Janine woke to the pale morning light filtering in through a loose board on the barn’s side. The rain stopped recently; she could still hear the water dripping off things outside.
“Well, good morning.” A deep voice said into her right ear. That’s when it registered with her. The pillow she was using was a little too hard and warm. Because it wasn’t a pillow but Haden’s arm. Janine sat up quickly when she remembered exactly how she got into this position. What was she thinking, kissing him, and then letting everything get out of hand like that? What must he think of her? This was all too humiliating for her to think about.
“We should get to the house and find them before they disappear on us again.”
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James woke because he heard something. He wasn’t sure what. But something woke him. His first thought went to Emily, but she lay beside him, asleep. He needed to get her squirrelled away safely before he investigated the noise. It could be nothing and it was a member of his pack or a stray forest animal trying to find a dry place to stay. Either way, they were just coming to some agreement, and he didn’t want anyone interfering with her staying with him. “What’s wrong? Why are you so tense?” “Heard something, like someone on the stairs. Stay here. If it gets noisy, hide in the bathroom.” “You know I’m trained to fight at y
“I can’t believe it. Just when we begin searching, it rains. Geez.” Eva stormed about inside the lake house. “Don’t drip on the floor. There are towels in the bathroom over there. But clean up the puddles you leave because I’m not doing that.” She grabbed a kitchen towel and started rubbing at her hair.Damon stomped into the bathroom and easily found a series of shelves full of fluffy towels. Drying off, he fumed over her attitude. Eva was about to learn that she didn’t make her mate suffer. He’d kept her clothes dry, but does she thank him? No, she didn’t. He was fuming as he left the bathroom. He’d thought she was joking until she slammed the door in his face and left out there for several minutes. “Find I’ve stopped dripping on your precious floors. Now stop acting all prickly. We’ll g
His phone pinged, distracting him for the come-hither stare of his mate, silently begging him to do all sorts of delicious things to her. A quick look showed a text for his alpha. “Sit tight and do nothing either of us might regret.” A glance at his bars told him that this would be the last text or call he got for a while. There were no bars or internet access out here. Their phones were paperweights for now, while the storm raged outside.“Who’s it from? What does it say?”“That was my alpha. It basically says he knows me too well. He’s worried I’ll do something foolish and put everything at risk.” Damon threw his phone on the counter. “Now where were we? Right, I wanted to know if you want
Emily followed Janine downstairs to the kitchen. “Now dear, we need to get food together on the road. That rain last night was quite bad, and we don’t know how the cliff will respond to it. I don’t want to be here if or when it goes finally. So, I’ll make something portable to eat. You pack up what’s in the kitchen. I seriously don’t know why my son keeps this place stocked. It’s not safe, and it’s encouraging people to come here.” “I can see where you’re coming from, really, I do. But it’s done for those in desperate need. Hikers and such. A night or two with a roof over their head. Someone checks on this place regularly, so we don’t have people taking up residence here.” Emily automatically explained their reasoning for the decision to keep the old
“Fix my reputation? What is that supposed to mean?” James didn’t know what started this or why Haden thought it was his right to say anything. “Exactly as it sounds. You have the eyes of several packs right now and they are all betting on you screwing up so royally they’ll walk right in and take over without having to lift a claw to fight for it. We’re wolves, boy, and you’re supposed to be the one at the top. But you’re acting more like a moody preteen pup.” James stood up and looked the older man in the face. “You’re seriously standing there and insulting me?” He was ready to do something about it. &ldq
Thomas sat there after disconnecting the call with Damon. This was a mess. He’d offered so much to get this contract through quickly. If he needed to back out the contract, he’d look like a fool and all the favours he used would have gone for nothing. Now he didn’t know what he’d do if push came to shove, and his pack needed help. There was one call he could make but thinking of placing this call proved to him he’d hit rock bottom. Calling Asia meant he’d failed as alpha, and she’d won. She’d predicted he’d come crawling back when he chose his pack over mating with her while she ran her pack. Her pack structure differed completely from any other pack he’d encountered. She inherited it from her mother. They didn’t have an alpha. Only a Luna and as far as Thomas could t
Asia awoke from a dead sleep to her cell phone ringing. Very few knew the number to it. Her elite staff and a select few possess knowledge of it in case of emergency. Now it rang on the bedside table. This better is good because she’d just gotten to sleep a little over an hour ago. Asia growled something into the phone. She didn’t know exactly what she said. But they greeted it with a pause before a voice she thought never to hear again said her name. Thomas Reyden. The wolf that got away. A very drunk wolf, by the sounds of his words, as he spoke. There wasn’t enough caffeine in the world that would help her make sense of his rambling words. After a bit of
Eva’s eye cracked open just a little. She couldn’t believe what they’d done, and they weren’t in Los Vegas, so there wasn’t any of that what stays in Vegas mentality. Resisting groaning in regret, she slipped out from under Damon’s arm and the bed they’d found at some point in the night. She groaned after she locked the bathroom door. But it was a relief. She didn’t remember biting him and she didn’t see or feel any bites on her. Eva thought she might have gotten out of this without needing to tell Emily that she betrayed her with her future mate. Eva couldn’t think straight even now she knew how twisted this was. Damon was her fated life-mate, not Emily’s, but an unsigned contract said otherwise. Men and their need to complicate life. A hundred years ago, this wouldn’t have h