slightly, I got up, keeping one eye on Ciara and praying she wouldn’t wake. As quickly as I could, I moved to the door and peeked through the crack. “Housekeeping,” the woman said. “We’re good,” I answered. Before she could say another word, I closed the door and exhaled. Ciara stirred, and I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t wake up. She had been through so much; I just wanted her to get some sleep. “Cillian?” Ciara’s voice was tired and muffled. For a moment, I wondered if she were asleep or awake. Tiptoeing to her, I craned my neck to spy on her as she slept. A sensation of peace washed over m
Cillian growled in my ear, drowning out the clinking and clanging as we moved through the casino. It was amazing that we got anywhere at all with the way he refused to let me go. Every fifth step, I found myself caving to Cillian’s needs. “What if I took you right here and now?” His lips brushed against my neck as he spoke. My skin tingled as his hot breath caressed my skin. “You just want the hot waitress to watch us, don’t you?” I asked as Cillian pinned my arm over my head and kissed me. “No,” he growled and pinned my arm against the slot machine. The old woman playing at the machine gasped as she sent us a disapproving look. I flashed her a smile, wondering if she had ever experienced the kind of passion I had. “You’re the only one I need,” Cillian said. “The only woman who could ever sate me. Don’t you know that it’s only ever been you?” With my free hand, I grabbed his hair and jerked his head back. A small whimper escaped his lips, and it pleased me to hear his soft seduct
CILLIAN “Are we ready?” I asked as I walked into the Las Lobos Cantina where Torque and Blue were chilling at the bar. It seemed as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Of course, I knew where they stood when it came to Colleen’s safety, but I’d figured they’d be more excited now that we were so close to finally getting rid of the Raze. “Easy there, tiger,” Torque said as he patted the empty chair next to him. “Have a drink. We can’t do anything until we get word from Hatchett. He’s doing recon for us and will be back any minute.” I exhaled sharply, trying to ignore the itching in my limbs. It seemed as if a storm was coming with how much electricity was coursing through my veins. Sitting around and waiting had never been my strong suit. Frustration bubbled and brewed within me, but I wasn’t on my turf anymore; I couldn’t call the shots. “Fine, I’ll have a drink,” I conceded and marched over to join Blue and Torque. “What’s your poison?” the woman behind the bar asked. I tilt
Ilet out a heavy sigh as I stepped into my old office. It seemed as if it been forever since I was last here, yet everything was exactly as I remembered it. There were papers stacked on the desk that I hadn’t looked at in months, and a thin layer of dust covered the bookshelves. I moved around the office, reminiscing about all the things I had collected here. My heart drummed in my chest as I caught a glimpse of the picture I had of Cyrus. The pain nearly crippled me as I plucked the picture off my desk and stared at it. It was like it was another life. Everything from who I dated to what I did had changed. I was no longer Sia—that girl had died the second I decided to go back to Moon Valley. I just hadn’t realized it until this very moment. I moved around the desk and sat down. Running my fingers over the mahogany wood, I couldn’t help but think of all the times I had given orders here. How many lives had been saved because I had created this company? It was a noble cause, and some
CILLIAN The tension in my shoulders that had only just vanished returned in an instant, bringing with it a hellish headache. Just when I thought we were in the clear… I should have known something was going to happen. The echo in my bones rattled my consciousness. Ciara and I couldn’t get a moment’s respite. “What’s going on, Sam?” I asked into the walkie. “It’d be best if you came to the Crescent Falls Motel,” Sam said in a grave voice. “We’ll be there in five,” I answered and clicked the button three times before setting it down. “Well? How do you feel about checking this out?” All the color had drained out of Ciara’s face. The worry etched on her brow filled me with a murderous rage, but it was the devastation in her gaze that really ripped me to shreds. “I promised Colleen nothing would happen to her. I put her in the most secure room we have,” Ciara said. “How did this happen?” “The only way to get answers to that question is by going to the motel,” I answered as I grabbe