ChloeShe barely felt the floor disappear as he lifted her. He kissed down the side of her neck, sending goose bumps across her skin. Chloe arched her back, begging for more."This is slow, right?" she whispered as he kissed her collar bone and sent a fresh wave of desire into her core. Every touch was heaven."Snail's pace," he answered, his voice low and full of heat. The growl of his voice turned Chloe on even more, making her muscles slacken. She surrendered herself to his advances, allowing his tongue to dance all over her neck.Before she knew what was happening, he was setting her down gently on the bed. However, she knew that for all the gentleness he was exhibiting, there was a part of him that was fighting within him for release. An animal part of him that wanted nothing more than to rut with her in the most primal fashion. The thought didn't frighten her. If anything, it turned her on more.The bed-springs squeaked angrily as the two of them lay on the bed, but Chloe didn't
JacksonChloe dozed gently beside Jackson as he stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. It had been wonderful. Spectacular. He had been with women before, but never like this. It had been the best and most fulfilling sex of his life even, but he wondered if it was worth it.He knew that just being with him put Chloe’s life in danger. He didn’t dare fall asleep beside her for fear of the nightmares. He often woke up angry and afraid after each dream and broke whatever was around. He’d been through more nightstands than he cared to think about. If he fell asleep with Chloe and had a nightmare… he shuddered to think of what would happen.Chloe took a deep breath and turned onto her side, cuddling up into him. He wrapped his arm around her, and she nestled deeply into the hollow of his arm. She fit so perfectly in his nook, it seemed as though she was made for it.Jackson was at a loss. He was head over heels for this sassy, smart, little brunette. Because of tha
ChloeChloe's heart was tap dancing away at a breakneck pace. Somehow though, she managed to smile at the gate guard and show him her ID. She nearly wet herself when the gate guard frowned and inspected her card, holding it up to the light and turning it over to check the back. After the longest minute of Chloe's life, the guard finally handed it back to her.He had barely glanced at Quent's ID badge and the extra inspection of her badge was making her sweat. Jackson had already driven through before them, and was trying to move slowly enough that they could catch up to him without it being obvious that they were following him. Jackson's truck would draw less suspicion parked in his usual lot, so he was going to show them where to park for the science building before parking his own car and doubling back to meet up with them. Without him in the car, Chloe was suddenly doubting their odds of success.Jackson did a slow loop through a partially plowed parking lot before heading off. Que
JacksonJackson rubbed at the quickly disappearing red mark on his neck. He didn’t know how he knew that Blake was going to wake up violent, but somehow he did. He didn’t really care how he had known though, just that he had been able to get to Chloe in time. The image of her brother’s fingers wrapping around Chloe’s neck flashed through his mind and he shook it away. He had kept her safe.Chloe had her white lab coat wrapped around her brother as she murmured gentle words into his ear. "It's okay, Blake. I'm here. I won't let anything bad happen to you. You're okay now..."Jackson shook his head. They still needed to get the other two soldiers out of their tanks and the three of them somewhere safe. He turned to the scientist. Quent was looking at the trembling man as though he might rip him limb from limb. Jackson had seen that look before in the field. Some marines had once gotten a hold of a prisoner they thought had information. Jackson needed to get control of the situation befo
Jackson"No one is putting my brother back in there," Chloe stated, rising to her feet. She had just spent the last six months of her life searching for her brother, and now, after finding him hooked up like a lab rat in a tank, there was no way she was going to let him go.The gun swiveled in slow motion to point directly at her. She squared her shoulders and raised her jaw. She looked Colonel Bronn right in the eye and saw only a lust for power. She wished she could have had more time with Jackson. A muscle in the Colonel's cheek twitched as he pulled the trigger. Chloe closed her eyes.A heartbeat later, she was still standing. She almost didn't dare to open her eyes, afraid that the bullet would just be closer, but she did.Standing in front of her, snarling, was Blake. His brown hair grew longer by the second and fur erupted along the edge of his shoulders, poking out from the now ripped seams of his jacket. She could see the fear in Colonel Bronn's eyes as a beast of his own cre
ChloeChloe struggled under her brother’s weight, but she didn’t slow down. She followed Jackson and Quent as they carried the other two soldiers down a short, dark hallway and out into the snow. Jackson found the van easily enough, and they quickly pushed the tired soldiers into the back.The cold night air burned her lungs as she gasped for air. It wasn't just the exertion from carrying her brother that had her gulping down mouthfuls, it was everything that had happened in the past thirty minutes. She glanced at her watch, shocked that it had been less than a half hour for everything she had just seen to happen. Thirty minutes ago, she was still looking for her brother and the Colonel was still alive."Get in the van, Chloe," Jackson coaxed, putting a hand on the small of her back and helping her into the open back. The three soldiers sat with their backs against the side of the van. Chloe stepped inside and Jackson carefully shut the door behind her. She could hear his feet crunch
ChloeChloe awoke warm and in a strange bed. She sat straight up and promptly bumped her head on the bed above her. She swore and held her hand to her head as she carefully maneuvered out of the bunk bed. The fire still crackled in the fireplace next to her, but sunlight shone through the high windows of the cabin, filling the room with morning light.The door with the crescent moon on it was indeed a bathroom, which Chloe took her time using. She even found a comb and managed to coax her hair out of the giant rat's nest it had become and back into a usable ponytail. She found her coat and shoes stored neatly by the front door and stepped outside.Snow had continued to fall through the night and the entire camp sparkled with fresh snow. The trees wore blankets of thick white and the ground glittered in the sun. Chloe took a deep breath in of clean, winter air and smiled. Today was going to be a good day.She could hear the sounds of laughter and yelling, so she followed a path beaten
ChloeThe evening sun hung low in the sky, slowly dipping behind the mountains as it were tired. The sky was awash in purples and reds with thin clouds making abstract and beautiful designs in the sky. On the other end of the sky from the sun, stars were starting to dot the navy blue heavens and the moon was beginning her full rise to glory.Chloe sat at the window, watching the sun and moon shift places. A friendly fire crackled in the small councilor's cabin and she had a cup of tea on the table beside her. The cabin was meant to hold camp councilors during the summer months. As such, there were three small bedrooms, one bathroom, a utility kitchen, and a small table with four chairs next to the big window overlooking the center courtyard. Chloe could see the sun fading into to the west from the edge of the window, and the moon ascending in the middle.The moon had been in the sky for much of the day, hanging low but still visible. She had asked why they all weren't shifting since t
Jackson"I woke up in a medical tent with perfect memory of what had happened. I never told a soul what really happened until now," Jackson finished. "They had to tie me down at night because I would have nightmares about it. I struck an orderly once and broke his jaw."He watched Chloe's face, trying to gauge her reaction. Her face was unreadable, only a slight frown creasing her forehead. The insides of his stomach knotted up, afraid she was going to tell him to get out. It had felt good to tell someone the truth, but now that he was finished, he was afraid."You were afraid you were going to hurt me, weren't you? That's why you pushed me away at first?" she asked. Jackson nodded."I don't want to hurt anyone again. Especially not you."Chloe reached out a gentle hand, her fingers caressing the curve of Jackson's face. She smiled. "I knew from the moment I met you that you would never hurt me."He kissed her hand, relief flooding through him. She didn't hate him. She pulled lightly
One year earlier: Kandahar, Afghanistan"He hasn't spoken to anyone yet, sir," the armed guard outside the tent said."Good," Captain Wolfe replied. He chambered a round in his own pistol just in case things got crazy in there. "Is the video equipment set up?""Yes, sir. The doctor said it was a pain in the ass to work around, but he knows the difference between a request and an order."Wolfe nodded. He pulled the flap back from the tent and took a quick look inside before pushing the flap back into place. He had recognized the doctor, his enlisted nurse, and the man handcuffed to the bed was obviously the prisoner, but..."Who's the fourth guy?" Wolfe asked."He's the guy who brought him in. An Afghan National Army officer named Actor, I think?"Wolfe nodded. "Akhtar." He had heard that Akhtar had helped Americans in the past, one of the only ethnically Pashto officers in the region.Wolfe pulled out his notepad and began to walk into the tent. The younger soldier stopped him. "Will
ChloeChloe sat by the window overlooking the courtyard wrapped in a big quilt she had found on one of the beds. She had let the fire go out in the cabin but the warm sunshine coming in through the windows was keeping her toasty and comfortable. She had genetics books spread out on the table in front of her, but she was having a hard time concentrating. She kept glancing out the window at every sound, hoping it was Jackson coming back.A knock on the door startled her. "It's open!" she called as she attempted to untangle herself from the blanket."Hey, Chloe," Blake said, opening the door and kicking the snow off his boots before stepping inside. She beamed up at him, finally escaping the clutches of the quilt.Blake wrapped her up in a big bear hug, popping her back in the process. She still couldn't believe how strong he was. Or that he was a good three inches taller than when she had last seen him. He had changed quite a bit, but his green eyes were still the same. She knew that ev
JacksonJackson walked casually onto the base after being dropped off a quarter mile down the road. He showed the gate guard his ID and began walking toward the parking lot with his truck. The snow was almost melted and dead yellow grass lay in strange patterns as he walked across the field to his truck.As he came closer to the building, he could see yellow tape blocking off the main entrance, and numerous Military Police vehicles parked along the edge of the building. The smell of acrid electrical smoke and water hung heavy in the air. It made Jackson's nose itch. A guard stood at the corner of the building, waving away anyone coming toward the medical center. Jackson could hear him tell a group of soldiers that the medics were now located in the chapel for the time being.Jackson sauntered over to the guard. The guard gave him a polite nod, noting the rank on Jackson's uniform as he straightened. He rendered a quick salute.Jackson returned the salute lazily, as if telling him that
JacksonJackson sat in the warm sunshine on the front porch of the councilor's cabin. The snow was beginning to melt, though there were reports that it would snow again in a day or two. He ran his hands through his hair for the hundredth time, telling himself he needed to get it cut. He also needed to shave, but his razor was back on the base.He checked his watch again, as he had every thirty seconds or so for the past ten minutes. Quent was supposed to come and take him back to Fort Baskerville so he could pick up his truck, but Jackson was half-hoping Chloe would wake up and come out of the cabin before Quent arrived.He wanted her to come out because he wanted to see her. Wanted to see her reaction to him shifting last night. She had pressed her hand to the glass and smiled, but he needed to see her in his human form to be sure she was okay with him. He wasn't sure that in her situation if he would be okay with seeing the person he was sleeping with turn into a wolf.He hoped she
ChloeThe evening sun hung low in the sky, slowly dipping behind the mountains as it were tired. The sky was awash in purples and reds with thin clouds making abstract and beautiful designs in the sky. On the other end of the sky from the sun, stars were starting to dot the navy blue heavens and the moon was beginning her full rise to glory.Chloe sat at the window, watching the sun and moon shift places. A friendly fire crackled in the small councilor's cabin and she had a cup of tea on the table beside her. The cabin was meant to hold camp councilors during the summer months. As such, there were three small bedrooms, one bathroom, a utility kitchen, and a small table with four chairs next to the big window overlooking the center courtyard. Chloe could see the sun fading into to the west from the edge of the window, and the moon ascending in the middle.The moon had been in the sky for much of the day, hanging low but still visible. She had asked why they all weren't shifting since t
ChloeChloe awoke warm and in a strange bed. She sat straight up and promptly bumped her head on the bed above her. She swore and held her hand to her head as she carefully maneuvered out of the bunk bed. The fire still crackled in the fireplace next to her, but sunlight shone through the high windows of the cabin, filling the room with morning light.The door with the crescent moon on it was indeed a bathroom, which Chloe took her time using. She even found a comb and managed to coax her hair out of the giant rat's nest it had become and back into a usable ponytail. She found her coat and shoes stored neatly by the front door and stepped outside.Snow had continued to fall through the night and the entire camp sparkled with fresh snow. The trees wore blankets of thick white and the ground glittered in the sun. Chloe took a deep breath in of clean, winter air and smiled. Today was going to be a good day.She could hear the sounds of laughter and yelling, so she followed a path beaten
ChloeChloe struggled under her brother’s weight, but she didn’t slow down. She followed Jackson and Quent as they carried the other two soldiers down a short, dark hallway and out into the snow. Jackson found the van easily enough, and they quickly pushed the tired soldiers into the back.The cold night air burned her lungs as she gasped for air. It wasn't just the exertion from carrying her brother that had her gulping down mouthfuls, it was everything that had happened in the past thirty minutes. She glanced at her watch, shocked that it had been less than a half hour for everything she had just seen to happen. Thirty minutes ago, she was still looking for her brother and the Colonel was still alive."Get in the van, Chloe," Jackson coaxed, putting a hand on the small of her back and helping her into the open back. The three soldiers sat with their backs against the side of the van. Chloe stepped inside and Jackson carefully shut the door behind her. She could hear his feet crunch
Jackson"No one is putting my brother back in there," Chloe stated, rising to her feet. She had just spent the last six months of her life searching for her brother, and now, after finding him hooked up like a lab rat in a tank, there was no way she was going to let him go.The gun swiveled in slow motion to point directly at her. She squared her shoulders and raised her jaw. She looked Colonel Bronn right in the eye and saw only a lust for power. She wished she could have had more time with Jackson. A muscle in the Colonel's cheek twitched as he pulled the trigger. Chloe closed her eyes.A heartbeat later, she was still standing. She almost didn't dare to open her eyes, afraid that the bullet would just be closer, but she did.Standing in front of her, snarling, was Blake. His brown hair grew longer by the second and fur erupted along the edge of his shoulders, poking out from the now ripped seams of his jacket. She could see the fear in Colonel Bronn's eyes as a beast of his own cre