Her Warriors' Three Wishes (Dante's Circle) (31 page)

“Let’s get back to the party then,” North said after a few moments of awkward silence. “The folks already are getting antsy over the fact that you guys walked out. I don’t want to make them think something was up.” He said the last part as an unspoken question, but neither Maddox nor Adam bothered to answer him.

North sighed, sadness on his face for a moment before he schooled his features into the pleasant expression he always carried. “Shall we?” He held out an arm for Ellie, and she took it with one last look toward him and Maddox.

“We should go back, as well. I don’t want to disappoint Mom and Dad,” Maddox said, his body tense.

“Fine. Plus, we haven’t seen Willow open her presents yet. God forbid we miss that,” Adam said, a small smile threatening to form.

Maddox grinned full out. “I swear those women and their presents, but I think Finn and Brie will be the ones to open them. You know how much they like getting into things.”

Adam smiled and walked back to the party with his brother, ignoring the pangs again. He’d never see his child grow up to break into presents. Never watch Anna celebrate another birthday with a smile on her face.

He’d lost his chance at happiness. He didn’t want another.

****

Bay Milton rubbed her eyes and looked at her GPS again. This was right, wasn’t it? She pulled over to the side of the road, not wanting to veer off and get into a wreck because she wasn’t paying attention. She pressed the top bottom on the screen to look at the next set of turns and frowned. Yep, she was going the right way, but it looked like she was out in the middle of nowhere.

On the other hand, it seemed like a perfect place to hide a werewolf den. It wasn’t as if she could just input “Redwood Pack den” into the search function and hit go. No, she’d had to quietly ask around to find the coordinates.

Then, of course, she could feel the other wolves.

But, that was something she didn’t want to think about quite yet.

Bay sighed, her body aching and radiating with tension. She looked out her window, hoping to see something confirming what she was about to do was a good idea. The tall trees seemed to reach up to the sky, touching the heavens but casting a shadow on the road in front of her.

Poetic justice at its best.

“What am I doing here?” she whispered to herself. She’d been doing fine on her own for so long she didn’t need or want to rely on others, but this time it was different. This time she could taste the danger on her tongue, like a heavy metallic film she couldn’t swallow.

As much as she wanted to turn back, she couldn’t. They would find her. Though she didn’t know who
they
were, she had a feeling. Dread threatened to choke her, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking body. It wouldn’t do her any good to have a heart attack on the side of the road. No, she was a werewolf, dammit; she’d be fine. She just had to get through the next few hours, and she’d be fine.

Well, as fine as she could be in her situation.

Bay took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and pulled onto the road again. She could do this. She could. She’d been on the road for five days, taking the long way from Southern California to Northern Washington. She’d backtracked a couple of times and gone in circles to lose any tails she might have. She wasn’t sure if whoever wanted to cause her harm was actually following her, but they’d come eventually. She didn’t want any harm to come to the people she was about to ask—no, beg—for help, nor did she want to get hurt herself.

That final thought might have long since proven futile. The Redwoods might shut their doors to her and leave her on her own. Or they’d take her in, and she’d have to be in the one place she didn’t want to be.

With him.

She choked back a sob and made another turn. She needed to get a handle on her emotions before she got there. As it was, the Alpha might be able to tell she was coming soon. Only her special abilities had kept her escape from being discovered for this long. 

She had to find him. He’d help her. He had to. If not…well, she didn’t want to think about that. Damn it. She didn’t want to see him, rely on him. She didn’t want to look into those green eyes again and remember. The place at her neck thrummed, her body aching, but not only because of her long car ride anymore.

Damn. As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn’t. Well, that wasn’t the only evidence…but that was another story altogether.

She took another turn and bit her lip as she felt the sentries posted at the gates to the den. Humans couldn’t see the den, nor could they feel its presence. In fact, the warding caused humans to want to veer away from the den altogether. But she wasn’t a human; she was Pack. The Redwoods just didn’t know it yet.

The sentries, who had been visually hidden by their stealth, crept from the shadows, their eyes glowing gold with aggression, but confusion marred their faces. She couldn’t blame them. Her wolf felt like Pack to them, but they’d never laid eyes on her. She pulled the car to a stop, rolled down her window, and held her hand out in a sign of peace.

“How can we help you, miss?” A tall man with gray eyes and brown hair came to her window, his posture on alert, ready to
deal
with her at any moment.

“I need to see the Jamensons.” She couldn’t state her true purpose, just like she couldn’t name the real person she needed to see. The name wouldn’t form on her tongue.

“Your name?”

“Bay Milton.” As soon as she said it, she held back a wince. There was no hiding her identity now. She should have given a false name, but she hadn’t thought ahead that far. Damn. The sentry would relay the information, and they might not let her in. But there was no turning back. She needed them. She might have grown up a lone wolf, but she’d become Pack in truth if it meant protection when she needed it most.

“Why do you need to see them?” He gave her a pointed look, and she met his gaze. She might be a lone wolf, but she was more powerful than either of them. 

Her wolf growled, but she held it back. No need to antagonize the poor wolf. The sentry ducked his gaze and cleared his throat. He looked over the hood of her car at the other sentry, who gave a slight nod.

“The Alpha has let you through, but be warned, you harm our Pack, we’ll take you out, even if you do smell like Pack.”

She nodded, grateful that her scent had at least raised curiosity in the Alpha so she could be let through. One hurdle down, just a few more to go to find her fate.

Bay drove along the winding roads, knowing she wasn’t alone. No, other sentries would follow her path and watch her. She was okay with that. She didn’t want to cause harm to anyone here; she just needed help. She held back the bile that threatened to rise. She didn’t like asking for help, practically never did it. But just this once, she’d let her pride die and beg if she had to. 

She pulled up to what she assumed was the center of the den and parked. In the distance, it looked as if a party was going on. People were dancing and laughing. Children were playing, giggling when the adults tickled them or tossed them in the air. She clenched her jaw, forcing any tears that threatened to come to hold the pain back. She had to be tough, cool, collected for this. If she broke down and acted as if she were a helpless weakling, she wouldn’t earn their respect and maybe their protection. She might not have grown up with wolves, but she at least knew that much about them.

She sat in the car and watched as three men prowled toward her, their power radiating off them in waves. They had to be part of the Jamenson family, though she knew there were probably others hidden in the shadows, their eyes on her.

The center one must be Edward, the Alpha. She’d done her research. He looked the same age as his sons but looked every bit the Alpha with his power and grace. His hair was cut short, and neat. His green eyes pierced her as she sat in her car, waiting for them to give permission to get out. He wasn’t as big as the two sons who flanked him, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. To Edward’s left was a man who looked just like him, but the man had longer hair. Bay let her wolf come to the surface so she could taste his power, the energy of leadership and protection washing over her. This must be Kade, the Heir and next in line to be Alpha.

Bay forced her gaze to Edwards’s right and held back a gasp.

Adam.

It had been so long since she’d seen him; eight months to be exact. He was taller than the other two, at least six-five, and built. She swallowed, hard. She’d seen every inch of him. Licked it, too. His hands were fisted at his sides as he strode to her. She looked into his eyes and suppressed a shudder.

Such hatred.

Oh, yes, he remembered. He just didn’t want to. 

Well, too damn bad; he’d have to get over it for just a little while. This was about more than the two of them and a night they’d shared.

“Well, get out of the car, Bay Milton,” Edward ordered. “You can tell us just how you came to have the scent of the Pack when I’ve never felt you before.”

Steeling herself, she opened the door, grabbed onto the sides, and then hoisted herself to a standing position. She closed the door, put a hand on her aching back, then the other on the very noticeable bump protruding from her stomach.

Kade and Edward gasped, but she had eyes for only Adam. He paled but didn’t say anything. 

Bay forced herself not to shake or, worse, throw up, and opened her mouth. “Hello, Adam, I’m glad I found you. We have to talk.”

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Winter Eve - Excerpt

Looking for a shifter paranormal series that’s sure to make your day? Try out Lia Davis’s Winter Eve.

Chapter 1

The winding, slick roads of the Smoky Mountains seemed creepier than the last time Nevan Matthews had traveled them. Then again, at the time, he’d been seven, it was daylight, and there wasn’t snow on the ground.

Why was he even going? Oh, right. His extended family would bug the shit out of him if he didn’t show up, just like they had bugged him about every aspect of his life since his father's death five years ago. And, again, when his fiancée, Becca, died a year later. The only family he had left in the world had demanded he spend the holiday season with them.

"You need your family now more than ever," Sarah, his stepmother, had said. "You spend too much time alone."

Her soft, pleading voice had tugged at his heart, and he’d finally given in. He loved his stepmother. She’d always cared for him as if he was her own son. It was impossible to say ‘no’ to the only mother he had ever known. Besides, he hadn’t been back home since his father’s death. So he took his first vacation in five years to spend the holidays in a place he didn’t belong. With people far different from him.

A blur of brown fur zipped in front of his headlights, and he jerked the rental car to the left. His heart hammered in his chest as the car swerved on the icy road and slammed into the rock wall of the mountainside.

Steam rolled from under the smashed hood and mingled with the frigid winter night as Nevan emerged from the car. He cursed under his breath and raked a hand through his light brown hair.

"Now what?"

He scanned the area for signs of life. He figured Sarah's cabin was a good twenty miles away. He'd freeze to death on top of this mountain on a night like this before reaching the cabin on foot.

Movement to his right caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes for a better look. A large leopard crouched, staring at him from the roadside. With eyes that reflected the full moon's light, the creature blinked and let out a soft growl before it turned to walk up a gravel driveway.

The animal was beautiful, scary, and its eyes held a hint of humanity. Could it be a were? Sarah hadn’t said anything about others living this far up the mountain. When the beast turned to look at him, he swore it wanted him to follow. He took a step forward, and the cat started walking again.

"Oh, great, Nev. You're being lead away by a cat, like Alice and that damn rabbit," he muttered to himself. No one would ever believe him. In fact, it was probably leading him to the den to share with the rest of the pack. Shaking his head at the ridiculous thought, he walked up the driveway. The cat sped up, running ahead much too fast for him. Then it darted into the woods a few feet from a single-story log cabin nestled into the surrounding trees. Another step caused a blinding light to click on, illuminating the front of the yard and the cabin. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She stepped out onto the large wide porch. Her straight silk-like strawberry blond hair cascaded over her shoulders and stopped at her waist. The light of the full moon cast against her pale skin made her look like a goddess.

"What can I do to help you?"

Her velvety smooth voice warmed his body and awoke a very specific part of his anatomy. It was several seconds before he found his voice and shook out of the trance she’d cast upon him. "I crashed my car and wondered if you have a phone. My cell doesn't get service up here."

"I don’t have a phone." Her gaze left him to search their surroundings and stopped as she glanced toward the dark sky as though she saw something he didn't, or couldn't, see. "But, come inside. You’ll freeze to death in the storm." She turned and walked back inside.

Storm
?

A single snowflake drifted in front of his face, landing on his nose.

***

Danica crossed the living room to the fireplace, feeling the man’s stare like tiny caresses over her skin. After grabbing the poker, she stirred the fire and added another log. Keegan would freaking flip if he knew she’d taken in a stranger, especially a human stranger, but there was something about this human. “What’s your name?”

There was a pause, and then he let out a husky reply, as if startled by the question. “Nevan”

“I’m Danica.” She stood and held out her left hand to him. Not because this stranger had uncovered long-buried desires, and she’d been much too long without a male’s touch. Nope, that wasn’t it at all. She simply wanted to see if he could be trusted. Sniffing out a lie or even the barest hint of dishonesty was like a shifter’s sixth sense. Other shifters didn’t have troubles detecting a lie from across the room, but Danica’s sense of smell had been damaged along with most of the right side of her body in a fire a couple of years before. It was one reason she lived on the edge of town, away from the others’ pity.