Waking up at dumb o’clock to find Tasha draped over him on a diagonal angle, Onyx might have smiled if it wasn’t for the pounding on the bedroom door. Carefully rolling a sleeping Tasha onto her side, he pulled on his jeans and made his way to the door. Opening it, he found an edgy-looking Trevon Stepping outside the room, Onyx quietly closed the door. “What is it?” “I just got a call now. They hasn’t found the location of the game preserve yet, but they'd managed to track down the place where the extremists hold their meetings. I’m guessing they’re mostly just ‘we hate shifters’ chats, but it might be worth attending one.” Later that evening, they did just that. From his spot in the wooded area surrounding the isolated warehouse, Onyx closely watched the people gathered in the open building, waiting for the meeting to begin. Trevon, Ethan, and Royd were squatting near him, studying the place just as intently. The great thing about th
“Dean’s contract doesn’t run out for another week she released him, “so you have time to still go through the interview process. I’m confident they’ll adore you and decide you’re best for the job.”Clearly Tasha’s delight had caught Tala’s and Trevon’s attention, because they both appeared. “What’s going on?” asked Tala asked. Excited, Tasha told them. “I would love it.” And it would give her a sense of purpose—another thing she would enjoy having. Grateful, she snuggled against Onyx. Tala nodded approvingly at Onyx. “Good call, Onyx. I actually wouldn’t have thought of that, and I’ve known her for forever.” “What kind of mate would I be if I didn’t know her inside out?” Onyx dropped a kiss on Tasha's head. “An Alpha female as a mediator,” drawled Tala. “Even better.” Onyx shook his head in exasperation. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not starting a pack. You’re almost as bad as…” O
Anger…he needed anger—it was a fuel that had always worked for him in the past. He didn’t have to dig for it, not while both he and his wolf were already raging at fate. His hard gaze drilled into hers. If he had to make her detest him so that she’d leave, then that was what he’d do. “Why would you want this, baby? Because you feel sorry for me? Because your conscience is telling you that it’s what you should do? I don’t want your fucking pity. I don’t want you.” Did he really think she wouldn’t know what he was doing? Pfft. Tasha was well aware that he wanted to piss her off, to drive her away, to make her hate him enough to run out of this motor home and never look back. What an idiot. “I want this because I care about you, dumbass.” “Care about me?” He didn’t have to force the snort—that was something he truly didn’t believe. “Nothing I’ve done since I got here has meant anything to you. Nothing. The only reason you gave me a chance
Half an hour later, Onyx and Tasha returned to the house, where she quickly dressed in fresh clothes…clothes that were then removed so he could be inside her again. They then made their way downstairs to find that everyone had gathered in the backyard. Onyx could only gape at the sight. Many of the shifters were swimming in the pool while music was playing and lots of food was being passed around. Onyx turned to Tasha “They think this is a summer camp or something, don’t they?” Tasha could only smile at the consternation on Onyx's face. He’d apparently had enough of their constant company and was on the verge of snapping. “Guys? Guys?” Finally they all turned to look at them both, smiling. Then eyes zoomed in on the claiming marks, and everyone was talking at once. “Finally,” drawled Trevon, grinning, from his sun lounger. Simultaneously, Kass, Kate, and Sansa hopped out of the pool and all hurried over
While the males loaded the vehicles early the next morning, Tasha pulled Tala aside in the front yard and told her all about Onyx's cognitive functions degenerating. She’d wanted to do this since last night but hadn’t been able to get her alone while the house was so crowded. “Jesus.” Wide-eyed¸ Tala blew out a long breath. “Well, that sure explains a hell of a lot. And now I certainly no longer feel like strapping him to a bed and smashing his ankles with a sledgehammer like Kate Bates in Misery.” She sighed, her expression sympathetic. “You want to know if I can heal him.” “Yes. Susan's powerful, but so are you.” Seeing reluctance on Tala's face, Shaya quickly added, “All I’m asking is that you try.”Taladragged a hand through her hair. “It’s not that I don’t want to heal him—it’s that I’ll hate myself if it doesn’t work and I’ve let you down this badly.” Tasha hugged her reassuringly. “I would never see it as you
“I have a feeling the shifter behind all this will come with them,” said Ryan. Nick was surprised to hear him speak. “Me too,” said Zeeb. “He hates shifters anyway, and now that he’s no longer making money from charging humans to kill our kind, I’d say he’ll be pissed enough to join Jace in the attack.” “Let’s hope so,” growled Tala. She rose from her armchair and approached Onyx. “It’s time. We need you at top strength. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to heal you, but I can certainly do my best.” She then turned to her pack. “Grace, you know what I need. Ryan, the window.” While the short brunette nodded and left the room, the grumpy-looking enforcer opened the window wide. Determined to only think positive thoughts, Tasha rose from his lap. “Lie down on the floor, flat on your back.” “That’s usually my order,” rumbled Onyx, smiling at her blush. Hoping against hope that the Alpha female would
knock at the door the next morning was quickly followed by Trick’s voice. “Tasha you’ve got visitors. If Tala right, you might not be too happy about it.” As those words penetrated her sleep-dazed brain, Tasha groaned. She didn’t have to ask who the visitors were. Her mother had been trying to contact her nonstop over the past two days, but Tasha had ignored her calls. Caleb would have told her that Tasha had returned to Sliver Pack territory. It had only been a matter of time before the woman showed up. Sleepily, she called out, “I’ll be down in a minute.” “They’re waiting for you in the kitchen.” The sound of Zeeb's footsteps faded down the tunnels. Any other time, she would have been stumbling around the room on just waking. But knowing her parents were here was enough to galvanize her into action. Hopping out of the bed, she told Onyx's “It’s got to be my parents. You might want to sit this one out.” F
As it was important that Onyx knew every inch of pack territory in preparation for the attack, Tasha took him on a thorough tour of the land while they were in their wolf forms after breakfast. She showed him every lake, every clearing, every hidden entrance to the caves. She even showed him the “hut”—the small building where trespassers were taken to be interrogated by Dante.When they stopped at a particular lake, she shifted back to her human form. “This is my favorite spot on Sliver land. Come on, I want to swim.” Back in his human form, Onyx glanced around, taking in his surroundings. Instantly, he understood. “You used to come here to be alone, didn’t you?” he asked, smiling. It was almost funny, considering she was so sociable. “Yes,” she admitted, slowly going deeper and deeper into the lake. “Sometimes a girl likes a little alone time.” He gasped in mock outrage. “All this t