“Obviously,” he mused. “Reptile shifters, other aggressive clans who discovered this place. But no one lasted long, and the rest don’t know we live here. We have a lot of distraction tactics.”Just like her clan. “I bet a lot of people stumble in this area and are clueless that this community exists.”“Not a lot, but yes. Lesser now with Angelo around.”The way everyone just kept mentioning Angelo with clear-cut admiration and not a hint of fear spoke of how much he had a hold here. Yet the man she faced once or twice had been nothing but friendly, showing none of that wielded power.“Does Angelo have enough connections to protect your clan?”“Some. We don’t rely on outside sources if we can help it.”“And how many deaths have you had lately?”“Zero.” There was a long pause. “I’m sure Luke and the others will come back alive.”The quiet scrutiny had her backing off when she realized how obvious she was being. She searched for an explanation, but the younger man had returned to his boo
“And he needs someone to watch over him.”“Maya’s got it,” Rosalia declared. “She will watch over Luke the entire night until I’m back. Every night.”Maya’s eyes widened.“Maya?” Bethany echoed, sounding offended. Maya’s back went up. “But I’m more qualified—”“No, you are not,” Rosalia cut in cheerfully. “The clan leader would like someone very close to Luke and me to watch over him, so it has been decided. Would you like to take your claim over to Angelo?”For the nth time, Angelo’s influence was wielded as Bethany grumbled but stopped trying to plead her case. They heard the huffy goodbye before footsteps faded.“That was a lie,” Maya called out. Rosalia shrugged.“It’s better than having her here while she tries to get a baby out of Luke.”“A baby?” Maya asked, horrified.“The woman keeps trying. Luke isn’t interested. She doesn’t care. She would probably try to sneak in here at night and seduce the man while he’s sleeping.” Rosalia’s lashes fluttered. “Will you be so kind as to w
“It doesn’t hurt anymore?”“Not unless I make some sudden movements. Everything has to be slow…Maya?”She focused on untying his drawstrings and taking out his cock, which was already hard and getting harder. It pulsed when she wrapped a hand around it, the mushroom-shaped tip leaking precum. Just the sight was enough to set her body on fire, but she wouldn’t just be looking this time.“Maya?” he repeated, voice raspy and breathing erratic.“I thought you wanted me to seduce you,” she replied, glancing up. She drew back a gasp when she found molten orbs lasered on her, swimming with a multitude of emotions. Confusion. Realization. Anticipation. But the heaviest was the desire in its rawest form, craving only for her.She found she couldn’t have denied him anything he asked at that moment, but Luke was speechless. So, she lowered her head and licked his tip, then kept licking until he was so rigid. She heightened the sensation when her lips closed around him, drawing him inside her unt
He shifted around until he was kneeling in front of her. Finally, she met his gaze.“Luke…”“She knows you wouldn’t have hurt them.”“I almost did. All because I was stuck in my nightmares. I’m always stuck in them. I can’t seem to escape them. I’m sorry for—”“Stop,” he said harshly, then plucked her off her knees and tucked her on his lap. “Stop apologizing for a tragedy you went through. Stop apologizing if you still dream about it, because anyone would.”“I keep hearing them. My husband and daughter, but my daughter most of all.”“What were their names?”“Ava. Ava and John Leonard.”Silence. He only held her closer.“You need closure. Something to ease those memories.”The suggestion sounded casual, but there was something in his tone that latched on. She looked up to find his eyes glinting with purpose.“What do you mean?”“Would you like to revisit your old clan territory?”It took multiple explanations, another meeting between Angelo and Maya, and avoiding most of the people wh
Luke’s breath caught in his throat when he absorbed the hidden forest the cave led to, where the trees were greener and lusher than usual. But there were bald spots where they didn’t grow. Slipping in gave him the sight of more bald spots, where the charred wooden pieces and old signs of life became more visible. She stilled at the first look. Then Maya kept moving with purpose, and he followed suit, securing the place before returning to where she was.“Maya?”“The ashes were swept away by the wind or swallowed by the soil,” she mumbled, taking in the grounds. “The burned pieces…no one moved them.”There were a few huts that didn’t burn completely, so they went inside one. Here, Maya trembled until he had to soothe her back, then slide her into a comforting hug.“This was the clan leader’s hut. He insisted on keeping it equal for everyone.”“He sounds like a nice man.”“He was to us. I wasn’t close to him, but I knew he would have done anything for us.” A pause. “The other hut…it was
They made the right call. That much was clear as noises resounded from above and the corresponding footsteps amounted to more than Maya had predicted. There was no time to keep counting as she continued leading Luke down, the path still as distinct as when she had last used it.“Once the tile clicks into place, every sound below is muted as long as it’s at a minimal level. No shouting or loud noises. That’s what my clan leader, Bruce Leonard, taught us since we were young.”Luke didn’t ask questions yet, perhaps focused on traipsing through the dark. Below, she found better footing when she reached a flat surface, where she blindly searched the walls until she found prominent dots. She counted in her head, then pushed one, holding on to his arm while she braced for the results.Nothing happened at first. Then a panel slid open from the wall, where a screen shone to provide them ample light. It also showed them a view of the hut upstairs, which was still empty.“An emergency bunk,” Luk
The conversation dwindled. So did her anger. Belatedly, it dawned that it was his purpose, and she gave him an exasperated look. Movement from the screen had her glancing. Then she was locked in when a willowy woman sauntered closer to Sam and bowed before him. Another memory fluttered in: this woman peering at them from a tree branch seconds before Maya was battered with pain.“I know her,” Maya blurted out.“Is it done?” Sam asked.The woman nodded. “Your father’s business lands are being transferred under your name. You are getting favorable reviews from the rest as they have come to accept your new role.”“There’s the answer to my question,” Luke muttered. “The bastard’s the leader now.”Maya scMayad her head, trying to remember another power figure and failing. “He headed the attack before.”“Maybe an order.”That she couldn’t put a face to whoever had ordered it frustrated her and she wished she had answers. The woman stepped closer when Sam gestured.“They will become more agre
It felt weird, knowing she had been so shrouded in rage at the sight of Sam after so many years and had wanted nothing but his death. But the woman letting them escape and the children present there had cast her blinders off, aware of what would happen if she did burn them down and someone survived: the pain, the trauma, and everything that came with it…and she just couldn’t do it to another innocent person.“They have our lands now. They will build and prosper.” A heavy feeling slithered in. “My clan doesn’t even have a graveyard.”Silence hovered over them. She closed her eyes, the hours catching up to her and wearying her bones. But Luke’s words flitted in and had her alert again.“They can still have one.”“What?”“Your family. A graveyard.”They returned to the same motel, checked in under aliases, but didn’t go to their room yet. Instead, he took her to the back of the small establishment, where a deserted field stretched on for miles to a lush backdrop of huge mountains. Luke s