Her heart pumping at twice its normal speed, Diana fled the fire. The searing heat singed her fur, the pads of her paws, and choked the breath from her. And then he appeared, the gray wolf, a large, fearless juvenile, intent on only one thing: grabbing her and carrying her across the swollen river. She whimpered and Caleb tightened his hold on her. “Diana, you’re safe.” The nightmare . . . the damnable nightmare that she'd had for years. She ran her hand over Caleb's arm, wrapped securely around her waist. Folded over her like a butterfly's protective cocoon before hatching, he made her feel safe and secure—until he turned her over to Ragnar. “Did you sleep well?” he murmured against her hair. “Yes. And you?” she whispered back, not entirely ready to shrug off the relaxed state she was in despite the vivid nightmare. “I had an ache when you squirmed against me.” She smiled. “You seemed restless and whimpered in your sleep. Are you still having night
After eating, Caleb and Diana returned to the bedroom to dress so she could face the crowd of female-hungry reds. She frowned at the meager selection in her closet—meager mostly because she worked out of her home or took a run on the wild side on the weekends in the woods sans clothes. “We should arrive early, don’t you think, Caleb?” Diana pulled a slinky emerald-green dress over her head. “I was going to wear black, but I’m not in the mood. What do you think?” When he didn’t answer, she glanced in his direction. “You look good in that, Diana. Too good.” His expression was brooding but mixed with a wolf’s lust. “Do you want me to wear something else?” “Do you have anything ankle length with a high neck and long sleeves? Preferably black . . . and baggy?” “No. How can I catch the killer if I hide?” “I don’t want you exposed to him in the first place.” He buttoned his black shirt with jerky movements. She figured he didn’t want to expose her to the other
Before Caleb could rush to the parquet floor, the music changed to a fast-paced dance and Alfred released Diana. Curbing his temper, Caleb sat back down at Nicol’s table. “Hell,” Nicol said to Caleb and motioned to another man—about the same shorter stature, around five-ten, with brown hair tinged with red. “Ross is headed this way. Guess he’ll think I couldn’t score again.” Caleb took his eyes off Diana and stared at Nicole. “You said you hadn’t courted any lupus garou.” “No, human females. They’re all right, but nothing like one of our own kind. Too tame.” “Ever thought of changing one?” Nicol’s eyes grew big. “Why would I want to do that?” “To have a mate. I considered it a time or two,” Caleb fabricated—anything to convince Nicol to talk about his relationships with human women. “I thought I might find the one I liked and then, if she were agreeable, change her. Like in your pack, we have a shortage of females who are the right mating age. So . . . yeah
As soon as Caleb laid Diana on her bed, the email butler on her computer said, “You’ve got mail, Madam.” Caleb growled, not wanting any distraction to keep him from fully claiming his mate. “You didn’t shut your computer down.” “Sorry. By the time you return, I’ll be ready for you.” He kissed her lips with feral possessiveness and then ran his tongue down her neck. “Better be.” Unbuttoning his shirt, he strode out of the bedroom, but when he reached the computer, his fingers poised to turn it off, a message from Argos caught his attention. 'Diana, I haven’t returned to Portland. I found someone had sent a message from my computer saying he’d meet you there, but it wasn’t me'. Argos Caleb cursed under his breath and typed in a reply. 'This is Caleb. Who had access to your computer? We're safe for now, but I need to know who sent the message'. He added: 'Who knows her home address?' C The message came back quickly. 'Thank God, you're all right. I’ve been
He pulled her onto the dance floor and held her close. “I’ll protect you, Diana. He can’t hurt you here. Just play along with me on this and then we’ll go home.” Ragnar would never return to hurt anyone again. Caleb would take over the pack. End of worry. But she couldn’t shake the fear of getting caught. Not by the police, but by the one she cared for more than anyone else in the world, her true love who would hate her for what she’d done. But he’d be alive, she reminded herself. He’d be alive even if he couldn’t love her anymore. The crowd shimmied to the heavy rock beat. Red, blue, yellow, and green lights swirled overhead and across the waxed dance floor. Women’s flowery perfumes and men’s spicy colognes couldn’t disguise the perspiration covering the humans’ skin while they worked their bodies to the music. But then the faint sound of a siren wailed in the distance. Diana's heartbeat kicked up a notch. She caught sight of Alfred again, dancing with a blond. Ross d
Trying not to catch the policemen's attention, Caleb eased his way across the dance floor and reached for Diana's wrist. He attempted not to make a scene and quickly said to Alfred and Diana, “The policemen from the hospital incident are here. Got to go.” Diana's peach skin blanched and her eyes turned nearly black. Alfred motioned for Ross and Nicol to watch their backs. “Tomorrow, the ice cream shop,” Caleb said to Alfred; then he pulled Diana toward the rear of the establishment, not waiting for him to respond. When they reached the back door, Alfred followed on their heels. “Tomorrow night.” He looked at Diana with such longing—his dark eyes clouded over as if he were totally moonstruck—Caleb could have slugged him. Caleb yanked Diana out of the building, ran down a street parallel to their vehicle, and then dashed in front of the shops lining the street. Once at the SUV, Diana finally took a breath. He hurried her into the car, jumped into the driver's
Making love to her felt more than right. She was feral and willing and throbbing with life. And she was his. He nipped her chin and then conquered her mouth. Instantly, she flicked her tongue at his lips, teasing him. Catching her tongue, he sucked fervently, making her smile. Again she lifted her hips off the seat, pressing hard against him. A groan issued from deep within his throat. He continued his slow pace to pleasure his mate, but bad Diana wasn’t cooperating. Sliding his hands up her velvet-soft belly, he cupped her breasts, weighing each bountiful marvel. She marked his neck with her teeth. Another surge of craving crashed over him, titillating him as he attempted to use a slow touch. “You’re beautiful,” he said—but inwardly, not just outwardly, the most beautiful creature of their kind; fun, loyal, and full of heart. “Quit torturing me,” she breathed heavily against his mouth. It was his turn to smile. “I haven’t even begun.” Diana frowned at Caleb, h
Both Caleb and Diana scrambled for their clothes, but he had no intention of allowing his mate to face whatever danger waited at the front door. Wearing only his jeans, he stalked across the living room. Diana whispered wildly, “Wait, damn it, Caleb. Together!” The sound of knocking at the back door surprised him further. With a quick look out the peephole of the front door, he saw another of their nightmares . . . not Ragnar, as he’d first assumed. But zoo man Thompson. Diana was still buttoning her dress when she headed for the front door, barefooted. Caleb said in a hushed growl, “Thompson.” Her face lost all of its color. A gentler knocking at the back door sounded again. Caleb motioned for her to stay put. In several long strides, he reached the back door. Peering out the side window, he frowned. “Your neighbor, Chrissie,” he whispered. He opened the door partway. “Yes?” “Hurry, let me in.” “Do it,” Diana said, her voice hushed, motioning for h