Stupefaction had him frozen. But it didn’t last long. To her dismay, his other hand covered hers, a fleeting warmth before he steadfastly pushed her fingers away and disentangled from the grip.“I will be back.”Then he was gone and Mayawas all alone again.***The coast was clear by the time Lukegot out of the cottage, but he would never forget the sensations that had wracked his body when the energy had pulsed so hard as if trying to penetrate his skin. More so, there was no forgetting the way she looked: terrified, the kind that indicated she had been in this scenario before, and it was something she never wanted to experience again. Then there was her voice, croaked out and small, as if she hadn’t used it in a long time. Maybe she hadn’t.He tried to set everything aside. His beast made its way out, more than ready to take on the challenge as it burst into a run and followed the trail he knew by heart. Leaving the cottage area was difficult, but the knowledge that the magic would
“My clan leader is mated with a vampire from a powerful vampire clan,” Luke explained. “None of that matters because he looks at the heart, not what kind of creature one is.”She didn’t trust that, but she didn’t contradict it. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward.“So, Maya…it’s your choice. Do you want to be free or do you want to come with me? If you go, you have to leave completely and find a new spot—somewhere far away from all the trouble happening here. There aren’t many of them around with all the clans flourishing, and they are all wary of lone creatures like you. The second option is that you can come with me. My clan’s main territory.” He paused, letting all of that sink in. Then he went for the kill. “We have shelter and protection. We have food. You will never have to go hungry again, and you won’t have to steal.”Her cheeks went violently red at the latter, unable to deny it. He glimpsed her internal battle happening under a relatively calm façade, and ther
“I know. I was with a female earlier.”There was no blushing and no misinterpretation, which was so typical of the blunt female. Reese rolled his eyes and tugged her away from Luke, their familiarity with each other apparent. But the intimacy felt gentle and natural, that of two people who just liked to spend time with each other and nothing more.“You need to go home, Daria, before your folks come here looking for you again,” Reese said.Daria shrugged. “They don’t know I’m out. We haven’t had any threats lately and they won’t mind if they find out. Besides, I can’t go out now. A big storm’s coming.”“Huh?”She inclined her head. The two men looked, expecting to find dark clouds. But there were only white ones and a scatter of stars.“The sky’s clear,” Reese shot back.“Not that.That.”She was gesturing at the fog, not at the sky. They watched as it roiled and coated the forest area in a thick gloom, leaving behind zero visibility. Luke checked the invisible barriers and noted they w
But the words trailed off when he realized that his brother was looking, and he noted something that hadn’t been there before: a darkening expression and a rush of something familiar. Eric stood up and approached them, wrestling with a scowl until only that same stoic expression remained.“You should get inside. It’s cold here.”Tina ignored him.“Tina,” Eric growled.Tina glowered at him and opened her mouth. But Luke was faster, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her closer.“I’m here to warm her up if it’s needed.”She squeaked in bewilderment but managed to keep most of the sound subtle. She sank into his embrace and nodded. “Yes. That’s right. Luke’s here.”A muscle ticked on Eric’s jaw. More muscles bunched. As much as he enjoyed the discovery and wondered how deep it ran, he knew he was playing with fire and wasn’t in the mood to deal with it when it came out. So, he shrugged.“But the mansion’s a much better option, I suppose. Or one of the tents. Come on, Tina.”Tin
He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to witness this, but here the man was, refusing to go away. His words washed over her dazed mind, puzzling her. His hands cruised down her back, steadying even as she stiffened.“Shout if you must. Let it out if you must. I will stay here and protect you.” A pause, then. “I will protect them, too, if that’s what you are afraid of…if you want to keep quiet and don’t want anyone to know about this.”Something inside her quivered, shuddering outwards until it was uncontrollable. She whimpered soundlessly as the agony became unbearable. Her body followed suit and tried to roll again. To her astonishment, she couldn’t move as a barrier held her in place, and it took her fuzzy senses a while to register that it was Luke’s arm banded around her to lock her in. His body was there, too, pressed against her back and holding her tight, as if the possibility of her free claws slicing at him wasn’t a problem.A palm brought a blanket to her stomach
“Playtime’s over. Sam is here and will start the lessons soon.” There were more groans. “Iz will join your lessons, too.”Whoever this Iz was seemed to have a positive effect on them as they rallied cheers around Luke before racing off. A boy lingered for a bit, looking up solemnly until Luke glanced at him.“Hey, you. What is it?”“I didn’t have my breakfast yet.”Luke’s lips quivered while he leveled the boy with a look. “Really? Well, now, we can’t have that when you are about to embark on a long day of lessons. What did you have in mind?”“Bananas. Fresh.”The boy held out his hands expectantly, orbs twinkling in excitement. Luke didn’t hesitate to pick him up and hitch him over one hip, and the two ventured away from the group of kids. She trailed after them, fascinated with the interaction as Luke led the boy through paths that didn’t have markers, where the trees and lushness seemed to go on forever. They stopped in a clearing set up as a garden, where root crops grew along wit
“I did, and it’s done. It was just a quick check.” Luke tilted his head. “And I suggest not heaping questions on Maya anymore, Eric.”The other man’s back went up. Eric didn’t scowl, but only because he seemed to be fighting it. “We don’t know where she’s from and why she’s here. We don’t know who she is.”“And we are a clan who doesn’t discriminate because of those factors,” Luke shot back. “We welcome a lot of strangers here. She’s no different.”“She is different. The last two nights—”“Be careful. You protest anymore, and we are bound to think that you do not trust Angelo’s judgment.”That had the man’s mouth clamping shut, stupefied over Luke’s words. The scowl disappeared, too.“Has he not always been fair to us no matter what bullshit we give him?” Luke added. “I think we caused enough trouble as it is. We don’t need to start again now.”Guilt flared in Eric’s eyes. It became obvious that it was no longer about her, and she watched in fascination as the two brothers silently co
“It’s me,” he called out softly.Silence. Then a shadow moved forward, closer to the area he scraped and stayed there, waiting expectantly. The lack of hesitation had him softening, his chest puffing out in triumph. He cleared his throat.“You were very busy today. It was nice to see. I guess you are in good condition now and…adjusting to us.”She tapped the tent in agreement. He pondered, memories resurfacing, then vanishing.“I’m also guessing that it means that incident has happened to you before; otherwise, you won’t bounce back easily.”Another tap, another confirmation. She was ready. That much he knew, but the extent was still to be determined. Quietly, Luke sifted through the multitude of questions swirling in his head.“Wolf shifter, right?”Another tap.“But something went wrong and you can’t turn now. And it’s hurting you every time the full moon comes out.”The silence made him assume she wasn’t going to answer anymore. But he was taken aback when a voice, soft and low, ca