When Wyatt left the tent, he didn't initially go far because, for some reason, he just couldn't tear his eyes from the gyrating couple. He wanted to join in so badly-wanted to touch Bailey's silky skin, taste her sweet lips again, and sink his teeth into her flesh and irrevocably mark her. With a grunt that sounded more animal than man, he ran from the campground, shifting into his wolf even before he hit the tree line. Run away. Run from the temptation. Run from the future I did not choose. He howled as he bolted through the trees on four feet, his inner turmoil of earlier nothing compared to his current state. Now, he'd gotten a glimpse of her responsive nature, heard her mewling cries of pleasure, tasted her, and seen the ecstasy on his pack brother's face, a pleasure he could have if he weren't so scared to take it. But was he ready for that kind of commitment? Ready to give himself over to a virtual stranger? To someone who knew nothing about his kind, his world?
Bailey woke, spooned into Gavin's body. It seemed her new werewolf husband was very happy to see her if the cock rubbing against her backside was any indication. His lips brushed the skin below her ear, sending a shiver through her. "Morning, darling." "Hi." A trite reply but all she could manage as she suddenly found herself tongue-tied in the light of day. It was one thing to give herself to passion without any abandon the night before, another to realize the man whose arms cradled her thought he owned her-and planned to share her with his buddies. Except for Wyatt. He couldn't get out of here fast enough last night, she recalled, the realization oddly saddening. He must not have liked what he saw. Her curves weren't for everyone. Look at me getting morose over the fact I have to satisfy myself with only one lover. Bailey wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. Besides, how could she feel unattractive with Gavin's callused fingers stroking over her nipples
Bailey ended up riding with Jaxon and Parker again as Gavin and Wyatt cleaned up their camp and checked for signs of pursuit. With Jaxon driving-to keep him out of trouble, Parker had explained with a grin-she ended up seated in the back with the giant. Perfect, because she brimmed with questions, and now that the wolf was out of the bag, so to speak, she hoped he'd answer them. "What's a pack?" Parker's brows lifted. "Jumping right into it, are you? Fair enough. I guess there's no hiding anymore what we are. A pack is what we call a group of Lycans who live together under the rule of an alpha." "So, what, you share a house, and one guy makes up the rules?" A chuckle rumbled forth. "Not quite, baby. We tend to live on compounds, fairly self-sufficient ones, where we use solar energy and wind to create electricity, draw our water from wells, and where each family has its own house." "Like the Amish," she supplied, trying to picture in her mind what ex
"Something's changed about you," Gavin said to Wyatt a few hours into their journey. Up to that point, they'd carefully watched for signs of pursuit and called in a report to Nathan. According to their leader, the rogue incidences seemed to have stopped for the moment, but it wasn't news Gavin or his pack brother celebrated, not when it coincided with their rescue of Bailey. Could Roderick have banded all the rogues and set them on our trail? It made his blood run cold to even think it. He kept in regular contact with Parker, ahead of them with his precious mate, but he wouldn't breathe easy until they'd caught up. "What makes you think anything's different?" Wyatt asked, turning to face him. "You seem more relaxed for one, and you've stopped making smart-ass remarks about my mate." A smile ghosted over his friend's lips. "Let's just say I think I might have found what's been missing in my life." "For real? So you admit she's your mate too." A touch
Bailey couldn't help from lighting up when she saw Gavin and Wyatt strutting into the roadside diner. It especially pleased her that their grim expressions melted into warm smiles of welcome upon seeing her. In short order, she found herself squished in the center of the U-shaped booth, ringed by men. It was enough to render a woman breathless-and make her girly parts moisten. As the new arrivals ordered, Bailey frowned, noting some contusions on their knuckles and faces, marks that seemed days old, but which she knew neither had sported that morning. "What happened to you?" Stretching his arm across the top of her shoulders, Gavin hugged her into him. "Nothing, except I missed you." "It looks like you were in a fight." She flicked her gaze up to him, but he met her query with a soft smile. "Nothing Wyatt and I couldn't take care of. Don't worry. You're safe." "I'm not worried about my safety," she said, her stomach suddenly tight. "I'm worried about
Their new campsite looked much like the one of the night before-lots of woods, no toilets, and filled with men who somehow seemed more vibrant than ever. Watching them from her perch as they set up camp-her feeble attempts to help more like a hindrance-she wondered what made them seem larger than life as they stalked about, filled to the brim with a simmering energy. It was over a dinner of roasted hot dogs and salad that Gavin casually dropped the bomb. "The full moon's tonight, so we're going to take turns going for a run, if that's okay?" She almost spat out her mouthful of food. "Say that again?" Jaxon laughed. "When the moon shines bright, we turn into furry frights." "Do you want to cuff him, or shall I?" Parker asked Gavin quite seriously. "Oh, don't hit him," she exclaimed. "It was rather poetic." A trio of snorts met her words, but Jaxon beamed. "I have another one if you like that. Roses are red, violets are blue, your lips look so juicy, a
Coasting through the woods, following the trail Jaxon left in drops of blood, Wyatt let his fury against rogues build. Why won't they leave her alone? Why are they still brazenly chasing her? It baffled him. Rogues weren't known to go after complicated targets. So what was it about Bailey that made them keep coming? What did Roderick want from her? The time to ponder those questions would have to wait, as he came across the snarls of animals sparring. Springing into the fray, he took in the scene, from Parker grappling viciously with a mottled-coated foe to the others circling, preparing to launch their own cowardly attack. Assessing the imminent danger to his friend, Wyatt landed on the back of a wolf who thought to attack Parker from behind while Gavin, with a snarl to frighten all but the most foolhardy, dove at the rest to keep them at bay. A bestial part of himself rejoiced in the yelp of pain of his enemy as his teeth sank into flesh. Bloodlust and the exhilarat
Excruciating pain woke her, a familiar agony that made her think of evil red eyes and the cell she'd been shackled in. What the hell? The image of a cadaverous, grinning facsimile of a man faded in her mind, replaced by the blazing light of agony as her body melted back into her human self. Awash with sobs, and shaking like a leaf in a strong wind, it took her a few moments to realize arms held her, rocking her. She clutched the body that offered her comfort, anything to help dispel the nightmare. Unfortunately, her mind would give her no respite and kept replaying over and over her horrible change and then . . . the blood. Oh God, the blood. "Jaxon!" she wailed, the realization of what she'd done making her sob anew. "Hush, Bailey. He's going to be fine. He's a tough bugger. But what about you? Are you okay?" Hysterical laughter threatened to burst forth, and her eyes filled with tears. "N-N-No, I'm n-n-not all right," she stuttered. "Oh my God, Wyatt. It