Darkest Wolf

Darkest Wolf The Westervelt Wolves Book 7 Rebecca Royce Published 2012 ISBN 978-1-59578-920-4 Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2012, Rebecca Royce. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Manufactured in the United States of America Liquid Silver Books http://LSbooks.com This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Blurb Rex Kane has always known he was different than his brothers, down to the fact that when he shifts into his wolf form, his coat is completely black. Always in trouble, he is given one more chance by his brother Tristan, the alpha of the Westervelt pack, to bring back to their island a witch who can stop some of the magical assault that has plagued their war-torn home. Rex knows he has one last chance to set things right. Everything depends on him and he cannot fail. Elizabeth Willow has been cursed to look so repulsive no human eyes can bear to view her. Raised in a gentle coven of witches, she is ill prepared for the realities of the harsh world she now lives in. Raised to mistrust wolf-shifters as witch-killers, she cannot seem to help being drawn to Rex. Even if she doesn't believe she is his so-called mate. He can see her as she really is and is the first person to look her in the eyes in years. Although she is not naturally devious, she sees no choice but to use Rex to gain her own freedom and her family’s safety. Together, Rex and Elizabeth will see just how evil the people around them can be. If they can trust their hearts, perhaps they will survive another night. If not, both of their battles will never be won. Dedication To the readers who have made Westervelt so fun for me to write. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the e-mails and messages. I love the wolves too!

Chapter One The smells of human overindulgence wafted through his nose, making him want to turn on his heel and go out the way he’d gone in. Rex Kane observed the scene before him with a strange amount of detachment, considering he was currently seeing his mate for the very first time. Two women—no, witches, he corrected—lay in strangely positioned forms frozen on the floor. Twins, he would guess them to be. Possibly even identical. He sniffed the air. Yep, they had matching scents. They were the very rare, but absolutely possible oddity, of identical twins. He would never be able to tell them apart, not by smell anyway. His gaze moved slowly over the diner’s kitchen. At the moment, the twin witches offered no threat to him. They’d been frozen. He had no idea how long they’d stay immobile and, truth was, he didn’t particularly care. Witches didn’t frighten him. They annoyed the piss out of him—there was a difference. The unconscious man, who, unless his nose was completely off, would wake up again shortly, also didn’t bother him. No, the elderly gentleman seemed to be temporarily stunned. He was also human. Not a threat. But Rex did feel nervous and, considering how rarely anxiety bothered him, he was willing to acknowledge the sensation for a few brief seconds before he would deny it had ever happened completely. He raised an eyebrow and forced his attention to stay on the source of his temporary anxiety: his mate. You’re sure she’s mine? He had to ask his wolf again. Maybe there’d been some kind of mistake. The universe couldn’t be this cruel to him. Ours. His wolf bristled at the question. His canine half had never liked being questioned over anything. She’s not even a wolf. Rex crossed his hands over his chest. She’s not even latent. She possesses no wolf blood whatsoever. Wouldn’t you like to make a different choice for us? Fate has chosen and she is perfect. In another second his inner-canine might start growling at him. Rex couldn’t remember the last time he and his other half had been so at odds with one another. It had been decades at least. He sighed. She’s a witch. And therein lay the problem. Rex hated witches. As far as he was concerned, witches were the bane of humanity. All witches should be put to death before they were allowed to cause any more trouble. In fact, he’d been sent out by his brother to find a witch and bring her back—willing or not—to Westervelt in order to help them with a problem they faced because of other witches. Hell, this sucks. His wolf made a sound somewhere between a harrumph and a sigh, which seemed a little odd for a canine. Your opinion is noted. “Witch.” Rex spoke to the woman who would be with him for eternity. “What exactly is going on in this room?” The little woman glared at him. Her hair fell somewhere between the shades of brown and blonde, hanging low past her shoulders. He had no idea what to call the

unusual color but he felt certain she would know how she wanted it referred. Women were particular when it came to their own presentation. She’d either think of herself as being blonde or brunette, and he better not make the mistake of calling it something else or she might turn him into a frog. Her blue eyes flared with anger and another emotion he didn’t know how to define. She stood up, and even then she barely reached his midsection. His mate was also small. Wonderful. She’s also breakable. How fantastic. Sarcasm is beneath you, Randolph. Only his wolf ever used his full name. He hated it. “Wolf,” she snapped back at him. “What does it look like? They’re frozen, he’s out cold, and I’m going to be dead, dead, dead before the day is over.” “No you will not.” He scoffed at the idea. No one would harm her. Whatever this— situation—entailed, he would handle it like he did everything else: with just enough violence to ensure it never happened again. “Oh yes? You’re some kind of prophet? You can read the future?” She fisted her hands, and he had to suppress the smile threatening to take charge of his face. Whoever this witch turned out to be, she had a spine of steel. Confidence seemed incredibly important as a quality for his mate. Things tended to go to hell quickly for his pack. “Who are you anyway, and what are you doing here? I’ve had enough wolves today to last me a lifetime.” “Oh yes? Been consorting with a lot of wolves lately?” He sniffed the air. Yes, the witch was correct. There had been wolves here. A female, if he wasn’t mistaken. He didn’t know her but she had a familiar scent to her like a distant memory he couldn’t make surface. The other wolf—male—he knew, and he almost gasped at the familiarity. Parker Lewis. He hadn’t seen or heard from him in almost forty years. He’d vanished right after the world had nearly ended for his pack. They’d thought he’d died with his parents. What the hell had he been doing in this truck stop diner in New Jersey? No matter. Both Parker and the she-wolf were gone now. He’d have to inform Tristan and move on. He had an agenda and it didn’t include finding Parker and the mysterious female wolf, at least, not yet. The unknown human man on the floor groaned. Rex watched him silently for a second before growing bored. He extended his hand to the witch. “Come on. We need to leave.” She looked at his outstretched offering as if he’d handed her the sharp end of a sword to hold. “You need to leave. I need to decide how the hell I’m getting out of trouble and I need to decide fast. Skedaddle. I can’t deal with you now. Go do whatever wolves do, whoever you are.” “My name is Rex Kane.” The woman rolled her eyes. “Oh great. A Kane. Today just became more complete for me. Out on one of your witch-killing expeditions?” “It is polite when someone gives you their name to give them one back.” He didn’t want to tell her his true mission wasn’t to kill a witch but to kidnap one. His stop at the diner had been fateful. He’d been filling his car up with gas when he’d scented them inside. “You want to talk to me about manners?” She stomped forward. “I don’t deal with

murderers. I certainly don’t give them my name.” Nodding, he looked around the room. “As far as I can tell, you have two choices. You can stay here with this motley crew.” He pointed to the still frozen witch-sisters. “Or you can come with me and let me fix whatever problem you are having.” Why did no one ever see the simple solutions he did? Why did everyone have to make life so complicated? Things were never nearly as difficult as they first seemed to be. “Simple, huh?” She shook her head. “Seems like it’s out of the frying pan and into the flame.” He shook his head. “Are your words some kind of expression I should be familiar with?” Humans and their idiocy… “You might know it if you ever left your strange island but you wolves don’t travel much, do you? You prefer to stay there and fester in between killing witches everywhere you go.” Seems like she doesn’t like wolves. Was his wolf just now paying attention? “Let me be clear.” He stepped toward her. Over the stink of grease and fatty foods he could smell her personal aroma. He’d always loved citrus. It made everything seem clean and pure. His mate—whoever she was— smelled like oranges right off the tree. His mouth watered. For the first time ever he had the inclination to grab another being and kiss them—hard—with or without their consent. I crave her. His wolf sighed. I know. Restrain yourself, won’t you? “You can come with me willingly or I will take you without your consent. Your choice. Make it, nameless-one.” She threw her hands in the air. “Why are you even concerning yourself with this? I’m no one to you. Move on.” “I’m afraid I can’t.” Since he’d found her, he’d have to deal with her regardless of predilection for the dark arts. Was it possible to stop being a witch or was it something where once you started you could never stop? “Why, by the goddess, can you not?” She covered her mouth. “Now I’m sounding like you. Did anyone ever teach you how to speak so you’d sound more normal?” “Yes.” He extended his hand again. “I would prefer to have this conversation elsewhere.” “Why? What conversation are we having?” He growled at her defiance. His mate defined stubbornness with her pert chin she held high in the air. “You are my mate, witch, and you will come with me wherever I go from now on.” Silence filled the room. The sound of diners’ complaints from the main restaurant travelled through the double doors to make up the only sound in the area except for the occasional hiss of the fry grill, which he suspected needed to be fiddled with or turned off. The witch had yet to react to his announcement. She stared at him, openmouthed like a landed fish. “Rex Kane.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “I am not your mate. I could never, would never be a mate to a creature like you. Go find one of your own abominations to play with.” He’d had enough. With a growl he hadn’t planned and couldn’t control, he picked the tiny woman up over his shoulder. She shrieked and kicked her feet. “Put me down

this very instant or I will make you sorry you ever touched me.” “Try it and I will make you repent.” His sisters-in-law had temporarily warded him from witches. It wouldn’t last forever. Hence the reason why they needed a witch—they could never permanently protect themselves from the evil ministrations of his father’s pet coven. He couldn’t take her out through the diner. In this day and age, humans had rules about abduction and, if she wanted to, the witch could make his life miserably harder than it need be. He would still get her out of there but he could do without the scene she would cause. Instead, he carted her out the back door of the kitchen. The smell of restaurant garbage made him want to gag as he hurried with the screaming woman still perched over his shoulder toward his van. “Witch, you will listen.” She snarled, an impressive sound considering she was not a canine. “Wolf, you will put me down.” “I will.” He nodded. “Inside my van. I can either tie you up and stick you in the back, or you can behave like a well brought up woman and sit up front with me.” “You have no idea how I was brought up.” “I will have your choice.” She cursed. “The back of the van.” Fine. So far Rex’s mating was not going the way he might have hoped. None of his brothers had this much trouble with their soul mates. His brother Tristan had been trapped as a wolf, his brother Theo had accidentally managed to take part of the soul of a demon inside of him, Az’s mate had herself been stuck as a wolf, and Michael had mated a latent wolf-shifter who had been horribly abused. And, yet, none of them had found a mate as bad-tempered as his. Hell, he still didn’t know this witch’s name. Thumping her down on the inside of the van, he grabbed some rope he kept stored there. Also collected were lots of tools and assorted weaponry he might need whenever he left the island. All of his equipment would have to be moved up front because even tied up he suspected his mate-slash-witch would find a way to wound him if she could. She was going to have to go up front with him whether she liked it or not. He grabbed the rope and tied her wrists. “I really don’t want to do this to you. I have no interest in tying you up.” Her eyes flared with anger. “I thought you wolves were into all kinds of kinky stuff.” Rex rolled his eyes. The woman would say anything to get a rise out of him at the moment. “When I have your hands on me sexually, I won’t want you tied.” She gulped, the muscles on her neck stretching slightly. He wondered if he’d made her mouth go dry. “Nothing to say?” With her wrists fully secured, he heaved her over his shoulder again. “Stop. Right now. I don’t like how you’re holding me. It makes me feel like you’re going to drop me on the ground.” “Witch, if you weighed twice what you do, I wouldn’t drop you. I’m a wolf-shifter. I can carry three times my own body weight.” “Good to know.” She kicked again, this time landing a blow on his chest. It stung but he wouldn’t rub it, not in front of her. In their power struggle, he would come up on top. This witch would not be allowed to see him weak, even if she were his mate. She is.

He wanted to slam his wolf. Shut up. “I would think you would be pleased. You said they were going to kill you. I’ve removed you from the situation, witch.” “Would you please stop calling me witch?” Her eyes flared as he placed her in the front passenger side of his blue van, bending over to buckle her in like she was a child who needed help. “What else should I call you since you won’t tell me your name?” He closed the door and used his key remote to lock her in while he walked to the driver’s side. If she managed to escape and run away, he would catch her with no trouble. But the time he spent doing it could be better spent getting back to Maine. If he rushed, he would be there in seven hours. In an irony not lost on him, this wasn’t his first time in New Jersey picking up a mate he needed to bring back to Maine. The only difference was the first time Tristan had been with him, stuck in wolf form, and Tristan’s mate Ashlee had at least accepted she was mated to Tristan. Also, it hadn’t been his fate and soul on the line. Which seemed, he rapidly discovered, to make all the difference. Was he doomed to spar with this woman’s attitude for the rest of eternity? Not the rest. You will start to age as soon as you take care of the sexual part of mating. Then you’ll live a normal and happy life like the rest of your family. Only if I can avoid getting murdered by my father. His wolf had left the troubling part out of the happily-ever-after scenario. Yes, if you can manage to not get killed. He opened the car door and slipped inside, keys in hand. The witch stared at him through hooded eyes. He didn’t like her quietness, not one bit. Sniffing the air, he tried to get a sense of what her emotions were based on her smell. Most of his brothers couldn’t decipher as well as he could. It had been his gift—and burden—since childhood. Having a really sensitive nose made it impossible to do certain things. Before he’d learned to control it, the faintest aromas could make him physically ill. If something was about to go bad in the refrigerator, he might be sick for days. The other side of his scent issues was he could easily discern things other wolfshifters could not: like the moods of those around him. Right now, his orange-scented mate smelled … perturbed. She wasn’t really angry nor was she confused. The witch radiated a feeling somewhere in between. “If I tell you my name, will you let me go?” “No.” He didn’t like her feeling any anger at all. In her position, he might too be annoyed. Still, something inside of him he didn’t want to particularly examine churned at the thought she had displeasure with him. “I didn’t think so.” She sank down in her seat. “I don’t know why I’m surprised I’m being kidnapped by a psychotic witch-killing wolf. These sorts of things happen to me all the time.” Really? He started the car and pulled it into traffic, watching where he went to make sure he did so in a safe manner. He wouldn’t risk her by being careless. “It does?” “Sure. I’m cursed, after all, which doesn’t happen if you have great luck.” “You’re cursed?” He nearly stuttered on the word. Rex knew something about curses. They’d all lived with one for thirty years until Ashlee had come and the pack had thrown it out. Most of the pack had died because of the blasted thing. “But you’re a

witch.” She shook her head. “Look, Kane.” He really wished she wouldn’t use his last name to address him. It reminded him too much of his father. But he had no desire to interrupt her when she talked. Her voice had a lyrical, soothing quality he wanted to listen to for a while. “I wasn’t born this ugly. In my normal form I’m not gorgeous, but I’m not grotesque either. People can look at me without wincing. I appreciate you’ve chosen not to flinch or look away. You’re the second wolf today to do so, which is, actually, incredibly kind considering what you all are. But don’t you want to abduct a better-looking person? Surely, there can’t be much fun in this.” Rex felt dumbfounded. He’d always prided himself on being a smart man. But he couldn’t make head or tails of what she’d just said to him. “Let me see if I can understand what you are saying.” She shifted in her seat, and he wished he could trust her so he could untie her wrists. “Okay.” “People can’t look at you without flinching?” “Correct.” She motioned to her face. “Can you blame them?” He ignored her question. “Why is this?” “Because of the sores, the puss, the misshapen nose, the way my eyes are narrowed, my stringy hair and the other ways in which I now resemble a stereotypical crone.” She swung her head around to look out the window into the sunset. “And by the way, I take it back. You’re an asshole for making me list all the things wrong with me when you can see them perfectly for yourself.” “Witch, I cannot see any of what you described. Do you need what the humans call a psychiatrist? Are you unwell?” He sniffed at the air. She didn’t smell of mental illness. Her head turned around, the eyes he could now see had as much gray in them as they did blue stared back at him. “Are you serious or just playing some kind of a game? Because I know the wolf earlier could see how horrendous I looked.” “You are of petite stature. Your breasts are round and look like they would fill up my hands.” She sucked in her breath as he said his words but he wasn’t done. “You have brownish-blondish hair. I will call it whatever color you would like me to call it. Your eyes are … beautiful. Blue, gray. Your nose is not askew. By contrast, I would call it pert. Your chin is stubborn. All in all, if you were not a witch, I would call you a pixie.” She was silent for two seconds before tears slid down her face. Silent, she did not wipe them away. Neither did she slip into hysterics. “I used to look as you described me.” “It’s how you look to me.” “How?” She shook her head. “I’m your mate. I see you as you are, witch.” “My name is Liz. Stop calling me witch.” He felt a smile twitch at his mouth. He’d gotten the name. Already, he’d made progress. If only it would be as easy to get her to save his pack.

Chapter Two Elizabeth Willow wondered if she had been dropped on her head. The concussion could at least explain all of the odd things happening. Her day had started out like any other one. She’d endured her servitude to the hell-twins, making sure they ate all their favorite foods before she cleaned up the mess they’d made in their hotel rooms. Finally, when they’d had their fill of Virginia Beach, she’d put them in the car, seen to it they had their favorite movies available to watch on DVD, and driven them to New York City. They wanted to see The Lion King on Broadway. Again. Because a thirtyyear-old couldn’t see it too many times, could they? Now there was this big mess with Rex Kane—not just any wolf but Prince of the Royal Westervelt Wolf Pack—the most famous witch-killing wolves on the planet. She shivered at the thought even as watching Rex’s strong profile gave her goosebumps for very different reasons. “Look, Rex, this whole mating thing…” He interrupted her. “What about it?” Goddess, he was so prickly. She hadn’t said anything and already he jumped down her throat. “I don’t think your being able to see me un-cursed is a reason to feel I’m your mate. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad you can.” So glad she might start bawling at any moment, but he didn’t need to know. “I just think you’d be better off with someone else.” Rex nodded. “I agree.” He did? Elizabeth’s treacherous heart fell into her stomach. What was the matter with her? She didn’t want this wolf. “But I don’t exactly get a say, so we’ll both just go with it, shall we?” She sat up straighter. “What?” “I don’t decide who my mate is. Fate decided and my wolf informed me it was you. So we’re both going to have to decide why fate thought it was amusing to put us together.” “Let me get this straight.” She placed her bound hands on his arm, needing to know she had his full attention. The muscles beneath her fingertips were hard and well defined. As fast as she could manage, she let go. “You don’t want to be mated to me?” “It’s not a question of want. Did I desire a mate? Yes, of course. Would I have preferred you not to be a witch? Absolutely.” “Well, I’m so sorry to disappoint.” Asshole. She shifted in her seat again. This van was horribly uncomfortable. She’d spent nights inside of small hotel room closets more comfortable than this hellish vehicle. What was the matter with her? What did she care? He was nothing to her. Less than nothing. He was a creature to be deplored, to be destroyed if she could manage it, which, of course, she could not. Rex would probably be thrilled to hear the witch he’d been saddled with had little to no power of her own. The freezing spell she’d used on the bitch-twins in the restaurant was about the extent of her abilities these days. A thought dawned on her. “What do you mean your wolf told you? You’re the wolf.” Rex’s jaw ticked. “It’s complicated.”

She bet it was. Narrowing her eyes, it occurred to her this might be the best thing to have happened to her in a while. Drea Dubrese’s coven would love any information she could bring them. Enough intel and she might be able to negotiate the release of her mother and return to her normal appearance. All she had to do was to get this frustrating, gorgeous wolf to tell her the things she needed to know, and then figure out how to get the heck away from him in one piece. “How complicated?” He scratched his head. “We never talk about it to outsiders. Hell, we barely discuss it amongst ourselves.” “Am I an outsider? Or am I the woman you want to mate?” She realized how manipulative she was being. Never having done this before, she hoped she didn’t overplay her hand with him. For years, everyone around her had been using this trick to get her to do what they wanted. Surely, she must have some ability to do it on her own. “We’re both man and wolf. One of the reasons for not discussing it is people don’t get it, no matter how much we explain.” “I’m not just people. As you keep pointing out, I’m a witch. I’m sure I can handle whatever mystics are going on here.” She hoped. Considering she could be walking into a giant disaster… “When we’re born…” She had to interrupt, which she hated since he’d apparently decided to speak about it and she didn’t want him to change his mind. “We, being wolf-shifters?” He nodded, a piece of his nearly black hair falling into his eyes before he swatted it away. Rex needed a haircut in a major way. It was disturbingly cute. “Correct.” “Okay.” She leaned back so she could regard him more clearly. “Please go on.” “When we’re born, we are just like other humans. We don’t have any particular powers.” He stopped speaking, and she had the feeling he held something back. Still, she didn’t want to push. If she could be patient about the twin situation, she could manage to find a way to handle this too. One way or another, she’d draw the wolf out until she got what she needed. He continued. “It’s not until later, puberty usually, our wolves show up. It’s like one day they are not there and the next they are sharing our body, in our mind, speaking with us. They are the magic; our human half is around for the ride.” What he said didn’t make one lick of sense. “Where are they before they come to you?” Rex shrugged. “I have no idea.” “Can you talk to it?” Elizabeth’s mind whirled at the world he opened up to her. The wolf came to them in puberty. It was like a magic awakening showing up with age. Did the wolf exist before then? Did their bodies create the wolf? Did… Her musings were cut off by his response. “Yes, of course. He badgers me constantly.” “You don’t always get along?” “No. The wolf-human relationship is not always a harmonious one. In general, we don’t discuss it. Ever. It’s a very private thing.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “But you have to understand about my dual nature. I’m actually two entities in one body. One of us is always fighting for control.” “Fighting? Like in a constant war?” Elizabeth had never been so glad to not be a

wolf in her life. Well, she’d never wanted to be one but now she really didn’t want to grow fur and walk on all fours. She’d have to be sure to never let Rex bite her. Assuming being bitten turned a person into a wolf. She needed to find out from Rex if the rumors of changing into shifters were, in fact, true. “It starts out war-like. At least it did for me. I’m not sure what it’s like for everyone else. Like I said, we don’t talk about it.” He sighed. “For me it calmed down after a time. Mostly.” The car suddenly jerked to the right. With her hands not free to brace herself, she slammed against the window. Stars passed in front of her eyes. She wasn’t sure what happened. Maybe she lost consciousness. When the world righted itself, she only knew she wanted to vomit. Moving, but not of her volition, she realized she was being carted in Rex’s arms again. “What happened?” She wanted to close her eyes but she also didn’t want to. Nausea was too close to the surface. Any second, she might throw up. “Were we in a car accident?” “Not exactly.” Rex sounded hoarse. He stopped moving and leaned her up against something. She wasn’t sure what it was—everything felt sort of … hazy. “Where are we?” “About fifty yards from the van. It rolled over.” It had? She had no memory of any of it. How hard had she hit her head? She tried to sit up. “Don’t sit up, little human.” He touched her head, and she flinched. Rex had come back into focus, sort of. Now she could see two of him. Two dark figures who were so staggeringly handsome they might take her breath away were he not a wolf. She blinked. What the hell was wrong with her? She had no business finding Rex Kane attractive in any way. “Now I’m a human?” She tried to laugh. “I thought I was a witch.” “You’re both, as you know. They’re not mutually exclusive and we are not in a position to argue semantics at the moment.” “What is happening?” Everything felt so fuzzy… Rex growled. “How many fingers do I have up?” His hand swayed for a moment before righting itself. “Four.” “Wrong answer.” He cursed, using a string of words she’d never heard put together before. The foul language seemed wrong coming out of his mouth. He’d been so formal. Wow, he must really be stressed. “I hate to move you but we don’t have a choice.” “It might help if I knew what was going on?” “I might believe you if you weren’t slurring your words together.” He hoisted her forward. Or, at least it felt like he did. He might have gently moved her, but from her vantage point it certainly seemed like Rex moved her abruptly over his shoulder. “I won’t leave you here.” She groaned. “Elizabeth?” “What?” “You zoned out on me there. Stay awake.” She had? “Seriously, Rex, what happened? We had a car accident?” “Our car was jolted. I’m not sure exactly what happened. But it feels like witch crap

to me, which is not surprising considering Dad’s had his coven after us for forty-someodd years now.” “No.” She shook her head, which was a mistake. “No witches would ever help a wolf. This is the work of the bitch-twins.” “I assume you are referring to the two ladies we left frozen on the floor.” From the clenched sound of his voice she could tell he wasn’t happy. “What is bothering you? My swearing or what they’ve potentially done?” He walked fast, turning deeper into the woods. Pretty soon she wouldn’t be able to hear the highway at all. “Because I’d like to point out you just cursed a ton a few minutes ago.” Rex laughed, a sort of rumbling sound. It made her smile, which, in turn, made her head hurt worse. “Fair enough, but for the record, one, I was annoyed thinking the two witches might have gotten the jump on us and, two, I cursed hours ago, not minutes. It concerns me a great deal you are losing so much time.” “Are you some kind of doctor?” He shook his head. “No. But I’m going to get you to one.” “Was anyone besides me hurt when we crashed?” “No. I managed to get the car to the side before it flipped over.” He adjusted her slightly on his shoulder, and she wondered if he had started to get tired of carrying her. Earlier he’d claimed he could carry three times his weight, but surely he must get tired after a while. “Why would the twins be trying to kill us?” “Not us, although I am sure they’d be thrilled to take you out in the process, me. They’re coming after me because you hauled me out of the diner and away from them where I am supposed to be. Leaving them is a death sentence for me and my entire family.” “What?” He roared so loud she wondered if the entire state could hear him. “You should have said something, Elizabeth.” “It’s Liz. Everyone calls me Liz.” “You are not a Liz. Elizabeth suits you better.” “Said from a guy who is named Rex like a dog? My uncle had a dog named Rex. You would think, as a canine, you’d be called something else.” He groaned. “You are tiresome. My real name is Randolph, but I’ve been called Rex now for so long I’m not sure I would answer to Randolph if you used my full name.” “Does anyone call you Randy?” She realized this was a completely asinine conversation, but what was she supposed to discuss with the crazy wolf who claimed she was his mate while he carted her, probably concussed self, around the woods in New Jersey? The weather? “Never.” From the tone of his voice she didn’t think it would be a good idea for her to try to be the first to call him Randy. She might have whacked her head but she hadn’t lost her mind. “Hey, Rex-y, I have a thought.” She kicked her legs until he stopped moving. She wanted him to listen to her. Finally, when he stopped walking, and she felt certain she had his attention, she spoke again. “I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this earlier—well actually I am but…” He interrupted her. “Is there a point you’d like to make or are you just kicking me and rambling for the fun of it?” She narrowed her eyes. If she weren’t afraid he’d drop her onto the ground, she’d

whack him hard. “Well, once upon a time, before my magic went mostly away, I could have healed myself. Perhaps I can make it slightly better. Give us some more time to run from the twins.” “I am not running from anything.” He set her down onto the ground, squatting next to her. She could see his nearly black eyes staring at her in the light of the moon. If she’d been a romantic girl, she might have sighed. But unfortunately she’d been born to be sensible. “What would you call what we’re currently doing?” She reached out to steady the world by touching his arm. When this was over, she’d never again choose to ride a roller coaster. Not when she knew the universe could spin like this on its own. “I would call this getting you some help. Two miles more in the direction we’re walking.” He pointed with his hand, but she didn’t follow where he indicated. It would require her to move her head. “Is a hospital. We’re hoofing it.” “Hoofing it implies horses, doesn’t it? Not disgusting wolves?” Rex rolled his eyes for just a second before seriousness returned to his gaze. Goddess forbid wolf-boy actually smiled. “I have some questions.” She had assumed he would. The real decision would come in how she chose to tell him and how much she held back. At the moment, however, even if she could fix her head a bit with magic, she would still be dependent on his good graces. For a while, at least. “Go ahead.” “First.” He waved his hand. “Do your magic thing.” “My magic thing?” “Elizabeth, have you become a parrot? Fix yourself.” “I’m only going to be able to make this moderately better.” “Fine.” He nodded. “You’re a bad witch. I get it. Do your thing. Now.” “I’m a lousy witch now; I didn’t used to be so powerless.” Rex stood up and walked away from her. “Listen to my words very carefully, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. All I want in the universe, at the moment, is for you to do whatever it is you kicked me to tell me you could do. Are you capable of performing the task or not?” “I am.” But if she’d been in any condition better than one she was in she would keep annoying him just for the fun of seeing him get so worked up. It had been a long time since she’d had this much control over her own life. It was too bad her head hurt and she couldn’t enjoy it. She closed her eyes. “Elizabeth.” Rex’s voice pushed at her like an explosion going off. Opening one eyelid, she glared at him. “What?” “You closed your eyes. I thought you were passing out.” Lifting the other eyelid, she shaded her eyes from the brutal light of the moon. Really, when had the night ever been so bright? “You thought yelling at me was the appropriate way to get me to stop passing out?” Liz shook her head. He was a character; she’d give him credit for being different. If they both managed to live through this time she would certainly never forget him. “I wasn’t going to faint. I have to close my eyes to do this type of spell. If I’m not centered, there is no way this is going to work.” There was slim to little chance it would work even if she managed to connect to nature properly. The powers controlling these things had long since stopped letting her tap into

their eternal spirit. “Then, by all means, center yourself so we can keep moving. I don’t wish to be caught unawares by your witches again.” There was no doubt Rex was one of the Royal Kanes. He gave permission like he was used to doing it on a regular basis. She had news for him, she was going to center herself whether he liked it or not. And the witches… Well, she didn’t want to dwell on them. They might have zapped their powers nearly destroying the car but they wouldn’t be gone for long, and if she didn’t find a way to handle them—and this situation—soon, she was terrified they would call their mother. If they did, she didn’t want to imagine what would happen to her own family. She forced those thoughts from her mind. No way could she do this if she let the stress get to her. For years now she hadn’t been able to keep her mind where it needed to be. What made her think she could do it now? “Elizabeth?” She opened her eyes, wishing she could be angry with Rex for interrupting but knowing she hadn’t really been able to focus anyway. “Yes?” “I can feel your mind isn’t where it should be.” He walked toward her. “My wolf is prowling around inside wanting to help you.” “Your wolf.” She tried to get used to the thought. There was a wolf inside of Rex who was and was not the same entity as Rex. It blew her mind. “Wants to help me? Why?” “He loves you. You’re our mate. He’s very attached to you already.” She swallowed. “And you?” “I’d like to help you too. If I can.” He hadn’t answered her question, and she supposed she should be glad he hadn’t. “You can’t help me, Rex.” “Wrong, witch.” He bent over until he was so close she could feel his breath on her face. Elizabeth’s mind went blank. What was he doing? “I can.” His mouth came down on hers.

Chapter Three Rex shuddered under the feel of Elizabeth’s soft lips pressed against his. He’d meant to jar her with the kiss, to give her some of his own strength to aid in whatever crazy witch thing she had to do. He hadn’t expected to nearly melt into a puddle of ridiculous lovesick wolf at her feet. Before he couldn’t do it anymore, he ripped his mouth from hers and took two steps backwards. “Get it done or I’m putting you over my shoulder and dragging you to the hospital. I suspect we’re running out of time here.” Elizabeth stared at him with huge blue-gray eyes. Her hand reached up to touch her lips in a way which made him question whether she was aware she’d done it at all. “Elizabeth?” Gods, the woman had been seriously injured. He had no business listening to her nonsense about fixing herself. “Rex, so help me, some day I’m going to make you pay for messing with me.” Her eyes looked heated, which he greatly preferred to the dazed, out-of-it expression she’d been carting around for hours. Angry Elizabeth worried him less than quasi-delirious Elizabeth. He glared at her. “I’m doing nothing of the kind.” She shook her head, her emotions unreadable to him. He’d watched all of his brothers go through their respective matings. Even when Tristan had been half-mad, possessed of a curse, and attempting suicide by throwing himself off a cliff, it hadn’t looked this hard. What was he supposed to do with this fragile witch who stirred his blood, alerted his long dormant protective instincts, and made him want to wring her neck all at the same time? A rush of heat hit his body. It started at the tips of his toes and travelled upward until his cheeks were red with warmth. What the hell? His cock jumped to attention even as his wolf shrugged inside of him. The canine had no idea what happened either. Rex’s gaze shot to Elizabeth. She regarded him silently. He adjusted his pants, knowing she’d probably already seen the proof of his sudden, unexplained arousal. He’d been fighting back his desire since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. But he didn’t need her seeing him jump around inside his trousers like he was fifteen years old. “I’m done.” She wobbled to her feet. “This is the best I can do. Hopefully, I’ll be able to follow a conversation now and not zone in and out so much.” His nose told him she wasn’t fully healed—not anywhere near fixed. Her orangefilled aroma still smelled off. Until she was back to her usual scent, he wouldn’t feel satisfied she wasn’t still in imminent danger of expiring. They still needed a hospital, and he needed a phone. Tristan needed to know what was going on. Rex narrowed his eyes. “When you did your magic-thing, did you direct some of it my way?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “No. Why on earth would I?” “Indeed.” Was the witch up to something or was he just being paranoid? She wobbled, and in two strides he’d grabbed her. Pressed close together, he could see how delicate her pores looked in the setting sun. Her skin was like porcelain under his fingertips. He swallowed. Hell, he was in so much trouble. Once you mate her, you’ll feel better. His wolf was filled with useless advice. Not exactly the appropriate time or place for such things. He didn’t think. Rex had

stumbled upon quite a few of the newly mated couples taking private moments in the woods of Westervelt. Elizabeth, however, was severely injured, and they weren’t romping around the privacy of their magical island. His witch might never want to go there since she disliked wolves so immensely. “I’m going to shift. I can get you to the human hospital faster.” He tugged at his shirt, pulling it over his head. “Whoa.” Elizabeth’s blue-gray eyes were so huge they looked like they might pop out of her head. “What are you doing?” “I’m taking off my clothes. If I shift with them on, they’ll be gone when I shift back. I’d rather not present myself at the hospital naked.” She swallowed, her neck muscles clenched as she did so. He had no idea what he said to make her so tense. Sniffing the air, he tried to see if he could get a sense of it. Elizabeth wafted a ton of emotions. She seemed to be happy, sad, intrigued, terrified, and … slightly aroused at the same time. He held back the urge to grin. Rex would bet good money it was the last bit which made her the most uncomfortable. “Unless you’d like me to be completely nude in the hospital. For you, I’d strip.” She placed her hands out in front of her like she could ward him off. Rex shook his head. If he really wanted to get to her, those tiny hands wouldn’t stop him. It was a good thing his mother had raised him to be a gentleman. Sort of. “Just let me turn around.” Faster than he’d thought she could move, considering her head injury, she showed him her back. “And I guess I’ll carry your clothes while I ride on you?” Her voice shook as she asked her simple question. This time it was the acrid taste of fear filling his senses. His wolf form would really terrify her. As fast as he could manage, he removed the rest of his clothing. “Yep.” In two seconds, he’d called the white light onto himself, shifting into his wolf body. As a canine, he was completely black. The darkest of all his pack, his fur had always puzzled the pack elders. Where had a completely black wolf come from in the Kane line? Does it matter? That was always his wolf’s question. Rex had always answered no. He really didn’t care one way or another. It was only fur. But lately, it had irked him. His brothers were all one shade of brown. His mother had been the same. Where had his black fur come from? He pushed away the questions. It was just another way he didn’t fit in with the pack, another way he could demonstrate to the others how truly shadowed his soul must be. The darkness matched the man. Do you think I’d be hanging around with a person who had as dark a soul as you claim to have? He ignored his wolf, padding forward until he could bump Elizabeth with the top of his head. She jerked backward before righting herself. Her breathing picked up. Rex could hear the loud thump of her heart in her chest as her blood swooshed quickly through her veins. Rubbing against her, he willed her to relax. I’m not going to eat you. “I should hope not.” Elizabeth gasped and covered her mouth for a moment. Finally, she pointed at him as if her finger could accuse him of all kinds of atrocities. “You spoke in my head.” Yes. I did. He walked in a circle around her. It’s a mate thing.

“I don’t like it.” Rex scratched at his ear. I don’t really care. How else could I communicate with you like this? “It’s creepy.” Actually, Rex kind of liked it. Pushing his thoughts into Elizabeth’s mind made him feel warm inside. Most of the time he wondered if he’d been born on the wrong planet. But if he could be in her this way, then perhaps he wasn’t alone. Please pick up my clothes so we can get going. Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she moved on quiet feet to pick up his discarded wardrobe. “Do I just climb on?” He nodded. She walked toward him. “You’re huge. You’re aware of your size, aren’t you? Wolves are not supposed to be as big as you are. How do you ever blend in with the indigenous populations?” The indigenous populations of wolves? He couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice. “Don’t make fun of my word choice. You get what I’m trying to say.” He did but it seemed a really random question. People see what they want to see. In general, we try to avoid being around humans when we are running as wolves, unless they are part of our pack. But, my brother Tristan had to live for a time as a wolf in a zoo. No one questioned his size. To think he wasn’t what they thought he was would be too much for most people. “That makes sense.” Elizabeth hoisted herself up, swinging one leg around his back as if to ride him like a horse. She shoved his clothes between herself and the fur, lodging it in so the clothes didn’t move. Rex grinned at her ingenuity. She liked to fix problems. “I still don’t understand the whole ‘getting your wolf at puberty’ thing. Can you explain it some more?” I’d really rather hear about your witch problem and the curse. He took off running in the direction of the hospital. His nose could smell the chemicals, the cleaning products, and the distinct aromas of life and death even as far away as they were. In this case, his extra-heightened sense of smell would prove to be good for them. He didn’t have to wander around looking for help. His nose told him exactly where it was located. Elizabeth sighed. “I’ve never been able to talk about it with anyone.” Talk about it with me. He wasn’t going to let up on this. She was, like it or not— although he liked it more and more—his mate. He needed to protect her. Then he had to get her home so she could do whatever witches did and stop his father from being able to send his minions to the island at will. He hadn’t forgotten his mission and, for once, he wouldn’t fail. “My mother was the head witch of our coven. A member of our family had always been in charge, starting about a hundred years ago.” She sighed louder this time. “I thought we were pretty well liked.” What happened? Were covens hereditary? Did Elizabeth automatically take over after her mother? It was hard for Rex to imagine Elizabeth being in charge of a coven. The woman’s magic seemed pretty miniscule. Unless she was simply less powerful than the rest of her family. He could certainly understand not quite living up to expectations. “Some new witches moved to town.” What town?

“I feel like I’m under some kind of investigation here. Are you going to let me tell the story or aren’t you?” He growled, and she tugged at his fur, making him wince. Yes, she was on his back and she had fingernails which stung. Best not to forget. Continue. Please. “My family has always lived in Key Biscayne. It’s off Miami.” Florida. Rex had always hated Florida. He was really better suited for cold weather. The fur made heat almost unbearable and he had to shift at least once a day or he got twitchy. Okay. He couldn’t focus on heat at the moment because Elizabeth continued her story. “The family who arrived was very powerful. My mother had always been about inclusion and she brought them into the fold immediately. Shortly after, with an amazing amount of cunning and ability, they managed a coup and took over the coven. My family and our supporters tried to fight back. But then they cursed me to look like this.” Rex still hadn’t seen what she looked like to others. The way her voice lowered when she talked about it made his heart clench. This woman who had done this to her would pay. He would see to it personally. “It was a brilliant move. The curse made it so no one can look at me without trouble. I’m brutally ugly to look at. Except, of course, for you.” Because I am your mate. “Yes, that. Right.” She clenched her fingers. He wished he could read her mind. Was she getting on board about the mating or did she still deny it, even after he could speak to her telepathically? “I am basically powerless and bound to serve the woman’s twin daughters forever. I do whatever they want. If I object in any way, then she’ll kill my mother and the others. This thing we’re doing—running away—constitutes objecting. Even now my mother and the others could be dead. Although, I don’t think they are. I think I would somehow know if they were killed. It would feel like a piece of my soul had been ripped apart.” And if your mom and the other witches make any moves, then you stay permanently in your cursed form. “Exactly.” It’s exactly what his own father, Kendrick Kane, would have done. Place everyone in an impossible situation and watch as they struggle for the rest of their lives. If he was honest, it’s what he would have done. Divide them up and make them all responsible for each other’s lives. Then, as soon as you are fixed, we will go to Miami and handle this. “I don’t see how you can possibly think you can take care of this.” I am devious and manipulative. I don’t always do what is right. But I will do what you need. I will fix this for you. Rex hadn’t wanted to tell her the truth about himself, at least not this early in her knowing him. But she needed to understand how serious he was about what he’d told her. He would fix this. One way or another. They travelled in silence and Rex felt gratitude for the silence. It gave him time to plot. The coven leader would have to be removed. Forcibly. The good news? She wouldn’t see him coming. Even if her daughters managed to warn her—and he suspected they had not yet told their mother of Elizabeth’s disappearance or Elizabeth’s mother would be gone from the world—she wouldn’t know exactly what he was capable of. If Rex had to, he would shoot the woman in the head. She might expect a wolf but she would get a man. He’d watched humans throughout the years engage in meaningless

violence. One thing he had learned: Sometimes one crack of a gun could solve all your problems. The action might be a disgusting thing to think—even worse to do—but if his claws couldn’t save Elizabeth, then a man-made device of war would. Will the curse lift automatically if the witch who cast the curse dies? That had been how it had worked, sort of, with the witch who had cursed Westervelt. She’d had to die, but a blood ceremony had to be performed to truly lift the curse from the land. “No, she has to remove it.” Then she would remove it. Can your mother hold the coven together once she regains control? “You make it sound like it’s some kind of military thing. The coven is our home, our community, and our spiritual center. She is meant to be leader because her powers make us stronger.” You’re the one who used the word coup. I would venture to guess you don’t think of it all that differently than I do. Like a pack, any organization requiring leadership, unity and obedience is going to function something like a military unit. My father was wrong about many things but he wasn’t incorrect about how to handle groups. “Rex?” Her voice sounded tentative. They rounded the corner of a clearing. Rex could hear human sounds getting closer. Elizabeth would be able to notice them herself shortly. Good, he would get her help and then they would get out of there. Yes, Elizabeth? “How many witches have you killed?” So now they’d gotten to the heart of the issue. Nothing would ever be easy between them. Not with this issue so prevalent and important. He’d never expect her to understand what his pack had been driven to do. To save Tristan they’d all do it again. But in a million years, none of them could have foreseen the decisions they’d been forced to make over the years. Had they crossed a line? Maybe. Personally? She stroked his fur, and he wondered if she did it knowingly or if it was some kind of unconscious nervous gesture. “Yes.” I have never personally killed a witch. “Oh.” Her voice had lightened up, and sadness ate at his gut because he was going to have to bring her back down to the nervous state she’d been existing in. But I would have killed the one who destroyed everything. I was involved in her kidnapping. And any witch who comes to cause my family harm will have to fear me as acutely as they do any of my pack mates. In our war, everyone who is not with us is an enemy. He slowed down gradually, not wanting to jostle her around any more than he already had. Finally, he stopped entirely. She slid off his back and walked in front of him. Holding out his clothes, she scratched her head. “I feel okay now.” We still need to get you checked. Her smell had improved but he wouldn’t take chances. “I hate hospitals.” I will not leave you alone. “They may not let you be with me for the whole thing. Sometimes it’s only family.” I am your family. He called the white light to himself, using his magic to stretch his bones back to their

human state. His fur receded until he stood before her back in his two-footed form. She gasped and covered her eyes. “Nakedness embarrasses you?” Gently, he reached forward grabbing her hands and opened her fingers until he could remove his clothing from them. Her hands had gripped them like her life depended on her holding onto them. “I guess. I mean I’m not used to being around naked men who I don’t know.” A surge of anger the likes of which he had never experienced almost forced his shift back onto him. He clenched his hands to hold back his claws. “But you are used to looking at naked men you do know?” He’d not considered the possibility of a boyfriend. She didn’t smell like any male, which was fortunate or he might have to rip the man to shreds. Killing a rival wouldn’t, he was sure, endear him to her in any way. Still, he wasn’t human. He wouldn’t restrain himself to gentle sensibilities when it came to claiming her. Her eyes flew open, her hand falling down. “What?” “Do. You. Have. A. Man. In. Your. Life?” His words sounded more like a growl than a sentence. He couldn’t have controlled it if he’d wanted to. She shook her head. “Rex, most people can’t look at me for more than a second at a time. My own mother weeps in my presence. No, I do not currently have a boyfriend. I have had boyfriends but not in years.” This wasn’t surprising to him. He could see her as she was. Any man would be crazy to not want to be with Elizabeth. “And will any of them try to make a claim for you when you are returned to your beauty?” Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. “My beauty?” “Yes.” He could not make sense of her. “Randolph.” She spoke his name as no one else ever did. For some strange reason, he didn’t feel like correcting her. “Why would I take back someone who didn’t stand by me when my life went to hell?” He pulled his shirt over his chest. “You’re sensible, Elizabeth. But know this. I will kill any man who comes to you romantically. And I won’t even mind doing it.”

Chapter Four Elizabeth felt Rex’s hand on her arm as they walked into the emergency room together, like a beacon of light in the darkness of her life. How could a simple touch from a man she could not possibly allow herself to fall for make her feel so secure when everything had gone to hell? They approached the receptionist’s desk, and she heard the gasps before she’d even looked up to see the people sitting behind it. One of the women jumped to her feet. “What happened to your face?” Elizabeth shook her head. Really, she should have anticipated this. It was impossible to go places. If she wasn’t careful, there were going to be a million doctors swarming, their eyes full of disgust, trying to figure out how to fix her. She could tell them—they can’t. If they operated, her face would return this way the next day. Early on, she’d tried it. The pain of the surgery had resulted in no help. It had, however, amused the twins to no end for some time. Next to her, Rex actually growled. She turned to look at him. He couldn’t make such a noise in the hospital. They might come after him too. “This woman is here because she is injured and you dare to look at her with anything but compassion.” Rex stepped forward, and she grabbed his arm to hold him back. “They can’t help it. It’s part of the curse. It’s utter revulsion. They can’t control it any more than they can help breathing.” The wolf’s eyes were aflame. She blinked as she stared at him. Yes, they were the wolf’s eyes. Not Rex’s. His beast was close to the surface, and although she’d only known Rex for a very short period of time, she suspected this was highly unusual for him. The man screamed self-control. “They can do a better job of trying.” He leaned over so close to the women behind the desk he could have bitten them if he wanted to. Elizabeth was afraid he was about to let his teeth do the talking. “It’s called manners.” She pulled on his shirt. “This is a bad idea. I’m fine now.” “You’re not.” His eyes held in her check from complaining again, not from anger but from the sheer intensity in their depths. Yes, she was seeing Rex’s wolf firsthand and he wasn’t covered in fur. He hadn’t lied; he really did share his body with another entity. The shifters didn’t simply change form when they felt like it. They were actually two creatures. The magic involved in making the shift happen must be astounding. “The woman has been knocked on the head. Hard. She was in an accident.” Elizabeth flinched. They should have worked out their story before they came into the hospital. Everyone here was going to think she’d been beaten now. “I slipped. Getting out of the car.” She tried to smile as she put her hand on her still sore head. Her magic might have righted the world for her again, but Rex was right, she did need medical attention. If she could get a doctor to look at her long enough to give her some… Rex put his hand on her shoulder. “You will show her to a bed. Now.” Both women nodded like they’d followed his instructions their whole lives. “Come with me.” Elizabeth knew she’d never have gotten them to move as quickly on her own. They

hadn’t even asked her for health insurance. She whispered to Rex. “How is this happening so quickly? Don’t we usually have to wait in chairs?” “Humans like to do what I tell them to do.” He shrugged. “I think they instinctually understand I am a predator even if they don’t actually get why they feel the way they do.” “Should we be speaking about it this loudly?” She kept whispering, and Rex kept answering her in his normal voice. “No one will comment. It goes in one ear and out another. It’s a magic thing. My father can wage war on us in public and no one notices. Humans just continue to move on with their day.” “Goddess, this is complicated.” If she actually intended to be mated to Rex, then she would have to start figuring out how she could fit into all of this. But since she was only information gathering, then she could catalog these things as fact instead of newly discovered aspects of her own life. There was no reason the things he told her should be making her feel nervous. None at all. So why were her hands shaking? “Not really.” “What?” They rounded a corner and the nurse shuffled them into an enclave that was a sparsely decorated patient room. A TV, currently turned off, hung from the wall. A white sheet covered the hospital bed with a gown folded on top. “Put the gown on.” The woman who had brought them here scurried from the room after delivering her instructions. Elizabeth didn’t know if it was the ugliness of her face, Rex’s attitude, or a combination of both making the woman so skittish. She pointed to the gown on the bed. “I really don’t want to wear the outfit they’ve left for me.” He picked it up and she watched transfixed as his fingers played with the paper gown for a moment. “I cannot blame you for not wanting this on your delicate skin.” He shook his head, a strand of his black hair falling over his eyes. Seemingly without thought, he shoved it away. “But if this is the protocol, you should put it on.” “But…” He interrupted her by placing his hand on her cheek. “You’re delicate and I will not have you hurt in any way. If we were home, my sisters-in-law or a female member of the pack could fix you. We are not there. I must rely on this to make you better.” “I’m not delicate.” Even she could hear there was no force to her statement. Compared to the wolf-man in front of her, yes, she was weak. But how could she argue when his hand caressed her cheek, and she wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor? Oh hell, what was wrong with her? She took a step back to avoid his touch and moved toward the bed. “Turn around. I won’t undress with you staring at me.” He nodded and did as she asked. For a second, she didn’t move, her eyes drifting down to admire his tight rear end. It was squeezable. Inwardly gasping, she whirled around, which only made her head spin. Again. She quickly changed into the horrible paper gown and climbed up onto the bed. Halfway up, she started to sway and tried to right herself even knowing she wouldn’t be able to. Rex’s arm came around her as she faltered. She felt warm and safe pressed up against his back. In another world, and if he were another man, she could close her eyes and revel in the feel of him. But Elizabeth had never been able to exist in any world

except the one she lived in. She was a realist. Rex was a wolf. She was probably concussed. Fantasizing about what-if would not change the situation. Even if he smelled like sandalwood and the forest they’d just been through. “You were supposed to be turned around. How did you know I was going to fall?” He made sure she had lain completely down before he answered. “I smelled the sudden spike in your adrenaline.” “You move fast.” She pulled the covers up so her bare legs weren’t visible. Not that she was cold. Elizabeth felt so much heat traveling through her body she thought she might have to start fanning herself to keep her body temperature down. The doctors were bound to think there was something really wrong. “Your nose is really something.” “The best in my pack.” He nodded, his eyes suddenly distant as if he wasn’t really present in the room with her but seeing something else, somewhere she couldn’t join him. “I didn’t realize there was a difference between wolves in terms of their scenting ability.” Another piece of information the coven might want. She would use anything to get her family back. “Are all witches the same? Do you all have the same powers and abilities?” He crossed his arms over his chest but he still didn’t seem to be really looking at her. “No. I used to be very powerful but the curse dimmed my abilities for me too. So I guess it makes sense. You have a strong nose.” “The best, unfortunately.” He walked away from her. “When the next human comes in to speak to you, I am going to temporarily steal their cell phone.” She tried to digest what he’d said. “What did you mean ‘temporarily steal?’ How do you accomplish it?” “I’m going to steal it and then, eventually, I’m going to give it back. So, the theft is not permanent. It’s temporary.” “Rex.” She scooted back in the bed, hating the fluorescent lights. “That doesn’t even make any sense. You could ask to borrow the phone rather than take it.” “They might say no.” “Yes, they might. But you won’t know unless you ask.” Elizabeth suddenly felt like she was talking to a child. Why was she explaining morality to Rex Kane? The Westervelt Wolves were not exactly known for their ethics. Of course, he would steal a phone and feel it was fine because eventually he would give it back. Why was she even surprised? Still, it sat funny in her chest. He’d looked so perplexed when he’d told her the person might say no. Something was hidden in his eyes, something a part of her wanted to reach out and touch. She closed her eyes instead. “Don’t get caught. I can’t go get you out of jail.” “I never get caught. Not by humans, at least.” He shrugged. “I’m not a good man. But I have a chance to prove my loyalty to my pack right now and I intend to use it.” A doctor chose that moment to enter the room. He was tall, gray-haired and wearing a white lab coat which looked like it had seen better days. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he looked at her appearance. Elizabeth forced herself to remain calm even as Rex started the deep growling noise telling her he was really angry at the man’s response to her looks. She glared at him. Growling wasn’t going to help this situation, even if she did appreciate the sentiment. Rex came up behind him, and faster than Elizabeth could see with her human eyes

snatched a cell phone out of his pocket. He waved it behind the man so she could see it and scooted out of the room. Her eyes tracked him until he disappeared down the hall. Crossing her arms over her chest, she listened to the doctor who mumbled something about neurological tests and a CT exam even as he couldn’t look her in the eye. The older man seemed to be doing his best to look everywhere but at her. Elizabeth hoped she wasn’t really hurt in any way requiring help since she assumed it would be necessary to be actually examined to receive assistance. She nodded to a question he asked about the injury. Yes, she’d fallen. No, she wasn’t pregnant. Yes, she was certain. By the time the doctor—who she learned had the last name of Smith after she read his name tag not because he had actually introduced himself—had performed his neurological tests on her making her close her eyes and touch her nose, Rex had returned to the room. If it was possible, he looked even more remote than he had before he snuck out of the room. He made no moves toward the doctor, which meant he didn’t yet intend to return the poor man’s cell phone. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the wolf. Temporarily steal. Bull-crap. Goddess help her, he was a lot to deal with. “Is she going to be all right, Doctor?” The older man gasped and turned around. “Have you been standing there the whole time?” Rex nodded. “Well?” “So far I’m not detecting any obvious neurological damage. But I’m going to want to run a CT scan just to be sure.” “How long will the test take?” When Rex asked questions it sounded like he barked orders and Dr. Smith responded as if his life depended on it. The faster Rex spoke, the quicker the doctor answered. Liz was getting enough of it. She was the patient, not the wolf with the attitude problem who apparently saw nothing wrong with taking other people’s property whenever he felt like it. So why wasn’t she outing his theft to the doctor? She bit down on her lip. Sure, she needed his information to trade for her family. But was it something more? He acted like he genuinely cared about her condition. When was the last time someone had? “Is that fine, Elizabeth?” She looked up as Rex addressed her directly. Both he and the doctor stared at her. Well, the doctor winced more than stared, but he got credit from her for making the effort. “Is what fine?” Rex turned his attention to the doctor. “Should she be losing track of conversations like this? Is this normal?” The doctor scratched his head. “I think she was just not listening in this case.” He paused for a second. “Who are you to her exactly?” “I’m her husband.” Elizabeth couldn’t suppress the little shriek escaping from her mouth at his pronunciation. Married? To a wolf? It was bad enough he’d declared them mated. He wouldn’t be announcing them married without so much as a by your leave by her. Unless wolves behaved strangely was what mated meant. She groaned. There was no question about it; she was in a ton of trouble with this wolf. Even if he had dreamy near-

black eyes and an intensity which made her want to shiver. Goddess, what was the matter with her? Maybe she really needed a CT scan. “Is he not your husband?” The doctor looked at her with such sincere concern mixed into his disgust at viewing her that she had to smile at him. “Oh, yes, he’s my husband.” Rex smiled a look of pure male satisfaction at her announcement. “But only because I felt sorry for him.” The doctor looked back and forth between them. “Sorry for him?” She could imagine what he saw. Rex—tall, strong and intense—married to her— someone who appeared to be the most physically horrific person he’d ever laid eyes on. Why would she feel sorry for Rex? “Well, we only got married because of his problem.” “Problem?” Rex crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think the doctor needs to hear about my problem, Elizabeth.” “Oh, but, sweetheart, he asked.” She sat up in the bed feeling more jovial than she had in years. Life might have picked her up and shoved her into her own personal hell but that didn’t mean she couldn’t poke fun when she wanted to. At least for now. With the twins from hell, she could never make jokes. “We don’t have to share.” Rex said the last word like he might choke on it. “Rex, I think he can hear our story.” She turned her attention to the doctor. “Rex grew up in a cult. If he didn’t get married, his people were going to have him killed.” The doctor looked between them. “A cult.” “Yep, a cult.” She was enjoying this. If she wanted to, she could give Rex any past history she could invent and he wasn’t going to be able to say a damn thing about it unless he wanted to expose them. “They thought they could become wolves.” “Did you say something about a head CT, Doctor?” Rex seemed calm, but Elizabeth felt she could sense currents of anger radiating from his very pores. “I’ll order it.” The doctor turned on his heel and exited the room fast. Rex stared at her in silence, but Elizabeth didn’t feel intimidated. By contrast, her heartbeat was fast from excitement. She’d thrown down the gauntlet for Rex. He wasn’t going to get to run this show simply because he could be scary. “I am going to wait and see if your head has been damaged in any significant way.” She raised a challenging eyebrow and hoped he took it the way she meant it. “And?” “And when I am assured you will fine…” He walked to the bed and leaned over her until his head was just above hers. “I am going to punish you for your little stunt, witch.” “Making physical threats now, wolf-boy?” His breath was warm, and she couldn’t help but wish he’d lean down just a little bit more so she could feel the firmness of his mouth on hers again. “No. You need never fear me.” He smiled. “But I think we both know there are other ways I can amuse myself with you, Elizabeth. There will be ways to make you pay for your stunt.” She swallowed, her mouth had gone dry. “I think you overestimate yourself.” “No.” He sniffed the air. “Even now, you want me.” His damn nose. There would never be any hiding anything from him. “I’m not an animal.” She said the word with more disdain than she actually felt. “I can control my baser instincts. I can decide to ignore my hormones. Particularly if I don’t like the person

for whom those feelings are directed.” “We’ll see.” She was working on a clever retort when the first shudder wracked her body. Her body seized up under the onslaught of pain. She screamed out but heard no sound. Tears plunged from her eyes. This was death. It had to be. She would perish in this hospital bed never having done any of the things she wanted to accomplish. Despair for chances not taken warred with the physical distress destroying her from the inside out. “Oh no.” She tried to swallow, forcing herself to remember she could breathe. “Elizabeth?” Rex voice penetrated her haze of pain. “What is it?” “The twins.” She could barely get the words out as another shudder drove into her body. She hoped her mother knew how sorry she was she would never be able to help her. If only she’d been stronger, better, more than she was… Rex pulled her into his strong embrace, holding her head up against his chest. She could hear his strong heartbeat. After a second, the pain in her body receded. How was that possible? They’d hit her hard. Time would stop their magic assault but the twins had too much power to wait out. They’d knocked over Rex’s car and not even been drained for a full day. “How?” She had to ask even as her eyes started to close. Her body needed to heal, to recharge her magic after the energy assault she’d taken. “They can’t hit me. For now, although it won’t last forever, I am protected from them by a wolf-spell my sisters-in-law bestowed on me. You are in my arms. They can’t touch you.” She rubbed her nose against him, not caring, for the moment, if it made her look needy. “If only I could spend forever in your arms.” Elizabeth could feel the blackness of sleep pulling at her. It was seductive and more powerful than she was at the moment. Rex whispered against her ear. “You can.” Nothingness took her in its arms.

Chapter Five Rex scooped Elizabeth up in his arms. He didn’t have time to wait for this damn CT test. He had to get her out of there. One way or another, he had to transport them to Florida and deal with the mother of the horrific twins who were attempting to kill his mate. Her neurological exam had been good. He was going to have to hope she was fine. His sisters-in-law could examine her in Westervelt if there was no one in her pack who could help her first. Now he just needed to figure out how to sneak her out of the hospital without getting arrested. He scoffed at the thought. No human jail would hold him. Keeping his head down, he carried his small mate as if he had every right to exit the hospital with her in his arms. She was still wearing the paper gown but he didn’t dare take the time to dress her. Instead, he’d scooped up her clothes and carried them out with her. She could change later when she woke up. Rex gritted his teeth and moved forward as fast as he thought it was safe to do without drawing attention. Perhaps he need not have worried. The humans didn’t like to look at Elizabeth. It was their loss as far as he was concerned. If they couldn’t see past the curse, then they were simply blind or stupid. His next problem? He didn’t have a means of transportation. This was not an insurmountable issue. Like his newly borrowed phone, he would simply take a car for as long as he needed it. He couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face. Elizabeth had hated when he had called his taking of the phone “borrowing it.” Her moral indignation had been plastered all over her face. She was going to be upset all the time while in his presence. He stole things when he needed them. As much as possible, he returned the items when he no longer needed them. Perhaps if he left the island more often, he’d be better prepared for what he needed on the outside. In any case, he wasn’t going to concern himself too much with the right and wrongness of things. He had never promised anyone he would be a hero. Certainly his pack didn’t think of him as heroic. Moving into the parking lot, he pulled Elizabeth even closer. She might get cold. He didn’t feel the chill the way she would, and to make matters worse there was the issue of the paper gown. Horrendous the way these humans treated their sick. One-handed, he managed to manipulate the car door open to a black SUV he hoped would blend in pretty well on the drive to Florida. There seemed to be a lot of them on the road. Hurry up, people are coming. His wolf had been monitoring the surroundings while he focused on taking the car. Once upon a time, Gabriel had brought him out to learn how to do this type of thing. It had been an odd outing. Rex had been around ten years old and although his second oldest brother had looked thirty, he’d been hundreds of years old at the time. Why had Gabriel done that? He’d never questioned it before but Rex couldn’t get the question out of his head. Why had Gabriel taken him out at ten years old to break into cars they didn’t need and ultimately wouldn’t even drive away in? He felt the latch give under his hand. After getting the door open, he laid Elizabeth

down gently in the passenger seat. It was dangerous to leave her alone even for a second—no way did he want to give the twin witches the opportunity to continue their assault on Elizabeth. Still, he needed to get this done without getting caught. He’d have to be really fast. Working meticulously to start the car, he let his wolf fill him up inside. Together, they were stronger. As one, they never failed. It was only when he lived by his own dictates he screwed everything up. Don’t be so hard on yourself. He ignored his wolf as he finished hot-wiring the car. The leather seat of his stolen— or borrowed—SUV crunched under him as he adjusted things to his liking. Really, he felt badly for the person who was going to come out and not find their vehicle where they’d left it. Unless he or she worked there, it was bad enough they had to be in the hospital in the first place. But he had to get a move on to Key Biscayne. The witches had to be dealt with before he returned with his witch to Maine. When Rex had phoned Tristan earlier, his brother, the alpha, had been clear on that point. Westervelt needed Elizabeth, and to not bring her there as fast as possible was akin to betrayal. His words had stung. It seemed every time Rex breathed, someone spoke of his betraying everyone around him. They just don’t understand you and you don’t do a good job of explaining yourself. Yeah … well … everyone else seems to get the benefit of the doubt except me. He pulled the car out of the parking lot, careful to avoid going too fast. What he really wanted to do was speed away as fast as he could without stopping until he reached Florida. Patience. He sighed. I know. Rex rubbed his eyes. He was tired. There was no question, but it would be days before he would be able to rest and it’s not like he really required much sleep. Wolves could go a long time without having to close their eyes for rest. These days it was more likely he was mentally exhausted than anything else. He glanced over at his sleeping mate. Yes, she defined fragility. She would need to be protected at all times, and unfortunately he was all too aware he was not the wolf for the job. Do you think she’s close enough to me? Or do I need to move her closer to protect her from the magic assault? His wolf looked back and forth between them. You need to adjust her. I’m not sure exactly how to. I need to drive this car. Adjust her so she’s on our lap. Rex knew his wolf was correct. He also suspected Elizabeth would hate to wake up with her head on his lap like they’d been doing something really raunchy in the car. Grinning at the thought, he tugged on her gently until he had her where he could protect her if there was a bump or a jolt in the car. The witches had already proven they could take down cars. This time, however, he had to hope the fact they didn’t know Elizabeth was on the move would protect them for a little while. Also, it might help they didn’t know in which direction he and Elizabeth travelled. Perhaps his holding her alone would make it impossible for them to magically detect

her. His wolf snorted. Maybe. Rex couldn’t disagree. He was basically flailing around in the dark, looking for a way to get through this. Of course it doesn’t help you’re still on the outs with the alpha. We could have used him on our side. Yes. Rex gripped the wheel tightly with one hand as he followed signs for the turnpike south. He could basically straight shoot the car all the way to Florida if he stayed on that particular highway. Then when Elizabeth regained consciousness she could help him get to Key Biscayne. He couldn’t help but feel deflated after his phone conversation with Tristan. It had started out well. He’d told Tristan he’d found his mate and she was a witch. His older brother’s voice had brightened considerably at the news. They’d just had a massive battle Rex had missed and their sister had returned to them. Rex still couldn’t remember her. Their father’s plan to kill all the women had caused his mother to cast a spell hiding the unmated women from their father, consequentially making it so they couldn’t remember the missing females of their pack until they were confronted with them face-to-face. At least that was how it seemed. Maybe one day—poof—all the magical barriers keeping them from their women would fade and the pack would suddenly recall each and every one of them. He didn’t consider that especially likely. When he’d told Tristan he’d had to go to Florida before he could come home, well, his announcement hadn’t gone well. Try not to dwell on it. He’s stressed. I know. Rex nodded. But if I get accused of being a traitor one more time I might decide to actually become one. Perhaps my father could use my help. His wolf sighed loudly. You’d rip out your own tongue first. The sad part was his wolf was absolutely correct. He would never, could never, betray Westervelt in any way, despite what his brother thought. Rex would probably live and die being accused of all sorts of horrendous acts without ever committing even one. He wondered if that made him pathetic. No, just loyal to a fault. On his lap, Elizabeth stirred. He ran his hand through her luscious hair. It was thick and soft in his fingers. How could anyone—even a human—perceive it as anything else? She groaned a second before she opened her eyes. Blinking, her face held the look of a woman who had no idea where she was. Eyebrows tilted downwards, her brown eyes looked dazed and unfocused. It couldn’t have been okay that she was struck with so much magic while she battled a concussion. Rex wanted to throttle those two witches. He might not kill them right away. He might torture them for a while. “I don’t think I’m in the hospital anymore.” He shook his head. “Clearly not.” “And my head is on your lap.” She said the last word with such horror he would have grinned if he hadn’t felt such a tinge of longing in his gut. He couldn’t be hoping she’d want to be there. The idea was downright absurd. Other mated couples might enjoy some kind of emotional intimacy, but it was highly unlikely love would ever happen to the two of them.

He was a wolf and she was a witch. They’d be lucky if they didn’t kill each other. “I stuck you here so I could drive and protect you from magical assault. I assure you, nothing happened you wouldn’t want. You were unconscious. I’m not, despite what you think, a monster.” Why did his voice sound so tight? He cracked his neck to try to relieve some of the tension he felt well up in there. Rex didn’t suffer from human aches and pains, so what the hell was going on? “Where are we going?” “Florida.” Hadn’t he told her this? She jerked upward, and he grabbed her shirt with his hand. Before she could speak, he finished his thought. “By all that is sacred, do not let go of me. I will not have you losing consciousness again because those lunatics magically abuse you again. Do you understand? It’s simple. At least one hand on me at all times. More would be better but one hand is the bare minimum. Do you understand?” She visibly swallowed, her neck muscles clenching. Finally, she spoke. “Yes.” As she reached out to put one hand on his arm, he felt himself relax. He hadn’t expected her to agree. Somehow, he’d thought she’d put up more of a fight, he would have to battle her to get her to do what she should do. Not everything in life is going to be a fight, Rex. He didn’t like the pity he heard in his wolf’s voice. Everything was a fight. All of the time. From the moment he opened his eyes until he went to bed at night he fought for the right to exist. He was a dark creature whom no one wanted around. Just to exist was a trial. If he didn’t have to struggle against this witch for one moment, then he’d consider himself lucky. For the moment. “We should not be going to Florida. That is the middle of their den. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to my mother.” Her hand shook on his arm. “Maybe I should turn myself in to them. They’ll probably just torture me for a few years.” “This is all going to end. They are bullies. This kind of behavior has to be put to a stop. I will end it for you. Then we will go to Westervelt and you will help me.” She shook her head. “It’s never going to be simple. I promise you, if it were just a matter of standing up for myself, I would have done it years ago.” “Hiding out from something does not make it go away. I know this for a fact. It will never end. It will only get worse.” Elizabeth slammed her free hand on the console. “How can you be so sure?” “Because we sat still for thirty years after my father destroyed nearly my entire pack.” “I don’t understand. Tell me. Make me comprehend what you’re talking about.” Rex had never had anyone want to know more about him than Elizabeth. It was kind of … nice. Mating happens for a reason. He ignored his wolf. “You know what happened almost forty years ago. My father, who was alpha of our pack, got together with a man named Claudius. They hatched a plan to make more of us, to create soldiers or something. I’m not sure what their ultimate goal at that point was. I was the youngest. Well, sort of. It turns out I have a sister I can’t remember but she was just a baby.” An emotion he couldn’t identify flashed through her eyes. Elizabeth was such a consistent mystery to him. “Go on. Please.”

“They couldn’t get the pack’s support.” Elizabeth interrupted. “I thought alphas had supreme rule.” “They do. But there is an advisory committee of elders. If they all get together to go against the alpha, they can out rule him.” “More democratic than I would have thought.” She mumbled her words and looked out the window. “You have to understand how nearly impossible it is for a wolf to go against his alpha. Those elder wolves would have to feel in their hearts a huge amount of agony to even say no. It’s so hard on them.” “Then only a very bad decision by an alpha would make the elders act.” “Correct.” Rex rubbed his head. He felt tired down to his bones. “My father didn’t accept that decision. He found a witch. They paid her.” “And?” Her gaze had shifted to his face. He had her full attention now, which was good. She needed to understand how he felt about witches, about what one had done to his entire existence. “She put a curse on the island, on all of us. For a time, a male could not be mated. If he was, he would become consumed with the need to kill his mate. And that is what happened close to forty years ago. All of the mated males on Westervelt killed their women.” “No witch would…” He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel. “I assure you. One did. I heard you earlier when you insisted no witch would. I can promise you, this woman did it and there are others working for my father doing equally horrible things now.” “Then they aren’t legitimately practicing the craft. The goddess does not want evil from us. It’s a perversion of the gifts. To do so would be to go against all we are taught.” He wanted to be moved by her words. How nice it would be to believe her. But all Rex could think was she was naive. Horribly and truly unaware of the nature of life even as she walked through her days with a curse distorting her features, put on her by the same group of people she now diligently defended. Elizabeth held within her a good soul. She deserved better than to be paired up with him. Nevertheless, he had to take what fate had given him and make it work. At least until Westervelt was safe again. You want her, Rex. Why deny it? I want lots of things. I get almost none of them. His wolf harrumphed. Yes, but you actually got this. “Well.” He forced his mind back to the present. “It happened. The witch cursed us. All but two of the mated men killed their women. Two of my uncles managed to kill themselves instead.” And Rex had admired them more than anyone else in his whole life. They were strong and they hadn’t let anything—even a powerful curse—make them hurt their women. “So all of those men have just been living with the knowledge they killed their mates all this time?” She sounded horrified, and he hated to tell her it was much worse than she imagined. “We can’t live without our mates, once we’ve found them. Not for very long, not without agony. My aunts, the ones who weren’t killed, managed to endure for a while to keep the pack together but it was hell for them. When our mates die, if we do not die with

them, we commit ritual suicide to join them. It’s a compulsion. We must be together in this world and the next.” “By the goddess!” If he’d thought she’d sounded horrified earlier, he hadn’t understood the definition of the word. Her voice took a pinched quality that made him wince. “You’re kidding? Who botched up a mating spell and put a death compulsion in?” He shook his head. She just didn’t understand and who could blame her? He was likely to get his mate killed. Or, if his brothers were to be believed, kill her himself. Who knew how dark his soul had turned? I do. Would you like an actual answer? He tuned out his wolf. Sometimes it was hard sharing a mind. You’re telling me. His wolf snorted. “It’s just how it’s always been.” He sighed. “I can’t explain it to you, Elizabeth.” He had to admit, he really liked saying her name. “Because I’m not really certain of exactly how the connection is made. Mated pairs never discuss it. There’s no rule you can’t, but no one does. It’s like their mating brings out some compulsion not to discuss it with others. I’ve tried asking and no one ever tells me. Also, they become part of some club the rest of us in the pack can’t belong to. Like they’re somehow more trustworthy than they were before the mating.” “You sound sort of resentful about it. Something you want to discuss?” He shook his head. “No. Not ever.” Elizabeth never needed to hear the tale of the time his brothers had taken him down and accused him of treason. Well, the second time they had. Who could keep track of how many times it had happened? Not that he could blame them. They could probably smell the evil seeping out of his pores.

Chapter Six Elizabeth stared out at the dark night from the relative safety of Rex’s stolen car. She was sure he’d done one of his “borrowing” tricks in order to get it, but seeing as she’d probably be dead if he hadn’t saved her, she didn’t feel like giving him a hard time about it. At least not for the moment. In fact, she felt perfectly content to lie against him and not move at all. The slow and steady beat of his heart sounded in her ear from where her head pressed up against his chest. His arm brushed slightly over her hair. Every once in a while, when he would adjust the wheel, she would get to smell the masculine scent of his skin against hers. In another life—if they were both just regular humans—she could really relax and just enjoy a drive through the country with her boyfriend. Instead, they were racing for their lives to get to Florida to avoid getting caught by the twins from hell. “Your thoughts just became unpleasant.” She looked up at his hard face. There was nothing soft about Rex. Even his jaw muscles looked tight. She wondered if he ever relaxed, even in sleep. Looking at him, she had to begrudgingly realize he would forever make all other men look weak and uninteresting. “My thoughts are my own.” “I can smell your distress.” She nodded. His nose again. “I was contemplating things, which of course made me think of the twins.” “Tell me about them.” “The twins? What’s to tell? They are spoiled and bratty. It’s weird to talk about them that way since they are grown women, but dealing with them is like dealing with children. They want what they want. Their mother makes sure they get it.” He nodded. “And when things go askew they punish you by using their magic since your own was suppressed thanks to the curse.” “You’ve nailed it.” She didn’t tell him about the beatings and the emotional abuse. Those were her secrets. The shame she hadn’t been able to protect herself from anything ever would stay with her for the rest of her life. For some reason, it felt pivotal to her Rex never knew that side of her. Luck was never on her side but maybe, just maybe, this time she’d get to keep her secret shame her own and not have to share it with the world for their ridicule. Of course, given he was Rex, he could probably smell she wasn’t telling him something. “We’ll stop them, witch. I promise.” She rolled her eyes. “I hate that you call me witch. Change one letter and it’s a completely hurtful word.” He laughed, which made her want to deck him. “Maybe in the first few minutes of knowing you, I meant it like that.” “And now?” Her heart beat hard against her ribs. “Now you’re my witch.” She grinned, joy filling her soul at his simple words. The whole situation was nuts. They both knew it couldn’t work between them, but it felt good to belong to someone

again. Even if he was a half-crazed wolf who thought he ruled the world. She wanted to kiss him. Horrified at the thought, she almost pulled away from him before she thought about the twins and their spells. Goddess, she might as well tell him. He could probably smell it anyway. But would he want to kiss her? She pushed the thought from her mind. Kissing Rex would cause trouble she didn’t need. She had enough weighing down on her without adding passion for a wolf to the mix. “Elizabeth.” His voice sounded like a sigh when he said her name. “You smell so fantastic right now. What are you thinking about?” Keep it light. She had to remember not to get sucked into the sultry way his voice called to her soul. In no scenario could she afford to lose herself in Rex Kane. She’d never reemerge from the experience emotionally intact. Too much was going on for her to lose her head. “I don’t know, but if it smells good, then I’m glad.” Liar. Before she’d been turned into what essentially amounted to a hideous beast, she’d never lied. When would she have been required to? Life had been simple, easy. She hadn’t needed to make moral judgments and weigh shades of gray. Rex sniffed the air, his eyes getting wide. “What?” He couldn’t have just realized she’d been contemplating kissing him. The thought had dissipated seconds earlier. How long did these things last? “We’re about to be in trouble. Sit up.” He moved her off his lap. “Put your seatbelt on.” “But what about the twins?” Elizabeth felt unwelcome panic start to rise in her throat. How could Rex just decide to leave her swinging in the wind unprotected after he’d said he’d take care of her? Why was she surprised? The whole world turned against her eventually. “This isn’t the twins. It’s my kind of trouble instead.” “What?” She didn’t understand. Weren’t his issues happening on an island off the coast of Maine that any witch with half a brain knew to stay away from? “My father has made a bunch of man-made wolves. He kidnaps the homeless or drug addicts. For some reason, others decide to sign up voluntarily. I’m not exactly sure why. But he uses a combination of witch magic and science to make his wolf-army.” Rex scowled as he spoke. “The only problem is they don’t live very long. They’re addicted to a drug keeping them loyal to him. For the brief time they live as shifters, they are crazed, deranged and out for blood—specifically the blood of any member of the Westervelt Wolves.” “How would they even know you were here? And how do you know they’re around? We’re in a car, for goodness’ sake.” “My nose. They’re out there.” He pointed to the woods on the side of the road. “They’re running hard. They may tire themselves out and have to stop or they may catch up to us.” “We’re going really fast.” She looked at the speedometer. It read sixty miles an hour. “There’s no way a wolf can catch up to us.” She hoped. Elizabeth had never studied canines. It was possible they could run that fast but she doubted it. “These aren’t regular wolves. I can catch this car as a wolf and I’m not magically enhanced by black magic.”

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. He’d used the words that made every witch she knew cringe. Black magic. That was a pretty serious accusation. Even the coven leader who had cursed Elizabeth to look hideous wouldn’t be accused of black magic. She might have crossed a line, but she hadn’t gone into the black zone. Rex’s head jerked left. “Shit.” “What?” She didn’t think he cursed very much. Most of the time he sounded pretty formal. “I can see them. They’re very close.” His voice had gotten lower; his words sounding almost like a growl. She turned to stare at him. His eyes were all wolf. Gone were Rex’s remote depths holding a million secrets. In their place was the gaze of an animal intent on eliminating an enemy. “Rex?” She hadn’t realized she could deal with the animal while the man was still present. Looking at a wolf when it appeared as a wolf was one thing, Rex in this mixed wolf-man phase scared her. If he wanted to, he could reach out and snap her neck. “I can smell your fear.” “I’m not surprised.” Was her voice shaking? “You say we’re under attack by some rabid wolves, and now in the car you are changing. How will you drive the car if you shift?” Maybe she sounded insane. She didn’t care. Her life had gotten so out of control she couldn’t even recognize it anymore. Just years earlier she had been living a simple existence. Her whole life had been planned out in a way she liked. Now? She would probably be killed while she ran for her life with this wickedly handsome wolf driving her crazy. “I am not going to shift, witch.” Rex smiled. “Not every wolf can do this. Maintaining my human body while letting the wolf loose is not a big deal for me. I am of royal blood.” Rex had just gotten finished telling her what his father had done to their entire pack. His words about the strength of his lineage didn’t reassure her. But this really wasn’t the time to remind him of his background. Elizabeth gasped as Rex pulled the car to the side of the highway. She looked around. It was dark and she had no idea where she was. They’d been on one turnpike or another for the entire night. How long had they been travelling? She had no idea. “What do you think you’re doing?” “Protecting the humans on this road.” Rex undid his seatbelt. “And apparently confusing the made-wolves. They’ve stopped moving. I don’t think they anticipated I would stop the car. Perhaps they are regrouping.” “I don’t understand any of this. What do you mean protecting the humans?” She wanted to throw something. “If I do not get out of this car and take down the wolves, they will leap out onto the car. I’ve been in one car accident recently. I do not crave another.” He shook his head. “First and foremost, I will not risk you. Second, I would not place any of the humans who are driving here in danger because I am too cowardly to face my enemy when they would attack.” The formal speech had returned, which told Elizabeth he wasn’t focusing on sounding normal. She blinked. How did she know? They’d never discussed it and yet she knew it as if she’d understood him for years. Bizarre.

“Elizabeth, I require your attention.” “What?” She felt like a parrot. Every other second she had to say “what.” He touched her head gently, almost like one would caress a newborn baby. “Is your head bothering you again?” Who was this creature touching her? It wasn’t Rex, not exactly. For as much, as he’d terrified her seconds earlier, the feel of his skin against her cheek moved her. She hadn’t expected gentleness from his wolf. Was it possible the beast was more compassionate than the man? “No. Do I seem out of it?” He shook his head. “Your attention wavered and this is a most inopportune moment. I wondered if the whack to your head caused you trouble again.” “I think I’m fine.” “Good. I regretted removing you from the hospital before you’d had all your exams. I had no choice. You understand, yes?” She nodded, totally transfixed with Rex’s mouth. He could talk all day; she’d stare at the way his lips moved. “Good. Now, stay in the car.” She shook her head, coming out of her sensual stupor all at once. “You want me to stay in the car?” “Of course.” He moved as if he would exit the door, and she grabbed his arm pulling him back. No way was she strong enough to stop him if he wanted to go, but he stopped as if she’d yanked on him in a meaningful way. “What is it?” “You can’t go running out there. You don’t even know how many of them there are.” He smiled as if she’d said something amusing. “But, of course, I do.” “Your nose.” So that argument was not going to work. “How many of them are there?” “Fifteen.” “Fifteen?” she shouted, not able to help herself. “Then you certainly can’t go out there alone.” “Little witch.” She hated that name immediately. Witch was bad enough. Little witch? No, not happening. “I cannot sit here and wait for reinforcements. As much as I love my pack, they are in no position to leave Maine and come to South Carolina. They’re under constant attack. It is just us here. I will handle things, as I can. You will stay in the car.” Well, now she at least knew where they were. Rex still planned on going outside by himself even knowing the crazy odds? Maybe he was the insane one. “Rex, there has to be another way.” She squeezed his arm. “I need to help you. What will happen if they kill you?” “I will not allow that to happen. In a million years, I would not leave you unprotected.” He pulled his arm from hers by gently disengaging her fingers from him. It felt like electricity shot up her arm when their fingers touched. He didn’t seem to notice, which made her heart tumble into her stomach. Was she the only one having these types of feelings? Was he completely unaffected by her? Suddenly, he whirled around. In two seconds, he’d pulled her over the center console and into his arms. His mouth met hers. She’d been transfixed with looking at him earlier and they’d briefly kissed once before. But it was nothing compared to this.

Maybe it was the danger awaiting him the second he moved out of the car. Or it could have been they knew each other a little better now. Perhaps chemistry just increased with time. In any case, all Elizabeth knew was one second she was very tense and in the next moment she melted into a pool of mush, supported only by Rex’s hand on the back of her neck. His lips were firm but soft as they caressed her own. His tongue slipped between hers, and she moaned as she craved even more of him. She’d had sexual encounters in the past, but nothing like this. No one had ever made her think she might come in her pants simply from a kiss. He pulled back to regard her. “Thank you. I’ve never gone into battle with a kiss from my mate before.” He raised an eyebrow. “Even if she is a witch.” “Hey.” She whacked him. “Lay off the witch comments, and I don’t want you going to battle at all. They’re not attacking us yet. Maybe they’ll leave us alone.” Rex had the audacity to laugh, which made her want to whack him over the head. As if she had manifested them with her words about them not appearing, three wolves leaped onto the hood of the car. She jumped back, squealing at the top of her lungs. Her hands shook as they instinctually covered her throat. The three wolves sitting on the top of the hood of the car snarled as they threw their heads against the glass. Through the glow of the headlights, she could see their drool dripping down onto the car. In that second, she knew he’d been completely correct. Black magic was what made those things snarling on top of the car. Someone evil had done this. “They’re people, right?” He nodded. “They were. Az has some theories, but right now it looks like they won’t ever be again. I don’t have any choice. Their minds are gone. I’m going to have to eliminate them.” “Hey.” She caught his attention. “That’s not a mark on your soul. That’s on whoever did this to them.” “The wolf who did this to them doesn’t have a soul left.” He swallowed; she could see the tightness of his muscles in his neck. “And I don’t have much of one either.” “Randolph…” He interrupted. “Lock the doors. Don’t get out of the car.” With a blink of her eye he was gone. He got the car door open and got out of the car. With a click, he locked her inside the vehicle. She couldn’t believe he had left. He had left her in the car with three drooling wolves-slash-people threatening her on the roof of the stolen vehicle. Elizabeth would have preferred the twins’ magical assaults to the look of death in the red beady canine eyes staring at her through glass which suddenly seemed way too thin. “Here, wolf.” Her head shot to the right as she heard Rex’s shout. He jumped into the air once. “Look at me.” The growling on the car increased seconds before, in unison, they lunged in the air at Randolph Kane. He’d used himself to lure them away from the car. He had said there were fifteen of them. Rex was one man against a veritable army of wolves. Although she was smart enough to know she would most likely be in the way if he had to worry about her while he battled, she couldn’t help but feel she wanted to be there to help in some way. Rex took off, running deeper into the woods. She couldn’t see a thing in the darkness of the night around them. Time felt like it ticked by. How long had he been gone? She

looked at the clock, which was useless because she had no idea what time it had been when he’d left the car. “Ah, hell.” She hit her hand against the dashboard. It stung and she wished she hadn’t. The swooshes of cars speeding past her on the right acted as background noise to her terrified thoughts. When she looked over, their headlights blinded her. Goddess, how would she explain it to a police officer if they pulled up behind her? She was in a stolen vehicle without Rex. The cop wouldn’t even be able to look at her even if she could come up with an excuse. Not to mention, the mounting pressure in her head every time she thought about Rex being injured. He’d become important to her. They’d only known each other a brief period of time and they clearly needed to discover more about one another before she could better define her feelings for him. But that didn’t matter. He’d cared for her when she needed him. There was something about him—when she looked in his eyes she could see emotion hidden in them. Rex was starved for something and it had nothing to do with food. She could recognize it because she needed it too. Love. Companionship. Someone to look at you and think you were the best, most important person in the world. His last comment he had made about not having a soul, it hurt her heart. Goddess, she had to be out of her mind, but she wasn’t going to leave him out there in the woods alone. She unlocked the car door by pushing up the lock. In a move not nearly as smooth as when Randolph had done it, she got out of the car. Outside of the vehicle it was much louder. The highway wasn’t busy but every time a car came by it shook her body with the force of the speed passing her. She closed the door, and keeping as close as she could to the outside of the car, she made her way to the other side so she could get into the wood. Wolves howled in the distance. She stopped moving. Was one of them Rex? Was he hurt? She bit down on her lip. This might be the stupidest thing she’d ever done but she was doing it, regardless.

Chapter Seven Rex snapped the neck of the first wolf to approach him. This would all be easier if he changed into his own canine form. But he was holding off. There were fifteen wolves and he couldn’t let them anywhere near his fragile mate. In his wolf form, they might decide he was too fierce and decide to go for a more vulnerable target. Let them think him weak for as long as he could. Then he would shift and end this. Darting to the left, he moved out of the way of the next assault. The made wolves were dangerous because they were relentless. They had no voice in the back of their minds telling them to retreat, to fight another day. Rex’s wolf didn’t like to back down, but he would if it was called for. The made wolves only knew they were supposed to kill. If they did as they were told, then they were rewarded with the drugs they needed. If not—they were denied. They fought like they had nothing to lose because they did not. A gray, ratty-looking one leaped at him from the left as an equally dirty white one made for his neck from the right side of the wolf. He pivoted, avoiding the direct hit to the neck while his wolf snarled. Life became nothing more than avoiding their claws and mouths until he could end their lives. Rex’s vision narrowed, his breathing picked up. Yes, he loved this. A roar exploded from his mouth, more wolf than man. His heart beat hard against his rib cage. He wasn’t going to be able to prevent the shift for too much longer. His wolf was in a rage. The hair on his skin stood at attention as he rolled to his left. Grabbing the neck of the snarling gray wolf, he twisted until he heard the requisite snap, which told him the creature was dead. Once upon a time it would have bothered him to do such a thing but no longer. If someone wanted him dead, he would kill them to protect himself. Rex snarled, he could feel his own teeth elongating in his mouth. He could fight the change, which would hurt like hell, or he could let it happen and avoid the pain. His decision was made for him as the wolf he wrestled managed to chomp down on his shoulder. Even through his shirt, it hurt like hell. He howled to the sky, sounding more like a wolf than a man. No way was he getting bitten again. Calling the shift onto himself, the warm, white light moved him into his wolf body even as he struggled against the wolf holding his shoulder now. In two seconds, he was no longer Rex the man but was now Rex the wolf. He smiled, showing the other creature his canine teeth. He wasn’t going to play anymore. Any made wolf that came near him was dead. Using his hind legs, he surged forward, throwing the other wolf off him at the same time. The smaller male whimpered. Rex snarled. It was too late for sorry. Compassion would get him killed. The made wolves knew nothing of kindness. He wouldn’t be teaching them now. He lunged forward, catching the wolf’s throat in his teeth. He tore until he could taste the blood of his enemy in his mouth. The copper life force sank into his senses, telling him he’d achieved his goal. This wolf was dead. Three down. There were twelve

more to go. He growled, jumping to his feet. He could smell them and now that he’d tasted one’s blood, his animal wanted more. They were the enemy and they threatened his mate by existing. It was Rex’s duty to make sure they were stopped. If they died, they could do no harm to either Elizabeth or his pack. Turning to the left, he stalked into the woods, his ears lying flat against his head. His fur rose on his back. If the prey wouldn’t come to him, he would go to the prey. They smelled sick, like rotten flesh that still somehow lived. It had been bad with his extreme sense of smell when he’d walked on two feet. Now? It was downright repulsive and he gagged. Nature had not made these beings. His father had. The thought of the patriarch of his family made Rex’s blood boil. Pack was sacred. It was everything. Those without pack held no honor. His father had led them, guided them, and helped them determine their futures. And then he’d betrayed them in the worst possible way. He’d taken everything he’d ever taught them to believe in and shown them it had all been a lie. Well, Rex wouldn’t live like that. His wolf still held honor even if the man had no soul. He would help to clean up his father’s mess. Starting with the three wolves that backed up as he approached. His wolf smiled. Be afraid of me. I am the reaper, come to give you your end. He sprang forward, his mouth ripping as his claws took care of the rest. Howls filled his ears but he did not focus on them. The world was a haze, a red blur of madness he needed to conquer. He’d been in battles before—a lot of them lately—and none of them had affected him like this. Taking down these made wolves was all that existed in the universe. Mate. Yes, his mate. He blinked as he tore out another throat before moving on to the next faceless wolf. Wolves could go crazy if the mating ritual was not completed. Rex didn’t even know what it entailed, but he’d been with Elizabeth for over a day, and each minute he left her unclaimed made him feel more and more like the monster he’d always suspected lurked beneath his civilized surface. He howled in triumph as another made wolf fell. How many had he taken down? He wasn’t even sure. They could keep coming for all he cared. He would triumph. He would kill them all. The joined attack of the next two wolves surprised him. They’d been so completely predictable up until that point. Oh well, it was no matter. One, two, ten—he could beat them all. A gasp behind him caught his attention more than any of the growls or snaps of the wolves. His nose told him what it should have alerted him to minutes earlier had he not been so distracted—Elizabeth had disobeyed. She had not remained in the car. He swung around, dropping the bit of flesh he’d torn from his opponent’s neck as he stared at her. His mate surveyed the scene with her eyes wide. He didn’t need to be psychic to hear her thoughts. She was repulsed. The clear light of the moon let her witness exactly what happened around her. She’d have no doubt now of Rex’s true nature. He was a killer, and she would be right to be afraid of him. A part of his heart he wasn’t used to noticing during battle, sunk into his stomach. A gentle soul—witch or no witch—wouldn’t be able to tolerate brutality of this nature.

One of the made wolves leapt for her. Rex could see the scene play out before the other beast’s feet had even left the ground. The enemy would go right for her throat. It was a perfect tactical move from a creature designed for death and destruction. Rex leapt into the air, banging on top of the other wolf before it had gotten anywhere near Elizabeth. He slammed the other male to the floor, but in doing so left his back open to attack from the rest of the made pack waiting in the background. The first set of teeth plunged into his back, and he growled. Before he could count them, he was overrun with the made wolves. If he were alone, he would back up and give himself space to move forward to plunge into the fray again, this time with tactical advantage. But to do so would place the wolves too close to his foolish Elizabeth. He sniffed the air, not daring to turn to look at her. Her scent remained but he thought he could scent some distance between them. Good. She would have moved away. Pain assaulted him as the wolves began to get closer to his targeted vital organs. He stumbled backward. Damn it. Rex didn’t have to be a genius to know he was in big trouble. The momentum of the fight had shifted and not in his favor. Well, this was always how he wanted to die. In battle, not alone in some random accident or having to choose ritual suicide to escape the pain of never finding his mate. Not that he would go down easily. He scrambled to his feet, throwing off one wolf as he maneuvered backward. If this was it, he’d have a few regrets. He would never get to prove to Tristan he deserved the trust of the pack. He’d never get to see the pack restored to its old glory. His father’s defeat would not be something he witnessed. The way Elizabeth looked when she woke up in the morning after a night of heavy lovemaking… Whack. He blinked, feeling like the world was heavy and unclear. One of the wolves on top of him went flying. He heard a thud as a second wolf flew off his body. “Don’t worry about it, Rex. I got it.” Elizabeth’s voice penetrated his fog. “I’ve got it.” She sounded slightly hysterical. Her voice was raised to an octave he’d not heard her use before. What was going on? A third wolf flew off his body, and he finally got a good look at his mate. She wielded a large tree branch like a baseball bat. The brown wooden weapon was so large it nearly dwarfed her as she struggled to hold it up, but once again she lifted it up and swung at the remaining wolf on his back. She dropped the branch with a thud. “Are they dead or did I just stun them?” Her words were spoken together fast and sounded almost like one long word instead of separate thoughts. He shook his head and tried to get to his feet. He was slower than usual but he managed the task. She’d asked him a question. Were they dead or were they just stunned? Five wolves had fled. He had an idea where they’d gone since his senses had gone haywire. The last wolf jumped up and ran at him. Teeth bared, Rex ducked out of the way. Swinging around even though the movement made him dizzy, he bit down hard on the other wolf’s neck. In two seconds, he’d ended the other wolf’s life. Well, that one was now dead. He sniffed the air. His senses were pretty dulled. It seemed to him some of them were, in fact, expired, but two of them were probably just

dazed. “Rex?” Elizabeth approached him slowly. “It’s Elizabeth. Do you know me?” Did she think he was an idiot? He took a deep breath. His mate was new to all of this. She didn’t know how it worked. Elizabeth had never had to learn the relationship between beast and man in the shifter world. Why should she have? Hell, at that moment he wasn’t certain he understood it. Where had his senses gone during the fight? He limped toward her. Bites marred his entire body. He was certainly losing blood. Shifting to heal was rapidly becoming a requirement but he wouldn’t do it here. Not where he could risk Elizabeth. Gods, who was he kidding? She’d just rescued him. Sort of. If she hadn’t shown up, he probably could have ended the other wolves without nearly dying in the process. Injured. When his wolf resorted to one-word thoughts to speak to him, it was a pretty good sign he was in deep trouble. Yes, I know. I’m going to get us somewhere to heal. Then we’ll be good to go. He hoped. Elizabeth bent down and held out her hand. Did she expect him to sniff it? For a second, he tried to send her a telepathic message. It had worked earlier but it didn’t seem to be getting through now. The rush of warmth when he’d been able to communicate that way with her was missing. He could think of several things he’d rather do with Elizabeth’s outstretched hand. Still, he walked forward and rubbed against her in a manner more befitting of a cat than a wolf. She stroked his head, and he wished he could purr to show her how wonderful it felt. He shook his head. Wow, he really was loopy. His tail wagged back and forth. “Rex, you’re not going to pass out, are you? I won’t be able to carry you back.” He certainly hoped he wasn’t, but since she’d asked the question he must be giving off the impression fainting was a possibility. He limped forward, moving past her. Hopefully, she would follow. They needed to get to the car. She was right. There was no way she could help him if he needed it, which meant they had to get out of their current predicament. She moved on quiet feet behind him. If he could speak to her, he would have told her to grab the large branch and drag it with her. Even if it made noise, it worked as a really good weapon for her. But since they were all but unable to communicate at all, they would just have to do the best they could. “I was so relieved when I found that branch.” Rex felt enormous gratitude she’d wielded it so well, but he would have preferred her to have either stayed in the car or run like hell when she saw what was going on. “In the past, I could have used my powers to stun them. Boy, did I take those days for granted.” He knew exactly what she meant. The simple times in his life before everything had exploded and every move he made opened him up to questions caused by mistrust. “You were really handling things before I got in the way, weren’t you?” She sighed. “I bet you’re pissed at me, aren’t you? That’s why you’re not shifting back to speak to me, right?” He wasn’t changing his form because he was afraid as soon as he did so he was going to pass out from the pain. He preferred to be in the car when that happened. Turning around, he pleaded with her with his eyes to just keep moving.

“You want something from me.” She scratched her head. In the moonlight, he could see her eyes looked weary. “I’m just not sure what.” This was getting ridiculous. He was a strong man. Somehow, he’d just have to assure he didn’t lose consciousness until he got to the car. Calling the shift onto himself, he bathed in the white light of the change until his human form reappeared. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the moonlight. Elizabeth gasped, her hands grabbing him around his waist. “Goddess, Rex.” He looked down at himself. Yes, he was just as torn up as he’d expected to be. The sight of his own blood didn’t disturb him; he’d seen it before. He couldn’t live the life he’d led and not occasionally face this kind of an issue. “It’ll be okay.” He spoke through gritted teeth. It was better than howling. “I just need to shift again to heal. The only problem is serious healing requires a lot of energy. I’m going to be out of it—maybe unconscious for a while after.” She grinned, which surprised him. “Only if you’re not driving the vehicle at the time.” A smile twitched at his lips. He was surprised by the sensation. Most of the time he didn’t find things amusing. Now, here he was, in the woods, half-beat up with feral wolves still living that could come after them, and he wanted to crack up. Had he gone completely insane? Rex cleared his throat to cover his amusement. There’s no way Elizabeth would find it appropriate. Her joking was to cover up her nervousness. “Obviously, I don’t intend to drive.” “Me with my whacked-up head and you with your beat-up body. We’re really tough right now, aren’t we?” “You’re right. You’re in no condition to drive.” His little witch had been badly injured. How could he have forgotten? “I’m joking.” She shook her head. “I can drive. Between my small amount of magic and a little bit of time, I seem to be getting better.” “Better enough to drive?” She shrugged, which made her breasts rub against his bare chest. Considering he was completely naked, the fact his cock jumped to attention couldn’t have been missed by Elizabeth. “For a little bit, at least. I can drive us to the nearest hotel.” “Sounds like a plan.” They walked slowly together through the woods. On her own, Elizabeth could have moved much faster. Each step Rex took felt like agony as pain shot up his legs. There was no way he would complain. He’d already been un-manned in front of her a few times. Leave it to him to not even be able to impress a mate. Finally, they made it back to the car. Even though it felt like it might kill him, he managed to, with help from her, hot-wire the car to start again. He stumbled inside and groaned as the desire to pass out threatened. “Elizabeth, I have to tell you I might pass out. I will heal faster but I don’t want it to upset you.” “Thank you for the warning.” She sighed. “If I had even a small amount of my power, I could heal you.” “If you had any of your abilities, you wouldn’t be in this car with me.” Their mating—if it ever happened and he wasn’t sure it would—was only because she’d been cursed and he’d been sent out to retrieve a witch. They would never have

found each other if things had gone differently. Then I guess we should be thanking the stars for all your bad luck. He rolled his eyes. Even injured, his wolf had to give him a hard time about his internal musings. “Should we expect more visits from those wolves?” He shrugged, which hurt like hell. “Probably not those but others like them? I suppose it’s possible.” “Great. Something to look forward to.” Rex needed to get his mind out off what had just happened or he was going to start to obsess. His mate, who was for all intents and purposes human, had rescued him in the woods using a tree branch. If his brothers ever found out, he’d never hear the end of it. “I have a tendency to screw things up. I’m sure by now you’ve noticed.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye as she pulled their borrowed car into traffic. “Not really. What have you messed up that’s bothering you?” “Today or in general?” Wow, he was really out of sorts. He shifted in his seat. No way should he be talking to Elizabeth about any of this. If he was smart, he’d close his eyes, shut up, and pass out before he made it so she would never want to speak to him again. “You haven’t done anything particularly wrong today. Aside from leaving me in this car when you so clearly needed my help.” The gleam in her eye made him grin. Maybe that was why he let his guard down completely. In any case, before he could stop himself, he told her the truth. “My whole pack thinks I’m a traitor. I basically have one chance left not to be put to death.”

Chapter Eight Elizabeth wasn’t sure how to respond to Rex’s pronouncement his entire pack thought he was a traitor. She bit down on her lip, insecurity making her mute. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have burdened you. Just ignore me. I think I must be exhausted.” He looked out the window as the heavy burden of silence stretched out between them like the darkness of the night outside had just invaded their stolen car. Was Rex a traitor? He hadn’t said that, exactly. Instead, he’d told her his pack thought him a traitor. There was a big distinction between what other people saw and what really existed inside of a person. She had always known this, having been raised to see past the superficial, but she’d learned the hard way this was not how the rest of the world viewed things. Her cursed face was all anyone could see when they looked at her. Except for Rex. The thought he could see her as she really was made her shivers travel down her stiff spine. For the first time in more years than she cared to think about, someone looked at her like she mattered. He didn’t flinch or scream. He’d wanted to hurt those who had. This wolf—whom she’d been raised to mistrust—had taken on fifteen artificially created creatures, willing to die fighting rather than run from the impossible odds to keep her safe. She shook her head to change the course of her thoughts. No way, no how could she allow herself to become infatuated with Rex. She had to betray his secrets to her coven. Romanticizing him would only make it harder than it had to be. “Why do they think you’re a traitor, Rex?” She spoke softly, afraid any louder would shatter the air around them. It was so thick with tension she found it hard to take a deep breath. His silence surprised her and she turned her head to regard him. In the reflection of the car window she could see his eyes were closed. His breathing had turned deep and even. Rex Kane had passed out in the car, as he’d predicted. What she hadn’t anticipated was the effect of seeing him so calm and vulnerable would have on her. Sleep had always fascinated her. Elizabeth didn’t dream very much, or at least she could never remember them after she awoke. She found it intriguing to wonder what other people saw when they slept. What did Rex, the youngest son of the royal family of his wolf pack, dream about at night? A motel sign flashed in the distance. It looked to be about a quarter of a mile more down the road. Squinting, she wondered if she was going to have to finally break down and get glasses. It wasn’t that she was vain—how could she be when the whole world screamed at the sight of her face? Simply, she wasn’t sure she could face anything else. Just the idea of finding an eye doctor, making an appointment and going, seemed like it was too much to handle. If she’d had her magic, she could have fixed her eyes. The place looked worn down, which was not a problem for her. Although the twins had always insisted on staying in the nicest of places, she had not enjoyed luxury in a long time. It would be nice to have her own bed instead of having to make do with the floor of a closet wherever the twins slept. Also, she wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Rex. Would he start shifting back and forth wildly? It would be better to be in a place where no one wanted to be noticed

and didn’t ask too many questions. She pulled off the highway. The place looked relatively empty, with few cars in the parking lot. Even better. After she stopped the car, she sat for a moment without getting out. The one thing the twins had done for themselves during her care of them was to check in and out of hotels. Her face made it too hard to get a room. Sometimes the front desk clerks would run from the room as opposed to speak to her. Elizabeth turned to look at the man beside her. Soft in his sleep, it was hard for her to remember he was a wolf-shifter. He just looked like a really handsome man who had suffered a really hard day. She reached out toward him, her hand shaking slightly. How would she explain it to him if he woke up? What justification could she give for touching him while he wasn’t awake? Still, she couldn’t seem to stop the impulse to reach out and touch his cheek. Hoping to keep her presence a mere whisper on his skin, she let her fingertips trail down the side of his face. Rex sighed but he didn’t stir. The sound did something to her insides. Not sexually, not the kind of heat she’d come to associate with looking at him, but a different sense. Rex made her want to protect him. With his eyes closed, the fierce warrior wolf, who had shifted and gone off to battle with no thought for his own safety, looked downright vulnerable. Trusting. Alert, he gave the impression of total control. It would be ridiculous to think Rex Kane needed anyone or anything as he pushed through life. She groaned as she pulled her hand away. Somehow she had to get control of herself before he woke up. If she didn’t, she’d be the one who was totally vulnerable, and she had no doubt he’d walk right over her to get what he wanted. He was, after all, thought a traitor amongst his kind and was, apparently, marked for death if he couldn’t prove himself. Except none of that sat very well with Elizabeth. He didn’t seem very traitorous to her. She knew what deceit looked like having lived with the children of a woman who had betrayed her coven. Rex didn’t have the smug look of a person pulling the wool over other people’s eyes for his own gain. Besides, shouldn’t his pack be able to smell his emotions? Tell if he betrayed them? He’d certainly read her emotions well enough. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. Steeling herself for the scene she knew would happen as soon as she entered the motel lobby, she told herself the same mantra she’d said to herself for years now. I don’t care. I don’t need anyone’s approval but my own. It doesn’t matter what they think of me. Someday it will be better again. Except she wasn’t even particularly fooling herself anymore. It did matter what she looked like. There would never be a time she could get out of her present circumstances if she couldn’t even get others to look her in the eye when she spoke. She would be forever dependant on someone else to take care of things. Elizabeth hated living in the shadows. That was why she had to make her plan work. She had the means to free herself and her family. It was time to take back control of her life. So, why did the thought of fulfilling her idea make a pit of worry form in her stomach? Why did she feel like she might never be okay if she followed through? She pulled open the door to the lobby and stepped inside. It was dimly lit although it

shouldn’t have been. Half of the lighting in the room seemed to be malfunctioning. If all the fluorescents had been working, the room would have been as bright as midday. This would be easier since they wouldn’t be able to see her clearly. “Can I help you?” The smoke-altered voice of the man behind the desk caught her attention. She looked over at him, not surprised to see the exterior of the man matched the sound of his words. Dark liver spots marred his skin. She swallowed, steeling herself for his reaction to her. Why was this bothering her so much? She’d been shrieked at before. “Hello.” She stepped forward, making her feet move beneath her. “I need a room, please.” Maybe she should get two. The way she reacted to Rex in the car did not inspire confidence in her ability to withstand whatever wolfish charms he sent out to her. “What is wrong with your face?” The man rose to his feet as he spoke, his hands coming down in front of him as if to block her from getting any closer to him. As if the way she appeared might reach out and assault him from afar. “That is not a very polite thing to say.” She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Why was she bothering to respond at all? Still, she couldn’t seem to stop her mouth from letting her words out. “Is that how you were raised? To say rude things to women?” “Look, lady.” He stood up. “I don’t want any trouble. I’ve lived in the world a long time now and I’ve never seen anything like you before.” “Anything like me?” She fisted her hands at her side. “Listen, sir. I want a room not a lot of hassle. Think you can handle it?” He cleared his throat before he reached down to pick up a key. Without another word, he slammed it down in front of him. “Please take it. I can’t look at you anymore.” Liz said a silent prayer to the goddess for patience. Maybe she would listen this time. She picked up the key, letting her hand slide slowly over the counter as she grasped it in her fingers. What had she been thinking? Laughing, she realized she wanted to blame Rex. It was his fault. He’d spent the last day looking her in the eyes and making her feel almost normal again. She liked it so much she had decided to insist on the behavior from others. Big mistake and one she wouldn’t let herself make again. She swallowed away the sinking sensation telling her life would never be any better than just getting by. Turning away from the counter, she stared down at the key in her hand. The man hadn’t told her what room they were in. Wishing she was the type of person who kicked or shouted, she turned back around before leaning over the table. “Excuse me,” she called out into the hallway in which the man had retreated. “Which room is this?” “Twenty-two,” the voice called back before hacking for a moment. “Where the hell is my lighter?” Elizabeth rolled her eyes, prepared to leave the lobby this time. He hadn’t taken her credit information or discussed payment at all, which gave her a great deal of relief since she had no idea how they’d do that. Perhaps he would prefer not to receive any money for her stay in the establishment. She grinned at the thought as the cell phone the man had left on the counter caught her attention. She scratched her head. One way or another she had to reach the twins’ mother to make a deal about trading Rex’s information for her family’s release and the return of her

natural looks. Not to mention her powers. She really needed them back. Maybe she could “borrow” the phone in the way Rex “borrowed” things. Goddess, I’ve been with Rex just one day and I’m already considering thievery as a viable option. Looking left and right, she didn’t let her internal musings sway her. She needed the phone and, unlike Rex, she would return it when she was done with it. Maybe. She grinned at her naughty thought before she picked up the phone and rushed from the room. In the distance, she could see the dark car exactly as she’d left it. Rex, still presumably out cold, tucked inside of it, oblivious to what she was about to do. Moving from the lobby door, she walked to the side of the building. She could keep her eye on Rex in the car without being entirely out of the light from the motel. For some reason she didn’t wish to explore, she knew she couldn’t make this phone call standing any closer to Rex than she already was. She dialed the number. Liz hadn’t called it years—she’d been forbidden to—but she still knew it by heart. Would always know it. The phone rang once before a tired voice answered. “Hello?” Her mother sounded exactly the same way she’d sounded when Elizabeth had awoken her for one reason or another when she’d been a child. Disoriented but strong. “Mom.” She said the name like a sigh, ignoring the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “Elizabeth.” Her mother’s voice shook. “How can you be doing this? Won’t they catch you calling me? They’ll hurt you.” “I’m more concerned about them hurting you.” Elizabeth leaned against the building, wondering how the sound of her mother’s voice could make her feel like her knees might give out. “I’ve told you not to. We’re handling things here. They’re tough but we’re surviving. You’re out there with those twins. I can’t stand it.” The wobble in her mother’s voice clenched the decision for Elizabeth. She couldn’t allow this to continue for them. Not one more minute. “Mom, I need you to get a message to Drea. I’m not with Charra and Penny anymore. I’m coming back, but I’m bringing some information with me Drea will want. Tell her I’ve recently come into possession of some of the secrets from the Westervelt Wolf pack.” She heard her mother gasp but kept talking before the woman who had always loved her could argue. “I’m travelling with a wolf. He thinks I’m his mate. He tells me anything I want to know. If Drea releases all of us from the curse and lets us leave, I’ll tell her anything she desires.” “If the wolf thinks you are his mate, Elizabeth, then…” Movement caught her eye from across the parking lot. The door to the car opened, which could only mean Rex had awakened. “I’ve got to go, Mom. I suspect I’ll be back in Florida tomorrow. When I get into town, I’ll call.” She switched off the phone, moving to intercept Rex before he got any closer. “Are you okay?” she called out over the parking lot. “I was until I woke up and saw you had left the car. Then I was … terrified for you.” She shrugged. “I appreciate the concern but I was just getting us a room.” Rex stretched, exposing his abs from underneath the makeshift blanket he must have found in the car. Her mouth went dry as she stared at the perfectly formed muscles poking out at

her. “Did they give you any trouble?” “What?” Her mouth hung open. She knew she must look like a landed fish. All she wanted to do was to reach out and stroke him on the chest, to feel what his skin felt like there. Was it warm and hot or rough and calloused? “Did they give you any trouble checking in?” She shook her head, trying to smile. “No more than what is to be expected. Come on. Let’s go inside.” “What? Than what is to be expected?” Rex planted his feet where he stood, and she knew there would be no moving him until they addressed this problem—even if she would rather stick her hand in a blender. “He objected to my face.” Rex moved forward. By the set of his eyes, she could tell he intended to go into the lobby and let the man know what he thought. She stopped him by placing a hand on his chest. Beneath her fingers, she could feel the strong beat of his heart. She had to swallow through the dryness assaulting her whole body at the contact. “Look, I took a page out of your book and I borrowed his phone without his knowing. Why don’t we say that’s enough?” Rex stared down at her, a small smile finally crossing his hard features. “I’m a bad influence on you.” She nodded. “Clearly.” Holding up the phone, she stuck it in his hand. “Do you want to call Tristan?” He’d used that name a few times. At some point, she’d come to realize it was one of his brothers, the alpha of his pack. Rex seemed to be preoccupied with him. Maybe phoning him would take his mind off her. She gasped as his hand came down, cupping her chin. “No, I have no interest in speaking to Tristan right now. Not even a little bit.” “No?” Words seemed to have left her or at least the ability to speak without staring at his mouth. “Did your rest do you good? You weren’t asleep very long.” He took her hand, grasping it in his own as he placed the phone back into it. His fingers were so much larger than hers. “Elizabeth, there is something I need to do.” She blinked. “What?” “I must feed you before you fall over.” “Feed me?” As if on cue, her stomach growled. She hadn’t been aware of how hungry she was, but now that he’d mentioned it she couldn’t think about anything else. When was the last time she’d eaten? She hadn’t even gotten to have a meal at the diner. “Yes, you need to eat. I can smell how your blood sugar is dropping. We will get some food.” “Where?” She looked around. “It’s the middle of the night. I doubt anything is open.” Rex pointed at the lobby. “The man who objected to your face, he will help us.” The wolf who had made her life very odd since she’d met him, dropped her hand and walked with a determined stride toward the lobby. “Well, do you want to give him back his phone?” He shook his head as he called over his shoulder. “We are not done borrowing it yet.” Elizabeth stood in shock. She could have sworn Rex had been talking about

something quite different when he’d first grabbed her hand. What had changed and why did it bother her? The phone in her hand vibrated. She looked down. The area code was the same as the one she’d used when she called her mother. Someone was calling from Key Biscayne. She took a deep breath to steel herself. There could be no doubt in her mind she knew who would be on the other end when she answered it. “Hello?” she whispered, turning her back to the lobby. Rex was in there. She didn’t want to look at him. “Liz. I hear you have abandoned my daughters. Tell me why I shouldn’t put your family to death—right now.” A thousand retorts filled her mind. She’d love to be able to tell the woman she should leave her family be because it was the humane thing to do, because any witch worth two cents in the world would know they were to cause no harm. But Drea had shown herself to be amoral more times than Liz could count at this point. “Because I am in possession of knowledge about the Westervelt Wolves. One of them thinks I am his mate. I can tell you things we have never known before.” She silently prayed it would be enough to get her family released. Despite Rex’s belief they could simply go in and remove Drea from power, Elizabeth knew it would never be so simple. He had no idea how her world worked. “Which wolf?” Elizabeth blinked at the question. Why did that make one bit of difference to Drea? In this case, wasn’t one wolf going to be as good as another? Liz turned around to regard the lobby where she was sure a certain wolf-shifter currently harassed a man who had smoked too many cigarettes in his life and who didn’t know how to be polite to those less fortunate than himself. “Rex Kane.” Silence met her words for a moment before Drea spoke again. “Well then, yes, I’ll take your trade. All of you for the … information … Randolph Kane, the youngest son of the royal family of the Westervelt Wolves, possesses. Yes, I think he’d do nicely. See you tomorrow.” The sound of the dial tone made Elizabeth’s stomach lurch. This was what she’d needed, what she’d hoped would happen. However, the sound of dial tone made goosebumps appear on her skin. She bit down on her tongue to stop tears from coming out of her eyes. Rex would smell them, and there was no way she could let him know her plans—not until tomorrow.

Chapter Nine For the tenth time, Rex looked around the small motel room and sighed. With every intention of giving Elizabeth the bed, he had some serious reservations about the cleanliness of the floor. Perhaps it would make more sense to sleep as a wolf. Because my fur deserves the dirt more than your sensitive skin? He laughed and looked up at the closed bathroom door. Elizabeth had retreated into the bathroom as soon as they’d entered the monstrosity calling itself a hotel room. She’d been in there a few minutes and he was starting to worry about her. Liz needed to eat. So did he but he could go a long while between feedings thanks to his wolf metabolism. She couldn’t. He clenched his fingers together, stopping himself from busting down her bathroom door to make sure she was fine. He was really starting to lose control of his instincts. Rex couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this close to the edge. Mate. You’ll feel better. I can’t just mate. She barely even likes me. Not true. Rex rolled his eyes. He did not need relationship advice from a canine. Why not? You’re doing such a bang up job of handling things yourself? Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Elizabeth stepped out into the room. He wished he’d thought to get her some clothes to wear and some toiletries while he’d been convincing the man who ran this place to give him food. “Feel better?” She smiled. “Sure.” There was something off about her smell. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Truth was, he hadn’t slept long enough. Just a quick rejuvenating power nap to try to heal some of his wounds. His wolf had been anxious the whole time. Neither of them had particularly liked leaving Elizabeth unprotected. As soon as he’d been aware enough to realize the car had stopped, he’d forced himself back from the blackness of sleep to make sure she was fine. Fortunately, nothing had happened while he’d been out of it. Now, however, his senses were still not up to par. That would take some more time, maybe a real night’s sleep, which, he suspected, he would not be getting any time soon. “Hungry?” He took a step toward her, wanting to feel the warmth from her body radiating toward him. “Actually, I am.” She yawned. “And, clearly, tired. Did you manage to get anything to eat?” He raised an eyebrow. “Did you doubt my ability to provide for you?” “Rex.” Her voice contained laughter when she spoke. “This isn’t a caveman must provide for his woman kind of a thing. I was simply trying to find out if there had been any food to get.” “Cheese.” He pointed to the small table in the corner. “Bread and butter. Not much, not what I’d like to be feeding you right now, but sustenance nonetheless.” “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” In two strides he’d crossed the room to the table to pull out the chair for her to sit in. She paused before sitting down in it, and he watched as a blush crossed her cheekbones. Was she unwell? “Are you fine?” He hadn’t forgotten the whack

she’d taken to the head during the car accident. When this was over he still intended to have her properly looked at by a doctor. “Yes. I’m just not used to being treated so nicely.” Unable to stop himself, he dropped to his knees by the side of her chair. She gasped. “Elizabeth, by the gods we believe in, I swear to you that you will get used to being treated like a lady. Anyone who dares to treat you otherwise will answer to me.” “Rex.” Her eyes filled up with tears, and the scent of unhappiness wafted through the air. It was repugnant to his soul. He reached up to stroke away the tears from her eyes. “Here, you need to eat. It will help you to feel better.” He hoped that was the case. Rex would do just about anything to relieve her of her sadness. Reaching up, he broke a piece of cheese off. “Eat this.” When she would have taken the food from his hand, he stopped her. “Please, let me.” Her eyebrows lifted. “You want to feed me from your hand.” “If it is okay. I don’t know if it’s something you’d hate. I have a hard time with modern manners. I have this need to take care of you.” Elizabeth stared into his eyes, and he wished he could read her thoughts. All he could smell was sadness, which continued to eat a hole into his heart. Please, Elizabeth. He was glad to see he could speak into her mind again. His wolf abilities were returning, albeit more slowly than he would have preferred. She nodded, her mouth opening slightly. Bit-by-bit Rex fed her pieces of the cheese and bread. Each bite she took made his cock grow harder, and he hoped the towel wrapped around his waist would continue to hold. If he had to, he could take clothes from the proprietor of the hotel, but he preferred not to bother the man again. Besides, anything that took him from Elizabeth’s presence was to be avoided at all costs. After a few minutes, she grabbed his hand. “Aren’t you going to eat?” He shook his head. “I’m not hungry.” “How can you not be?” “My eating needs are different from yours.” The last thing Rex wanted to do at this moment was to go into an explanation about his metabolism and what he needed to eat or when he had to consume food. An intimacy was forming between them. He could feel it pulsating in the air, like he could reach out and actually touch it if he tried. Although, he wouldn’t dare make the attempt in case it spoiled the moment. “I think you’re lying. I can’t smell it like you can. I think you’re not eating because you want me to eat.” There was some truth to that, but if he had to really eat, he would have gotten more food from the man at the desk. “I really am fine.” She nodded, taking his cheeks in her hands. “I appreciate you wanting to take care of me. No one has wanted to in so long. I promise you, however, I am a grown up and can feed myself just fine.” He smiled, looking down. It had been a strange instinct, not one he’d ever had before. She’d let him indulge but he was going to have to restrain himself from doing it again. “I know you can.” He nodded and tried to pull back but she stopped him, which surprised him. Why would she want him near her when he’d acted so oddly? “When you speak in my head, it’s like a caress on my soul.” Her blue eyes held his eye contact and he felt his heart beat fast against his ribs. “At first I hated it and now I can’t seem to stop myself from wanting you to do it again.”

Like this? Her sigh moved through him like a burst of warm air. “Just like that.” She got off the chair, moving to kneel directly across from him. “I’m not good news.” Stop it. “I think you believe me to be better than I actually am.” No. It had been such a long time since she’d had someone to support her. Rex could imagine she’d lost sight of herself somewhere along the line. He could see the goodness radiating from her—not something he would have expected to be true of a witch. Elizabeth was the kind of woman to venture into the woods and use just a stick to defend him. She would endure countless years of servitude under a horrendous curse to keep her family safe. Yes, she was as good as he believed her to be. He might have railed against this at first, having not wanted to deal with the fact she was a witch, but now he was simply immensely grateful she lived in the universe and she was his. She touched his face, a gentle stroke down the side of his cheek. “Tell me why your family thinks you’re a traitor.” He nodded. She had the right to know. “I’ve never been very good at keeping my mouth shut.” That’s for sure. He ignored his wolf. “My father basically ignored me. I have a sister I can’t remember who is thirty years younger than I am. I only recently found out she existed.” “How can you not remember her?” Her eyes were huge as she stared into his. “I suffer from periodic amnesia.” She gasped. “What?” “I’m kidding. I’m sorry. Bad joke.” To his surprise, Elizabeth giggled. “I shouldn’t be laughing. This is serious. I’m trying to understand.” “I can’t remember my sister because of a spell my mother did to protect the unmated women from us. She was worried about protecting them. The spell should wear off when there is no more danger. Clearly, we’re not over the danger.” “If you saw her would you remember her?” “Maybe.” He sighed. “When Tristan found his mate I remembered her mother, who had been with us before the curse. I remembered Malcolm’s mate Jana, as well. I think it depends on how much I had to do with them beforehand. I would have to see Angel to know if I remember her.” “And you haven’t seen her?” He shook his head. “No. I got sent away to find a witch before she got back home. I’ve only heard about her vicariously.” “That was some major spell.” Elizabeth chewed on her fingernail. “Why do you guys need a witch if you can do serious magic?” “We can do certain things but we are really limited in other ways. We cannot stop our father from sending his made wolves into Westervelt.” “You need to put up a block. Once upon a time, I could have done it. I’m not powerful enough now, but it is powerful.”

Rex sighed. “A witch’s spell to block a witch’s spell.” Elizabeth chewed on her lower lip. “This is complicated.” He knew he could end the conversation here. She was thinking about spells now, she wouldn’t spend another moment thinking about the accusations against him. But he’d told her he would tell her so he would, even if it made this quiet moment end too soon. “When Tristan was kidnapped by our father’s people and eventually locked in a wolf cage for years, he was supposed to be meeting me. I was late. I didn’t really have an excuse. If you want to know the truth, I was buying beer.” She raised an eyebrow. “For some all-night wolf kegger?” “I don’t drink anymore. I swore I never would again. I don’t think I had a problem but I was incredibly irresponsible. We knew to be careful and I wasn’t. Tristan suffered because of it.” Of course, that was how Tristan had met Ashlee. If he hadn’t been in the cage he wouldn’t now be mated with children and alpha of their pack. But none of that changed the fact Tristan, Rex’s older brother who he had worshiped for years, had thought he was the traitor to their pack. “When I finally found him, after pursuing him relentlessly, he nearly killed me because he thought I was the one who had betrayed him.” Elizabeth nodded. “Must have hurt like hell.” He swallowed through the lump in his throat. “I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my feelings.” “I know what you mean. I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on how it hurts when someone flinches or screams when they see me. Even if you didn’t think about it at the time, you were hurt.” “I suppose.” He leaned back, uncomfortable with how vulnerable he felt. Wanting to tell her what had happened and actually experiencing the pain were two different things. “You suppose?” She leaned forward. “All right, yes. It hurt like hell.” He looked away, unable to meet her blue eyes. Not when he was so damn exposed. “And you’ve never really gotten over it.” She touched his face, turning him back to her. “I’m afraid there is more.” “Someone else accused you of being a traitor?” He leaned back, his head touching the side of the table. “Tristan again, but this time with the support of the whole pack with him.” “Why?” “Someone was betraying the pack. I happened to pick a bad time to start spying on Tristan and the mated pairs.” Yes, you did. But you had your reasons and they were valid. His wolf had never said that before. He agreed with his decision to follow Tristan around and see what was going on? They had their reasons but they weren’t behaving very pack-like, in my opinion. “Why did you do it?” He wished he could take it back and never tell her any of this. Rex could have conceivably gone his whole life and never had to tell her. Why had he done this? Oh yes, her right to know. “We had a traitor in our mix. Actually, more than one.”

She nodded. “Right.” “And all of a sudden only mated couples were trustworthy. Everyone else was being kept out of Tristan’s loop.” He could still remember the weeks leading up to his decision to find out information being kept from him. It burned in his belly now as much as it had then. “Like the fact that some members of the pack had met their mates made them inherently more dependable and less likely a traitor? This seemed like nonsense to me. It was a mated man—my father—who got us into this mess and continued to cause us trouble.” “Why didn’t you say something to Tristan? Tell him how you felt?” He snorted. “That’s not how the pack works. He’s the alpha. He tells us how it is and we do what he says. The fact Tristan is pretty benevolent for an alpha makes things slightly easier, but he’s not exactly touchy feely with anyone but his wife and children.” “Better to follow him around in some clandestine attempt to gain information he didn’t want you to have?” Her tone was light, but he could see in her eyes she thought he was out of his mind. Elizabeth’s blue depths said she thought he’d been very, very wrong in his actions. She was in good company. His whole pack had agreed. “They caught me and they beat the crap out of me before making accusations about treason.” She reared back. “Well, they shouldn’t have resorted to violence.” “We’re part animal.” Elizabeth did a good imitation of the snort he’d made earlier. “I think you pull out the animal card when you want to justify acting like Neanderthals.” “Neanderthals?” Rex couldn’t stop the laughter overtaking him. He would love to tell Tristan, Cullen and the others they were cavemen. The looks on their faces would be priceless. She tilted her head to the side as she attempted to imitate him. “Oh, don’t blame me, baby, for being a jerk. I’m an animal. I can’t help it. I bet your wolf has better manners than you do.” I knew there was a reason I loved her. “You just made his day.” It was amazing how right she was about his wolf. His four-legged half was often better adjusted to life than he was. Easier to get along with, more polite. “So, after the second accusation things got a little hard on you, I imagine.” “Correct.” He stretched his arms over his head to stop himself from grabbing her and pulling her against him. So far, she’d initiated small touches between them. He didn’t want to ruin it by overdoing things too soon. “And my chance to redeem myself in the eyes of the pack is to bring back a witch to help us, by any means necessary.” “Except you’ve already delayed doing so, haven’t you?” Was he an open book? It’s the mate thing. His wolf’s words made his heart rate increase. Was that what it meant to be mated? To be understood by another person so well, you almost didn’t have to tell them how you were feeling? They just knew? And if so, how in the world could his father have done what he did, and how could his mother have worked so diligently against her mate? He shook his head at the thoughts. There would never be answers to these questions. “Tristan had some choice words about my delay. I can’t blame him. They’re in the

middle of endless battles. He wants you on Westervelt. Yesterday.” “Oh, Randolph.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t. I’m not worth it.” “What?” He couldn’t follow her train of thought. Not over the roar in his ears that had started when she’d begun to cry. All he could think was he had to stop her unhappiness. Somehow, he’d caused it and he hadn’t meant to. Acting out of instinct rather than thought, he leaned over and kissed her. In the past, his kisses had contained simple meanings. The first time it had been to jar her into using her powers. He’d been the one who had been rattled. The second time had been to say goodbye, in case he died in battle. This time? All he wanted in the world was to consume her until all rational thought left both their minds. She froze under his lips. He considered pulling back even though heat had begun to travel in his body so immensely he thought he might be consumed by it, and that would be a fine way to die. His cock jumped to attention, swelling under the blanket keeping a barrier between them. But then she kissed him back, a moan starting in her throat. The sound took away all reason from his thought. She wanted him too. She pulled back, her mouth already swollen from their one kiss, her eyes filled with passion. “I shouldn’t do this. I know it will be a giant mistake. But I want you, Randolph Kane, like I’ve never wanted anything in my life.” He knew why she thought this an error. He wasn’t exactly an ideal mate. But he was going to prove to her he could be. For the rest of his life, if she’d let him.

Chapter Ten Elizabeth reached forward to grab the back of Rex’s neck. She was more than a little surprised he hadn’t leapt at the invitation for sex. It was obvious he was aroused; she could see the outline of his cock pressing against the towel he kept wrapped around his waist. Still, he stared deep into her eyes as if he could see her soul—the last thing she wanted him to do at the moment. Her body felt hot, like she might explode if she didn’t get him inside of her. A strange tingling traveled around her body, and she wondered for a second if it was her magic turning back on. Intellectually, she knew it wasn’t possible, but it still reminded her of the times she’d been able to easily tap into the source of magic and maneuver it through her fingers. In those days she’d taken the ability for granted. If she ever got the chance to practice again, she wouldn’t make the same mistake. For that reason, she intended to appreciate this time with Rex. It might be all they would get together and the time would have to be enough. She pressed her lips to his. The few times they’d locked together in the past had not prepared her for the heat radiating from Randolph Kane. He felt like liquid lava beneath her hands, and his mouth made her want to melt inside of him. His cheeks had a touch of stubble which rubbed against her skin. The slight tinge of pain sent tingles down her spine. Still, he hadn’t kissed her back yet. Elizabeth backed up. Had she misread his signals? Was he not interested? “I’m sorry.” She could hear her own voice shake. It had been so long since she’d reached out to anyone and now to humiliate herself… He grabbed her arm. “Don’t be sorry. I’m afraid if I touch you, I’ll break you.” “What?” Her mind whirled at what he said. Was there some weird wolf sex thing she didn’t know about? “You’re so delicate. I’m afraid I could break you.” The sincerity in his voice was her undoing. She launched herself, forcing him to catch her before they both tumbled backward onto the floor. He took the brunt of the hit on his back but didn’t even wince. Elizabeth grinned, suddenly feeling very powerful. “I don’t break.” She kissed him again and this time his mouth met hers in unison. Yes, Rex wanted this as much as she did. He groaned and pulled her neck down so she was even closer to him. Her breasts, feeling strained against her shirt, pushed against the contours of his hard chest. It was all she could do not to rip the abusive clothing from her body and insist on being totally naked with Randolph. But she knew she needed to slow down. They had all night. Maybe only one, and she wouldn’t risk it by ending everything too soon. With another growl, this one sounding downright feral, Rex rolled her over until he was on top of her. The sound of his animal side made her hotter. He pulled back to stare at her and his eyes did nothing to alter her impression his animal was close to the surface. She didn’t see the wolf in his depths but there was something slightly out of control by the way his dark pupils regarded her. “You are the single most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.” His voice sounded low,

husky. She swallowed as her mouth went suddenly dry. “You’re the only one who can see me. Even in my days before the curse, no one would ever have said I was the single most beautiful sight of anything. I wasn’t as hideous as I am now but beautiful? Probably not.” “Then they weren’t looking properly.” Rex traced the top of her nose down to her chin. “And part of me wants to be selfish. I’d rather no one else could ever see you as gorgeous as you truly are. If I could keep you as my own jewel, I would. But I would not cause you any more pain and the reactions of others are too hard for you to handle.” “Rex, I…” She never got to finish what she would have said because he kissed her again, and she lost all track of any coherent thought except for Rex’s tongue in her mouth. Together, their mouths played a game of their own. She knew, at least, she had no cognitive ability controlling her body. All she could comprehend was she wanted Rex and she wanted him now. “Easy. We have all night.” She hoped he was correct. Still, Elizabeth knew tomorrow would bring all kinds of problems. It was better to take their pleasure as they could find it right at this moment. The man could kiss. His lips were firm and his tongue skilled. Their mouths fused together as she imagined his tongue was actually his cock moving in a different part of her body. His hands traveled between them, stopping to rumple her shirt or caress her breasts through the fabric. “You are so hot, little witch. You’re going to scorch my hands.” “If I’m hot, Randolph, it’s because you are making me that way.” She kissed him again because she felt like she had to or she might explode. What was it about this man who made her want him so much? Between their bodies, Rex pulled at her shirt. Good, she was glad. Never before had she wanted an article of clothing off as much as she desired the removal of her shirt. She helped him, and finally, after a bit of a struggle, they managed to get her clothing over her head. “You’d think neither one of us had ever undressed before.” He laughed. “I think it might have to do with the fact my hands are shaking.” She looked down at her own. “You’re not alone.” The cold air of the room assaulted her skin. Funny, it hadn’t felt warm to her earlier. It must have been the heat she and Rex were generating. The sensation reminded her of one time when she’d gotten sunburned and then stepped inside to an air conditioned room. It had felt like someone had blasted her with a cold air gun and wouldn’t let up on the attack. “You have the most beautiful breasts I’ve ever seen.” She felt her cheeks heat up. Embarrassment was not an emotion she’d ever enjoyed and she’d certainly had her fill of it lately with all of the people pointing and staring at her. “You’ve clearly not been looking at a lot of breasts if you think mine are anything wonderful.” He moved over to her on his knees. They weren’t touching but she felt like he’d reached up and grabbed her. His eyes bored into hers as if he owned her, and right then she felt like he might. “You’re never to insult yourself to me, Elizabeth. Not even in jest. Do you understand? I will never lie to you. If I say your breasts are the most beautiful in the

whole universe, then they are. It’s bad enough I have to put up with every idiot human treating you badly, I won’t have you disparaging yourself in any way.” Did it make her sick in the head that his words were such a palpable turn-on for her? “I wish I were the kind of woman who could let you scoop me up and let you handle all of my problems. You understand I can’t, right? This isn’t the world I live in. I can’t.” He brushed a piece of hair out of her face. “I know. For now.” How could she tell him despite his belief they were mates, the time would never come when she would be able to rely on him? “Your smell. All of a sudden you are sad.” He shook his head. “I won’t have you that way. Not ever.” Like a prince out of the movies she’d watched as a child, he rose to his feet and gently picked her up off the floor. In his arms, cradled like she was cherished, she let herself take a deep breath. “I think the first thing is we’ll not do this on the floor like…” He grinned. “A bunch of animals.” Laughing at his own pun, he set her down on top of the bed. “Feel free to make the obvious joke.” Liz wasn’t certain she’d actually be able to speak through the lump in her throat. “Randolph, you are, animal or no animal, the most civilized, kindest man I’ve ever met.” “Then you haven’t been paying close enough attention because I am none of those things.” He moved above her, stroking her with his index finger from her belly button to the crevice just below her white bra. She fell backward into the semi-soft bed. The hard floor hadn’t bothered her. Her scent of sadness aside, she wanted Rex. Being intimate with him would let her forget things for a while. Their lips met again and she knew this time there wouldn’t be any stopping what started between them. With her fingertips, she traced the hard lines of his chest. Were all wolves as sculpted as Rex, or was it just her luck to be with a man who looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a men’s fitness magazine? Beneath her fingers, she could feel his skin goosebump. It made her feel powerful. He might look like an Adonis come to life, but he reacted to her like she was straight-out his every fantasy. Maybe it made her vain, but she loved it. Wanting nothing more than to lick him where she had touched him, she bent forward until she could. Randolph tasted slightly salty and all male. “I have the strangest senses when I smell you. It almost makes me think I could be part-wolf myself.” He raised an eyebrow, his gaze so intense she had no question she held his total attention. “What do I smell like to you?” “All male and, sometimes, like the woods, which is odd because I’ve never spent much time outdoors.” “We all carry the smells of Westervelt on us. I am shocked you can scent it, as I can assure you that you do not have any wolf in your blood. I would be able to smell it. You are all human. But perhaps it is because you are my mate.” “That word again.” She pushed him down until they changed places and she could straddle him. “I’m not all human, I’m a witch. I can take whatever you can dish.” “You think so?” In two seconds, he had torn the pants from her body. They made a ripping sound seconds before he tossed them over his shoulder onto the ground. His hands traveled up her legs, from her knees to the top of her thighs. The experience made her shiver. “Showing off your strength? I was already properly impressed before you destroyed

my clothing.” “I’ll buy you a thousand new pairs.” “Steal them, you mean.” He growled before he flipped her over so he was on top again. With a twist of his fingers, he removed her bra using the front clasp. His mouth came down on her breast, kissing all over until he came to her nipple. The firm lips she’d loved kissing earlier went to work on her nipple. Rex tugged and sucked until she practically bucked off the bed beneath him. Her pussy heated up and she knew she’d be wetter than she’d ever been before. “You like it, witch?” None of the attitude she’d come to associate with his saying of that word was present. Instead, he said witch almost reverently, like someone would say a prayer. “I do. I really, really do.” He nodded. “Good. Because I’m going to do it again.” Still massaging her first breast, he moved his mouth to her other one. Elizabeth didn’t know which was more intense—the sensations throbbing through her body or the look in Randolph’s eyes. Both made her hot, both made her want to weep in joy. Elizabeth wasn’t content with lying beneath him and letting him have all the fun. Instead, she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him off her until she could squirm beneath him. Rex’s towel had come loose and it was easy to chuck away. Her hand easily found his hard shaft. Beneath her fingers, it jumped, and he hissed. “Good pain or bad pain?” As she spoke the words, she kept her hand moving up and down his shaft. “No pain. Just so much pleasure. Like I’ve never felt before.” His confession made her even more daring. He’d fought her for the top position earlier but she guessed he wouldn’t mind giving it up now. “Roll over.” Without objection, he did what she’d told him to do. She kissed him down his body until she reached his cock. Rex tasted good everywhere she licked him and she couldn’t wait to get to experience what his cock would taste like. “You’re huge. Do you think I can handle you?” Rex stroked the top of her hair. “You don’t have to. No pressure. I have no expectations of this.” “I’m joking with you. This wouldn’t be nearly as much fun for me if I don’t get to have you in my mouth.” Loosening her throat until it opened more, she fit the head of his cock into her mouth. She moaned at the taste of him. It was like licking Rex had been, but more so. Everything about him was male, everything about him was hers. At least for the moment. Giving in to her most wanton urges, she took him entirely into her mouth. Rex cursed, but she barely heard him. It was the sound of absolute pleasure she focused on. He loved this. Gently, she moved upward as she let her teeth scrape the side of his penis. “Elizabeth, I need you to stop. I won’t be able to continue if you keep up like that.” Groaning, she almost didn’t do what he wanted. Giving Rex a blowjob was more fun than she’d had in ages. But she didn’t want their fun to be over just yet. Like Randolph, she wanted to feel him inside of her. Pulling off him, she gave him one more scrape with her teeth. He hissed. “I think you might be trying to kill me.” She laughed as they once again rolled over so he could be on top of her. Sex with Rex was proving to be … joyous.

She’d never known it could be like this. Making love on a hotel bed could be fun even as it was hot and intense. “You have the best giggle in the whole world.” Rex’s voice was a purr in her ear. She smiled at the thought. He might not like being compared to a cat. In fact, she suspected he would hate it. Later on, she’d have to make sure to tell him she’d thought of it. For now, all she could focus on was he’d slipped her panties down her legs and his skilled hands had begun to stroke her pussy. With two fingers, he stretched her open. “You’re already so wet for me. I bet I can make you even more so.” “Cocky.” He quickly found the small bud of nerves near her entrance. Like he was already an expert in her body’s secrets, he swirled his fingers over her clit. It was fast, as if her body had been desperate for him before she’d ever even met him. Pleasure surged through her body, taking her breath. Her muscles began to quiver. “That’s right, sweetheart. Let it go. I want to feel you come on my fingers.” Randolph didn’t have to ask her twice. Colors exploded before her eyes as her orgasm overtook her. She screamed his name and tears exploded from her eyes. He never stopped stroking her, even as she stopped quivering beneath him. “You’re so beautiful, Elizabeth.” This time when her cheeks heated up she didn’t mind the embarrassment because she could see in his eyes he meant every word he said. For those few seconds they stared silently at each other, she wanted to be exactly as he saw her. She wished she could be the pure, perfect woman who Rex saw when he regarded her. Never had she been so certain she knew what another person was thinking. Elizabeth. His voice in her mind added to their intimacy. Yes? I want to be inside you now. She laughed. “By all means.” He leaned down, gently kissing her on the mouth for a few minutes until she was warm and content again. It felt so right to be with him like this. Elizabeth could feel him pressed up against her. The tip of his penis moved to the edge of her opening. She squirmed until he was nearly inside of her. In one thrust, he entered her. She gasped. Never before had she felt so full. He was fully inside of her. His face had fallen serious, hard lines surrounding his eyes and mouth. “Is this okay?” Reaching up to stroke the side of his face, all she wanted to do was to relieve the tension she saw there. He needed to be brought back to where she was—the two of them connected like they were one being instead of two. “It’s more than okay, Randolph. It’s perfect.” He nodded, some of the tension eased away from his back. Then he began to move. In small thrusts at first that became harder and harder, he moved within her. Elizabeth lost all sense of time. She could have been anywhere—even floating above the earth on another planet—because the only thing existing in the universe was the two of them locked in this most intimate of embraces. The more the tension increased, the harder it became to hold back her pleasure. She wanted this to last forever. Her body felt like it had been made for this moment. Her muscles contracted around him as he fit her perfectly.

Finally, an explosion of sensation traveled up her spine and moved out of her with the power of a bomb going off. She yelled his name, pleading with the universe to make the pleasure continue. Rex followed her, gripping her against him as he came screaming her name. Panting, she opened her eyes. For a moment, she couldn’t believe what she saw. It wasn’t possible. Except that it was happening. As conscious thought returned to her, she could feel the vision in front of her eyes happened. A cord connected the two of them. Colors traveled from his body into hers as the same thing occurred in the opposite direction. Without having to be told, she realized what was going on. Parts of Rex’s soul were moving from his body into hers where she was sure they would stay. “Randolph, open your eyes.” She almost couldn’t breathe from the beauty of the moment. For the rest of eternity, she would know him better than any two people ever got to truly know each other. Red came first. It was Rex’s passion. She could feel it surround her. He did nothing halfway. Blue—the color of his loyalty. It was as much a part of him as his passion. Red and blue together, she knew he would never be anything but fierce and loyal to her. Yellow followed. Rex had a sensitive side. He might not like to acknowledge it, but it was there, fragile and open. But that wasn’t alone. There was a dark gray part of Rex which entered her. The part of him that said he would do whatever had to be done to make things work for his family. He considered this his dark side, but she saw what it was: pragmatism. Elizabeth understood this part of him very well. It was a character trait she felt certain she shared with him. It didn’t make him dark. No, it made him a realist. Above all of it was the sense of love. Rex loved her. How was it possible she could have earned such emotion from him in the days they’d been together? And how was it possible she returned the feeling to him? A tear slipped from her eye. What parts of her soul was he getting? There was no way it would be as beautiful as his.

Chapter Eleven Rex stroked the side of Elizabeth’s face. They hadn’t spoken, not since the soul exchange had started. At last, mating made sense to Rex. He’d always gotten the physical side of it. He just had never understood why everyone was so hush-hush about the whole thing. It wasn’t just sex—it was the exchange of their very essences which made all the difference. For the rest of his days, he would get to carry part of Elizabeth around with him and that made him the luckiest guy alive. It also finally explained why a shifter couldn’t live without their mate. Or, at the very least, didn’t want to. Who would want to continue on living after they’d had half their soul torn from them? Elizabeth’s silence worried him. He’d always known he had a dark side. Had she gotten it? Did she hate how it felt inside of her? Here he was getting to revel in being surrounded by warmth, loyalty and love. Maybe she was trying to digest how she would live with his difficult nature. “You okay?” His voice sounded rough, like he’d been screaming. He cleared his throat, not wanting to make her run away. Now, more than ever, he knew he couldn’t lose her. You won’t. His wolf sounded so damn confident. Rex had never shared his unerring belief all would be well, somehow. “I am.” She nodded, turning to look at him, her blue eyes huge. “Was it bad?” “Was what bad?” She couldn’t possibly mean the sex. If she did, he was going to have to do something about it immediately. It hadn’t even occurred to him she wouldn’t have enjoyed herself… “My soul.” He blinked at her words. They’d shared a common fear, and he’d had no idea she’d worried. Why on earth would she think she was anything but extraordinary? “You’re like a giant ball of light that has infused my body. I never knew goodness until I was given you. It’s my soul that concerns me. It must be a burden for you. Especially since I’m feeling so good right now. All of my negativity must have gotten transferred to you.” A tear slipped from her eye. “You really don’t know yourself at all.” “Or maybe you just want to see the good in me.” She shook her head. “Just the opposite. I wanted to hate you from the moment we met. You made that impossible.” She slid over until she straddled him. His cock jumped to attention. “I have to talk to you. It’s important. But right now, all I want to do is kiss you and…” Her voice lowered. “Kiss you.” “Elizabeth, you have to be sore…” She never gave him the chance to continue his thought as her mouth came down on his, hard. This was a different Elizabeth than before. Her kisses had started out tentative. Now she seemed assertive and in control. A woman who knew what she wanted. He loved it. Their mouths fused together. It was like she wanted to combine their bodies the way their souls had meshed. The closer he could get to her, the better. She tasted like citrus fruit and ambrosia. A gift the gods had given him he intended to cherish forever. He pulled back to take a breath. “At least I don’t have to take your clothes off this time.”

“You already destroyed them.” When this was over, he would buy her more. A million articles of clothing if she wanted them. Whatever Elizabeth desired, it was hers for the asking. Right now all she seemed to want was him, which was more than okay. If the real world didn’t need them, he would spend forever in this hotel room with her. It might be dark and moldy but it had become heaven for him. Although, he suspected anywhere he was with Elizabeth would feel that way. His cock had gotten even harder. It hadn’t taken any time to get right back into the action. He wasn’t sure how that was even possible, considering how thoroughly they had enjoyed themselves just minutes earlier. Rex felt like a drowning man, and Elizabeth was all the air he would ever need for the rest of his life. “Please. I know this is fast but I need you again, Randolph. Please.” He didn’t like the desperation in her voice, and something inside of him wanted to explore what made her feel like she had to beg for what he was happy to give her. However, he wasn’t a stupid man. They would talk—later. For now, she needed, and it was his pleasure to provide. More than his pleasure, his ultimate goal in life from the moment they’d met. “Roll over.” He wanted her beneath him. He wanted to look in her eyes as she came apart. She did as he asked, and in seconds he was above her, ready to place himself in her warmth—a place he’d never known existed until he’d found it within Elizabeth. “I love you.” He’d spoken the words and they felt right on his tongue. He could feel her love for him in the parts of her soul where she’d melded to him. But he wanted to tell her, in case she hadn’t received the same from him. “Oh, Randolph.” Tears leaked from her eyes, and he wished he’d never said a word. What was wrong? Was the idea he loved her so unappealing she wept? She raised her neck until her head was right beneath his. Seconds later, she’d fused their mouths together. He could feel the wetness on her cheeks as her mouth begged him for attention. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Anything his witch needed, he would do. Anything to see her stop crying. “Just, please, Randolph. Please. I need you.” He wouldn’t have her ask again. She never needed to feel like she should plead for anything from him. She was his mate. With a gentle push, he was inside of her. Her muscles quivered around him, making him nearly end their joining before it had begun. He groaned as he struggled to keep himself in check. Would it always be like this with her? Would he always be two seconds away from losing control? “Yes, thank you. Thank you.” He grabbed the side of her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “You don’t ever thank me for this. I should be thanking you. I’m always going to want to be with you like this. Always.” Rex couldn’t imagine how alone she must have been feeling. Separated from everyone by a curse placed on her face. He would find a way to show her she would never be alone, never be without him. “I hope that’s true, Randolph. I truly hope so.” Together they moved, a rhythm forming which made him want to shout for joy. He thrust forward, and she took him deeper inside of her. She gasped, and it moved through

him like joy and sadness. He felt so close to her, he was sure he could feel what she felt as she experienced it. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.” His words were barely a whisper but he knew she heard them. She reached out with both hands, and he grabbed her behind her head to keep her from hitting the headboard behind them. Her hands cupped his cheeks even as their bodies picked up pace in this sweet mating dance he was sure he would never forget. “Please don’t ever let go.” Her voice quivered as she exploded around him. Her body clenching around his, pulling at him until the pleasure was so intense he spilled inside of her, knowing he’d found home inside his little witch. Rex felt certain time must have passed. He wasn’t sure how much of it, though. Finally coming back to his senses, he rolled off Elizabeth. He had to have crushed her. “No, don’t move. I like the warmth.” She sounded sleepy and, he was glad to hear, happy. He snuggled next to her, pulling her until she spooned against his back. Much as he hated the cover for the bed—it did not smell exactly one hundred percent clean—he moved them both underneath it. “I’ll keep you warm.” She sighed. “Your skin is like a furnace next to me.” “We are hotter than humans by a few degrees.” “I was cold now I’m warm.” He pinched her arm gently. “It’s because you’re so thin. Five more pounds on you and you’ll be warmer.” “Five more pounds and I’ll be fatter.” “You could never be fat.” He kissed the back of her neck. “What did you want to talk about earlier?” He felt her whole body stiffen up. It was as he’d suspected. Whatever she had to discuss was the reason for her unhappiness. Her scent changed from blissful to the acrid smell of fear in a matter of seconds. She was scared of him? “Elizabeth, whatever it is, you don’t have to fear me or be sad. Just tell me and we’ll work it out. You’re my mate. You are my only priority.” All that mattered in the world was her. He had to get things straight with Westervelt—had to stop his father and make the pack stronger—so she could be safe. His brother’s reasons for excluding the non-mated males from decisions, while still wrong, made more sense to him now. Only the mated could truly understand how much there was to lose. He had to protect her soul; it had been entrusted to him. “Rex, I did something before I understood…” The scent of danger hit him hard. Someone—no, more than one person—approached the room. He jumped to his feet, shushing Elizabeth as he did. He’d destroyed her clothes and left her vulnerable. “Go into the bathroom. Get the bathrobe. I know it’s gross but do it anyway.” She nodded as she rose from the bed. The room smelled of sex and passion. Anyone who entered would know he’d not been alone in here, which meant there was no way he could properly hide Elizabeth from what was coming. The good news was whoever now made their way up the stairs toward them was human. They’d tried to mask their scents, to eliminate them. His brother Az had a supply of herbs that allowed this trick, but Rex had always been able to smell through the lie. Elizabeth wrapped the robe around herself before she turned to him. “Who is it?” “Your twins.”

“What?” Her voice rose beyond which he would have preferred, and he hushed her again. “Stay in the bathroom.” “No. If it’s the twins, you’ll need my help.” “I need you safe. I’m going to shift.” His wolf paced within him, ready for a fight to defend their mate. “You can’t kill them. If they so much as get hurt their mother will kill my family.” He shook his head. She still didn’t understand how capable he was of handling her problems. But she would. He would make certain of it. “She’ll never get the chance.” He pointed at the bathroom. “In there. Now.” She bit down on her lip as her scent altered from terror to a combination of fear and anger. Good, it was better she was annoyed with him than downright scared. Frightened people did foolish things. Elizabeth walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. I love you. He spoke into her mind seconds before the door opened. In a flash, he’d called the white light onto himself, his body moving fast into the shape shifting which came as naturally to him as breathing. Unlike some shifters, he’d never fought the ability. He loved it, and when given the chance to run in the woods, craved the shift. Now he just wanted to kill these horrid creatures who had abused his mate for so long. The door opened slowly. It was late. Perhaps they thought to find them asleep? He didn’t care. They slipped in together. One in front of the other like they’d moved in tandem their whole lives. This might very well be the last time they got the chance. Leaning down, he growled his intentions aloud so they would hear them. “Oh look, Penny, its wolf-boy. Should we turn him into a rat before we kill him or just kill him straight out?” If the one on the left was Penny, that meant the one on the right was Charra. He’d hardly paid attention to them the first time he’d met them—all of his focus had been on Elizabeth. Now he regarded them as prey. They were neither tall nor short, standing, he would guess, at about five-feet-five. Like their height, they were of average weight. Their figures were nothing to write home about either. Bland brown hair, round faces, and small pug noses did nothing to improve their looks. All in all, they were the most unremarkable people he’d seen in a while. They didn’t hold a candle to his Elizabeth, which must have been the reason their mother had chosen the type of curse she had inflicted on his mate. Jealousy. Pure and simple. These women were not in her league in external or internal beauty. He leapt forward, catching Penny straight on the shoulders. They crashed together to the floor. She screamed, and his wolf shrugged. He hadn’t even done anything to the girl yet. His wolf had only wanted to show her how strong he was. Growling, he turned his eyes on Charra. She needed to see the hate in his gaze. If she had any brains in her head, she’d run. “Kill him, Charra, kill him.” Penny’s shriek made his teeth ache to tear her throat apart. The door to the bathroom swung open and Elizabeth screamed at the top of her lungs. Rex moved away from Charra. What was wrong? What had they done to her? “No, don’t hurt him!” He stopped his run. Him? She yelled like that about him? He was fine, why the hell hadn’t she stayed in the bathroom. Elizabeth, go in there and lock the door.

Charra must have realized what was happening because she lunged at him as he spoke with Elizabeth. “I can feel you talking to her, you freak of nature.” He whirled, ready to take off the woman’s head. Her mother would have to deal with only having one daughter returned. The first blast rolled over his back. He’d been warded against most magic, thanks to his sisters-in-law. It wouldn’t work forever, but, for now, it seemed it was still intact. The twins could find a way around it, if they tried long enough, which meant he would have to make sure they didn’t get the opportunity. Lips back in a snarl, he lunged at Charra. She would die first. “Wait. I’ll kill her.” Penny’s voice cut through his haze. He turned around already knowing what he would find. Can’t get to both of them. His wolf told him what he already knew. Penny had Elizabeth by the back of the hair. Why the hell hadn’t she gone back into the bathroom? Rex shook his head. No matter, he had to exist in reality and this was what was happening now. He called the shift onto himself. When he was fully transformed, he stared at Penny. “Let her go.” “I don’t think you’re exactly in a position to dictate what we do with our slave, wolf.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. There was no way she couldn’t see his intention to kill her in his eyes. “We have a problem. You aren’t going to be able to kill me with your magic. It’s not possible. And I don’t honestly believe you will harm her.” Rex restrained himself from clenching his fists. He needed to look calm and relaxed even though he was anything but. Don’t worry, little witch. He tried to sound soothing in her mind. Don’t underestimate them. He wouldn’t. “She is bound to us and she left us to go with you. We have every right to harm her.” Rex sighed. “What world do you live in?” “Mine.” Rex whirled around at the sound of a voice he’d not expected to hear in the room. He hadn’t smelled anyone coming or heard a sound, and yet there stood a man he’d hoped to never see again in his life. Well, he wouldn’t have minded witnessing the man’s death. But like this? No. Not in a million years. He could hardly breathe as he regarded the single figure leaning against the door like he had not one care in the world. His father looked exactly the same as the last time they’d been alone together. Kendrick Kane should have aged over the years—he’d been mated, which should have triggered his aging—but his father never seemed to. Eternally thirty years old, at least on the outside, members of their pack often remarked how much their new alpha, Tristan, resembled Kendrick. But Rex didn’t see it. He would never mix up the two. Dark-haired and dark-eyed, like the night had swallowed him up and spat him back out leaving a touch of itself behind, his father embodied all that was wrong in the world. At the current moment, Kendrick didn’t have a smell. That meant he’d taken herbs that were better than the ones Azriel had for Westervelt, or Kendrick was dead. Rex didn’t suppose he could get that lucky. “Shouldn’t you be in Maine attempting to cause havoc on people who wish to never see you again?”

His father shook his head. “I can be many places. I can be all over the world in seconds. You’ve never understood how things could be, Rex.” Moving from the doorway, Kendrick limped slightly, a reminder Az had nearly managed to kill him recently. Rex smiled at the knowledge. His father was not invincible. Not by a long shot. “Whatever you’ve done, whatever magic you’ve engaged in—I’m not interested in knowing about it. I never have been, never will be. And somehow, I’m not surprised by the company you keep.” His father was involved with the coven that had cursed Elizabeth. It all fit. Like finding like; evil teaming up with evil. Are you prepared? His wolf jarred him back to the present. Yes, he knew what his canine half asked him. Was he ready to fight his father? This is the gift, isn’t it? This was the way he could save Westervelt. His wolf nodded. This is the moment you’ve always known would come. The white light would come, he would shift, and they would fight. He would not let Kendrick walk out of here with any ability to continue to attack his home in Maine. Kendrick was injured. Rex might actually be able to kill him. And if not? His heart hurt at the thought. He’d be destroying Elizabeth’s life. Shit. Why couldn’t this have happened before I met her? His wolf sighed. Because it didn’t. “You know, I never would have found you, Rex. I had no idea you weren’t festering on the island with your brothers. But then your little friend over there called and let us know where you were.” His father’s words blew over him like a cold wind dousing the flames in his soul. Elizabeth had called them? He turned to look at her. She’d stopped struggling in Charra’s arms, her face pale. But it was her eyes that told him all he needed to know. Guilt. Yes, Elizabeth had done this. His mate had betrayed him.

Chapter Twelve The two wolves tore into each other. Elizabeth wished she were the fainting type because she would love to lose consciousness as she watched Rex, in his black wolf form, take a hit from whom she thought, from his conversation, was his father’s extended claws. Rex wasn’t as big as Kendrick, whose name she remembered from Rex talking about him, but he looked to be just as strong. She couldn’t believe any of this was happening. The look in Rex’s eyes before he’d shifted had told her all she needed to know. He believed she had done this to him. And he wasn’t wrong. Not when it came down to it. In a million years, she couldn’t have predicted Kendrick Kane would show up. She’d never seen him before in her life. Why would she have thought Drea would be in contact with him? She swallowed. On the other hand, she shouldn’t be surprised. Maybe evil simply attracted evil. The wolves growled and snarled as they tore into each other. A piece of black fur torn from Rex’s body, flew across the room, and she cried out. “I think you like wolf-boy.” Charra spoke in her ear, a whisper of evil traveling throughout Elizabeth’s spine. “Killing him will be so much better knowing the pain it will cause you.” “You’re not going to kill him.” Liz spoke through clenched teeth. Her jaw ached and every bone in her body felt brittle. Any sudden movements and she feared her body might snap apart from the tension. “Want to bet? Mom is going to let us take our turn hurting him before we destroy you.” Elizabeth would never count Rex out of a fight. She could feel his fierce determination in her soul where it had settled when they had mated. If she ever got the chance, she would study whatever spell it was that bound mates together the way it did. Now that she had him inside of her, she was never letting him go. Well, if he was still speaking to her when this was over… The door swung open to the hotel room with a bang. Next to her, Penny squealed. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Only one thing ever made the twins happy and it was seeing their mother. Drea must have arrived. “Enough, Kendrick. If you keep that up, you’ll kill him, and you promised me we would use him first.” Kendrick grunted as he shifted back into his human form. Elizabeth flinched at the sight of his naked body. She hadn’t minded looking at Rex during his changes, but his father in the nude was not something she ever wanted to see. Evil seemed to radiate through his skin, like an infection which could be caught if she wasn’t careful. He made her want to go bathe in disinfectant. Kendrick shook his head. “Whatever you want, my love.” What? Elizabeth swallowed back a shriek as Rex lunged at his father, teeth bared, and was slammed back against the wall. Drea laughed. “Other witches might not be able to handle him, but he’ll never be able to beat me.”

Rex lay still against the wall, eyes closed, unmoving. Elizabeth struggled in Charra’s arms. Penny grabbed onto her, and between the two of them Liz knew she’d never be able to break away. Still, it didn’t stop her from trying. Her love was on the floor, maybe dead, and she wasn’t going to leave him there alone. Not while she had breath in her body. “He’s not dead.” Drea addressed her directly. “Just stunned. He’ll stay frozen until we can get him back home to play with him. Although, I think it’s just adorable you’ve developed feelings for the Kane runt. Not that I blame you, mind you. I’ve been in love with a Kane my entire life.” If Elizabeth could have growled, she would have. “You’re not his mate.” “Oh, but I am. And I always have been. Right, Kendrick?” He nodded. “It’s right. And Rex isn’t a Kane. Not my son. His mother briefly woke up from her spell and had him with her actual mate. Of course, I had to kill the son-of-abitch. Couldn’t let him going around telling people what we had done. Anyone with a brain could have seen he wasn’t mine. Looks just like his mother, which I suppose confused people. Same dark hair, dark eyes.” Elizabeth wanted to point out Kendrick had those same features, but he was still talking, and she wasn’t given the chance to interrupt as Charra kicked her in the shin to stop her. It hurt and she promised she’d get the other woman back just as soon as she got the chance. “You don’t have to tell her anything, Kendrick. She’s just our slave. Her whole family is under our control. She takes care of my girls.” Kendrick sniffed the air. “She’s mated with Rex. I can smell it all over both of them.” Drea raised a brown eyebrow. “Really? How fascinating. Bring them both back to the mansion. Maybe we’ll perform some tests.” Mansion? Elizabeth had no time to contemplate what she’d just been told. Drea pointed at her, and she had one second to realize she’d just been attacked by a spell before everything went black around her. **** A cold cloth being wiped across her forehead roused Elizabeth from her stupor. Her mother’s face, just as she always remembered it except now it held more worry lines around her eyes and mouth, regarded her. She couldn’t help smiling. The aging aside, her mother’s rounded cheeks, pixie nose and oval blue eyes were something she’d been dreaming about for years. Even though she knew the happiness could only last a moment, she was glad to revel in it for a few seconds. “Drea hit you pretty hard with her spell. You’ve been out for hours.” Her mother’s words penetrated her happy haze and she sat up fast, making the world spin for a few seconds before it finally righted itself. “Hours? Where is Rex? What have they done to him?” Rex? She called out telepathically and got no response. Her heart picked up in terror. It didn’t have to mean anything. He’d ignored her in the hotel room too. Her mate thought she’d betrayed him, which was true. Only not in exactly the way he believed. “The wolf? I haven’t seen him. Everyone is abuzz about the fact he’s here. But we’ve been locked up with you and he was not brought here.”

“Damn it.” That was not the answer she wanted. “Elizabeth, language, please.” She looked down sheepishly at her mother’s rebuke. Apparently, no matter how old she got, her mother would have the ability to make her feel like a child. “Sorry.” Her mother laughed. “I suppose if there was ever time for swearing, it’s now. By the way, not to bring up a bad topic, but you are looking less … distorted than you did when you left.” “Really?” She touched her face. She’d never been able to see herself cursed. The back of her neck tingled in the strange way it had been doing since she’d mated with Randolph. “More like myself?” “Exactly. Not quite there yet, but closer.” Elizabeth stood up, needing to move. “It must have to do with the mating. Where are the others?” “They are in the other room. I asked them to give us some space when you woke up.” Her mother crossed her arms over her chest. “What mating?” “Rex and I … we’re mates.” “Like Drea is mated with Kendrick Kane?” The way her mom said “Kendrick Kane” it was clear she did not think highly of the man. It sounded more like she’d rather swallow venom than see him. “I doubt anything Rex does is anything like Kendrick. But I’m not really sure. I was only mated for about a minute before everything went crazy.” She wished she had time to think about some of the things Drea had told her. Like, for example, the fact Drea was mated to Kendrick. How could that be? And something about Rex’s mother coming out of a spell. When she rescued Rex—and convinced him she had not meant to turn him over to his father—she would have to get him to explain some of it to her. If it made any more sense to him than it did to her. “I have to get out of here. I have to get to Rex.” He needed her. She could feel it. Every pore on her body had turned into a goosebump. Her desire to see him was so immense she thought she might actually spontaneously combust. “Daughter, relax.” Her mother placed a calming hand on her arm. Seconds later, she could feel her whole body sigh with relief. “You have power?” That was the only explanation she could come up with for why her mother had been able to use a calming spell on her. “You just saw about the extent of it.” A calming spell was the upper range of her mother’s power. It was really horrendous. Her mother had once held so much power in her soul she could have shifted the course of the world if she’d wanted to. Unlike Drea, however, her mother would never have used it, which was how they’d ended up in this situation to begin with. “Mom, how did this happen? How did you not see Drea for what she was right away?” Her mother sat down, her formerly brown hair which was not entirely gray moved up and down as she shrugged. “I’m a foolish woman.” “No.” Elizabeth shook her head as she positioned herself next to her mom. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” “If anyone has the right to ask me, it’s you, daughter. All I can think about all the time is you, out there with them, being asked to do who knows what. How could the

goddess let this happen to us?” “I don’t see any point in dealing with anything but reality. Asking whys doesn’t help anything.” Her mother looked at her through the corner of her eye. “When did you become so wise?” “As you pointed out, I’ve been having a rough time lately.” Rex. She called to him again and still got no response. Biting down on her fingernail, she wished there was something she could do, anything to not feel so completely helpless. A thought dawned on her and she rubbed her forehead as she contemplated her next move. How could she expect to win if she played by all the rules laid out for them by Drea? They were doing just what their enemy wanted them to do. She thought about when Rex had stopped the car to confuse the wolves. If she hadn’t showed up and distracted him that might have actually worked. “Mom, do you have a phone?” Her mother paused. “There is a phone, in the other room. But who would we call? All of our supporters are here with us?” Elizabeth got up and walked to the door where the rest of their group waited. “You’re thinking too much like a witch. We have no power. We have to think like humans.” “I don’t understand; you still have to explain this mating Rex Kane thing to me.” She nodded. Hopefully, there would be time for all of it, later. “I will. But right now I have to save Rex Kane so I have a mate to introduce you to.” Elizabeth didn’t want to mention to her mother if Rex died she would most likely perish too. Or, at the very least, she would want to. Life without Rex would be unbearable. She could never live without his soul tucked safely inside of her. The loss would be like losing an internal organ she needed to exist. Purpose helped to make her footsteps fast and steady. She swung open the door to the room and smiled at the faces she had thought she might never see again. Fifteen witches were seated around the room. Only fifteen out of the fifty who made up their coven. She nodded. These were the people she would have expected to stand by them. The others could take a hike. She was sure her mother would oust them once things got back to the way they should be. Some of her friends looked away and others groaned. Steeling herself, she walked toward the phone. There was no point in addressing their problems viewing her. She might look slightly better than she had earlier, but it was still enough to make most people disgusted. The curse would lift, one way or another. Then she could go back to being normal to regard. However, she would never forget what this felt like, ever. “I’m going to do something to get us out of here. I realize when I left here, I was, for all intents and purposes, a child, but I’m going to need all of you to trust me now. I know what I’m doing.” She hoped. Around her, the men and women of her mother’s coven whispered amongst themselves. Forcing herself to tune them out, she picked up the phone. It was an old-fashioned model. Brown and large, it still had a large cord connecting the receiver to the base. As long as it still dialed, she wasn’t going to complain. “Where are we,

exactly?” Having never been in the house where they were being held before, she had no idea how to describe their current location. Her mother’s best friend, Beth, stood up and crossed to her, putting her arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder. Liz couldn’t help but notice the woman couldn’t look her directly in the eyes, but at least she made an effort. “Right around the corner from the Ritz Carlton. If I’m not mistaken, this house we’re in is actually part of the Ritz’s property, dear.” Beth squeezed her shoulder. “How does knowing this information help you?” Elizabeth placed the phone receiver against her ear, glad to hear the dial tone. Maybe, at last, something might finally go her way. Taking a deep breath, she punched in the numbers they all should have used a long time ago. 9-1-1. The phone rang once before a female voice answered on the other end. “9-1-1, what is your emergency?” Tears welled up in Liz’s eyes. She could have sobbed from the relief. There was life on the other end of the phone, someone unaffiliated with what was happening around them. A human who could come and get them out. Or at least create enough of a distraction she could get to Rex. That was all she needed. “My name is Elizabeth Willow. I am being held against my will. I am not alone. There are seventeen of us being held in a house on the Ritz Carlton property. Please can you come and rescue us?” Her mother walked into the room, regarding her silently. The woman on the other end of the phone asked her some questions, and she did her best to answer them, but all she could really focus on was the look in her mother’s eyes. Was it pride? Her mother gave her a slight nod, and in the distance Elizabeth could hear the faint sounds of police sirens approaching. Thanking the dispatcher, she placed the receiver back down on the cradle. This was only the first part of the plan. Drea would most likely perform a spell on the police to send them away. There was no way the human law enforcement would ever make it through the door. But, boy, would the coven leader be really pissed off. In a rage, she’d storm down to the rooms where they were held prisoner and that was when Elizabeth intended to make her move. “Mom, the little bit of magic you have, does anyone else have any or are you it?” “A few of them can do what I did. Little things, like a relaxation spell. No one has any real magic except Drea and her daughters. They’ve drained it all out of us.” Elizabeth darted forward, grabbing on to her mom’s cheeks. “Little magic? Relaxation is huge. We are going to take our little magic and we are going to make it work for us in a huge way. And then you are going to have your coven back.” And if Elizabeth were lucky, she’d have Rex back. Please, she silently begged the goddess, please let me get to him in time to help him. Please let him forgive me. The sirens were loud outside the house and she could hear a lot of hoopla happening in the hallway. Some of Drea’s supporters seemed to be running away. Others were yelling, and Drea herself hollered at the officers who had come to the door. It would just be a matter of minutes—seconds, maybe. Elizabeth whirled around. “Listen up. Enough relaxation and Drea is going to hit the ground. None of us can do it by ourselves. I’m not sure I have any magic at all. But all together—seventeen people using what little they have—it will be enough to put her down long enough for all of you to get out of here.”

“All of us?” Her mother’s voice sounded squeaky. “Where will you go, daughter?” “To get Rex.” She wouldn’t be leaving here without him. If he didn’t go, then neither did she. “Now, everyone line up around me. When she comes through the door, I will lunge at her, and you will grab onto her and not let go until you’ve given everything you have to a relaxation spell.” One of the older members of the coven, James, slowly got to his feet. “It’s been so long since I did any magic, I’m not sure I remember how.” Elizabeth waved her hand in a way she hoped conveyed her feelings that it was a silly thought. “I’m sure it’s like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it. The practice will come right back.” She moved in front of the door and heard the rest of the people in the room step behind her. In truth, she knew she asked a lot. Some of the members of the coven were very old. They’d never been able to stand up to Drea. Why should they suddenly be able to? Steeling her shoulders, she pushed those thoughts from her mind. They would do what they had to do because it was past time they did. All of the years she’d been out on the road taking the twins to various dance clubs and Disney events and not one of the folks behind her had managed to take down Drea. Clearly, it was going to have to fall to her to handle this. After she made sure Rex was okay. Drea’s stomping footsteps down the hall alerted Elizabeth she was coming seconds before the door banged open. “Did you think you were being amusing?” Drea spoke through clenched teeth and addressed Elizabeth directly. Good, the woman should know who had orchestrated this. If it all went to hell, Drea could blame the right culprit. “No.” Elizabeth sighed dramatically seconds before she put all of her strength into plowing into the older witch. Drea’s eyes widened. Someone behind Elizabeth screamed “get her” right before the other sixteen members of the coven exploded into action. Hands assaulted Drea as Liz rolled to get out of the way. She had no working power. Her presence in the front of the small mob just put her in the way. Laughing, she jumped to her feet. “It’s time for you to take a nap, Drea.”

Chapter Thirteen Rex’s wrists, bound together by some kind of rope, took the brunt of the pain, as they were what supported his weight as he hung from the ceiling. He swayed slightly, his feet dangling above the ground. For hours now he’d been able to think about absolutely nothing. His mind felt like it had gone completely blank and it wasn’t because of the magic Drea had shoved at him back at the hotel room. He also couldn’t blame his father or the weird conversation he’d caught pieces of in the hotel room, which now threw into question his lineage. No, it was all because of Elizabeth. His mate had betrayed him. He closed his eyes. Did you see it coming? Rex had avoided any kind of communication with his wolf knowing it would only bring his pain more to the forefront of his mind. Now, however, he knew he’d have to deal with things if he were to ever get down from the ceiling. The police had arrived outside—he could smell the humans and he could hear the muted sounds of their alarms—which meant someone had called them. All of this meant it was time for him to make some kind of move. If he intended to at all. Being bound, naked, and vulnerable to his father’s abuse was not his idea of a good time. But neither was facing the future without his mate in it. Gods, how could he be such an idiot? Do you want an answer to the question you asked me? He turned his focus back to his wolf who Rex could see as if he lay in front of him, his head down on his outstretched paws. Sure. His wolf sighed. No, I did not see it coming and it’s depressing as hell. So much for his wolf giving him a pep talk. With a snort, his wolf answered his thought. You’re on your own this time, buddy. In the back of his mind, he could feel a tingling, and he knew it was Elizabeth trying to reach out to him telepathically. It would be so easy, like breathing really, to open his mind and let her travel the path that connected him into his mind. The ease of the opening was exactly why he couldn’t allow himself to do it. His body hadn’t realized what his heart and mind knew—she wasn’t to be trusted. Now, if only he didn’t want to tear apart the world every time he thought about it he might make some progress toward getting off the ceiling. One way or another he was going to have to figure out a way to channel some of this anger into something productive. Like it or not, he wasn’t the giving up kind. The door swung open and his father sauntered in like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Your mate seems to have called the police. Foolish girl. The women who are beholden to me at my compound know better. I’m going to have to teach my mate how to better control her people.” Rex raised his head to look at his father. He knew this game. Their father had strung Gabriel up like this many times as punishment. It had never been how Kendrick had treated Rex, but perhaps the old man couldn’t tell the difference between any of them anymore. Or maybe the evil bastard just didn’t care to differentiate anymore. Rex had to clear his throat to speak. “Your mate?”

“Correct.” Kendrick walked closer to Rex. “Surprised?” “Confused.” Rex made an attempt to shrug. “But I’ll be honest, I don’t care much.” “Liar.” His father laughed like Rex had made a joke. “You always were amusing.” “Guess I should say thank you?” He wanted to rip out the other man’s heart and feed it to his wolf. I don’t want it. Indigestion. Well, it had been a thought. “Your mother was not my mate. I needed her; she was the perfect candidate to keep the bloodlines pure. A seer had told me she could produce a daughter, and it had been one thousand years since anyone in the Kane family had a female. They’re rare and very important.” Rex shook his head. He couldn’t remember his sister Angel, but Tristan had daughters, so producing a female couldn’t be as difficult as Kendrick seemed to think it was. “What is it a Kane woman can do other wolf-shifters can’t?” His father rubbed his chin. “They can communicate with the dead. Sometimes they can even bring them back. Imagine it, Rex, a whole army of undead wolves for me to command.” “You already have it. You make zombie wolves all the time. I’ve killed about a hundred of them myself.” “You’ve just made my point. They can be killed. The already dead can’t be defeated and they’ll be mine.” Rex’s blood went cold, as his father’s plan seemed suddenly so clear to him. “You need Westervelt to bring out the zombies. You needed Angel and Westervelt. That’s why the attacks are more intense now. She’s there.” Kendrick clapped. “You are amazingly astute, considering you are not my flesh at all. Yes, your mother got Angel to the island; got her to do just what I needed her to do and now all is as it should be. It will all be over soon. Maybe I shouldn’t kill you. Maybe I should keep you like I did Gabriel.” Rex felt like he’d been stabbed in the chest. For a second, he was certain he’d stopped breathing all together. “Gabriel?” His brother who had taught him to fight, taught him to defend himself, to never be weak. Gabriel had been acting odd lately but he was not a traitor. Never. He wouldn’t believe it. Kendrick could sling words of malice all he wanted. It would never change the absolute fact Rex knew Gabriel as well as he knew anyone and Gabriel was not a traitor. “I’ve had him by the hook for years.” Kendrick shook his head. “But that is neither here nor there. I was telling you about you.” “No need. I know myself pretty well.” “Again, you are so amusing.” Kendrick patted him on the cheek. His hand felt greasy. “Drea was my mate. I’d known it since the moment I met her. We bumped into each other on the street. She was helping out with the war effort, working as a nurse.” “The Civil War?” Rex couldn’t remember how old his father was, but he was older than Cullen Murphy who was really, really old. “Right. Good, I’m glad you’re paying attention.” His father’s involvement in the Civil War was not what interested him. A Kane had fought in every major war since time began, it seemed. Human entanglements they couldn’t seem to stay out of. But it was Drea being alive so long that interested him.

“How have you kept Drea looking so good?” The woman didn’t seem a day over forty. Wolves might live a long time without aging—alphas even longer—but their mates eventually aged. Particularly if they weren’t wolf-shifters themselves, the category Drea belonged in. “Magic. The woman is incredibly talented, as you can tell. She came up with the spell to make the wolves. She kept your mother bespelled. I never could have done any of this without her.” “Why not just mate with her, then?” His father’s dark eyes seemed very far away like he was seeing another time, another place. Rex hoped the man got lost in his memories and never returned. “As I said, I wanted a Kane woman. Nothing would work without a purebred wolfshifter Kane woman. And Drea wanted her children to have power, real witch power. Not the subdued, half-breed type.” “Our mother never knew, did she? She thought you were really her mate.” Kendrick nodded. “Except for a brief period of time. For some reason, she could, every once in a while, throw off her spell and see things more clearly. During one of those episodes, I believe she conceived you.” Well, he had always wondered about his parentage. Hadn’t he asked his wolf a million times? And I’ll answer you now as I asked you then—does it really matter? “Who was he?” His voice sounded hoarse to his own ears. “A thorn in my side. The spell should have kept him from knowing he was mated to her, too. Somehow they always were drawn to one another. I had to keep throwing him off the island to do errands. One time, however, they must have been clearheaded at the same time. And then you were born.” “Who was he?” He wasn’t going to let Kendrick avoid his question. “You never knew him. When you were conceived I had no choice but to kill him. I couldn’t have him looking at you and remembering something. No one understands the power of bloodlines better than me.” “His name.” Rex may never have met the man, but someone would know him. Cullen, Michael, someone. There would be someone left on Westervelt who could tell him about his true father. “Rafael Dole.” Kendrick paced away from him. “When he was around, he stirred up endless amounts of trouble. Questioned me like he had the right. He could quote old laws giving pack elders the ability to question the sanity of their alpha. I wanted to eat him alive. Instead, I had my first batch of made wolves do it. He died screaming your mother’s name.” Even though Rex had never met the man, he knew he would live to avenge him. It was the least he could do. Rafael had loved his mother. Had managed to break through the spell of a powerful witch. Rex would guess he fought all the way to the end. Now? Rex knew what his wolf asked. Almost. “How could our mother have gotten Angel to the island? She’s dead.” If he was going to get this information to Tristan, he needed all of it. Every last word out of the pompous lips of the man who had tormented so many for so long. It would be Rex’s pleasure to bring him to his knees. “I got her one more time before she died. One more spell. She still hasn’t thrown me

off. Stuck in the middle place, endlessly, until I release her. She has no choice but to do what I tell her. The twins hurt Angel, and that sent her to Westervelt, but I’m the reason she’s stayed. She thinks your mother wants her there helping.” Kendrick started to laugh, a full-bodied cackle of a man used to being completely in charge. Rex knew the man wasn’t the least bit afraid. Why should he be? All he could see was a weak wolf tied to a ceiling. It was time to give the man a different perspective. Nodding to his wolf, he gave his consent. Now. The white light moved around Rex. Faster than usual, he shifted into his wolf form. The binds around his wrists couldn’t hold against the power of the shift. His father should have known that even if Drea didn’t. Or maybe he didn’t realize just how fast Rex could break any hold he was put in. Thanks to Gabriel, who had taught him as a child, in case he should ever need the skill. On all fours, he growled. He could taste death in his mouth. His father’s, not his own. Usually, he wasn’t bloodthirsty. Killing was for prey and for circumstances where there was no other choice. This time? He knew he’d enjoy it. “A fight to the death, then?” Kendrick lost his smirk. “I hadn’t thought you had it in you, boy. Maybe you are actually mine.” No, he was Rafael Dole’s. He could feel the truth of it with absolute certainty. Go. His father shifted and they tore into each other. Flesh meeting flesh, blood mixing in the midst of their trauma. The hotel room had been a warm up and Rex had been distraught. Not now. All he wanted was death. Time held no meaning. It could have minutes or hours. They were well matched even with Kendrick being so much bigger than Rex. Everything seemed clear. Until the door slammed open. Her scent hit him hard even in the middle of his fury, like a gut punch. Damn it. Elizabeth had an uncanny habit of getting in the middle of bad situations and making them harder on him. Kendrick must have realized the same time he did that it meant she had arrived. Turning faster than Rex could catch him, he leapt onto Rex’s mate. With a gleam in his mouth and a snarl in his throat, Kendrick let Rex know his intentions. Elizabeth’s death. And from the scream released from Elizabeth’s mouth, she knew what he meant to do, too. Rex’s heart fell. She was a betrayer. But he loved her. Would always love her. Even now, in the midst of everything, he could feel the gentle part of her soul filling him inside. Whatever she’d done she had done because she thought she had to. He could see it very clearly. With no time to contemplate anything, Elizabeth’s reasons passed before his eyes. She hadn’t wanted to mate him, had been very honest about it in the beginning. He’d taken her, pursued her, and ultimately she’d believed she’d had a bargaining chip. It wasn’t her fault he’d all but forced an unwanted mating on her. She wasn’t wolf. He was mated, not she. And he would love her forever. For a split second he opened his mind to her. Like a bomb going off, their consciousness fused together in a split second of absolute glory. Forgive me my shortcomings, Elizabeth. Rex, no.

He shut down her scream in his mind. There was no way he could do what he had to with her in there with him. Her humanness would protect her. She wouldn’t have to follow where he went if she didn’t choose to. For the first time ever, he felt gratitude he’d not been loved as he could have been. He could die without subjecting her to the same fate. He spoke to his wolf. Goodbye, my friend. Rex felt no sadness as he shifted into his human form, simply absolute resolve. “Take me.” He looked at his father before glancing at Elizabeth. “It’s time for you to run.” I go where you go. His wolf sounded resolved, and he knew they were on exactly the same page. “Rex, don’t you dare do this.” Elizabeth’s agony hit him at the same time Kendrick’s claws tore into his skin. He would never help Tristan but he would save Elizabeth. She would live the life she should have. “No!” Elizabeth yelled in a tone he’d not heard from her before. Her voice seemed to resonate off the walls, bounce off the ceiling, and fill the entire room. The pain that had dug into his chest and neck, ceased as Kendrick’s body flung off his like he’d been ripped away. Stars crossed Rex’s eyes, as he was blinded. Kendrick screamed, and Rex leapt to his feet. What the hell was going on? Damned if I know. His wolf seemed as clueless as he was. Elizabeth caught his attention. Light surrounded her, brighter than any he had ever seen. Her skin glowed a radiant gold and her eyes burned a deep black. “Elizabeth.” He called out her name but she didn’t respond, her entire attention focused on Kendrick in front of her. “You will not touch him.” She pointed at the wolf who he had thought was his father. “I will not allow it.” With the point of her finger, she raised Kendrick’s wolf form off his feet. “I will put you down, wolf. As you should have been long ago.” “Stop.” Drea’s voice interrupted the scene, but Elizabeth did not drop Kendrick. The evil witch continued. “If you hurt him, I will end her.” Rex didn’t have to look up to see who it was. Drea had a woman who had to, simply by the close family resemblance, be Elizabeth’s mother by the throat. “It will only take a split second. One dose of spell right into her artery. She’ll be dead before she hits the ground.” “Don’t bother with me, Elizabeth. Live your life.” Rex wasn’t going to let anything happen to Elizabeth’s mother. If Elizabeth had Kendrick, he’d take care of Drea. “Don’t even think of it, wolf. I’ll have her dead before you can try.” “Elizabeth.” Rex regarded her. She wasn’t meant to kill. Not with her kindness. It would change something in her he didn’t want altered. “Don’t do it. Leave it to me.” “You will go.” Elizabeth spoke through gritted teeth to both Drea and Kendrick. Rex knew if she’d talked to him like that he’d listen. Her tone bore no dispute. “And you won’t come back here or I’ll tear both of you limb from limb until you’re nothing but carnage. I can do that now.” “Yes, I can feel you can.” Drea nodded. “You took it from me. I don’t know how but you did. I’m still capable, little girl. Don’t think I can’t take down Westervelt. I still can.” Of this Rex had no doubt.

“Wait.” With a flick of her finger, Elizabeth pointed at two figures who had tried to hide in the hall. Penny and Charra. Rex raised an eyebrow. What would she do? His question was answered seconds later. Both girls dissolved from their human forms into small kittens. Hissing, they began to run in circles, chasing their tails. Drea screeched, running after their escaping forms as Kendrick took off after her. He shot Rex a look on the way out. His meaning clear: he was not done with him. Not by a long shot. They would meet another day. Before him, Elizabeth began to shake. Her glow lessoned. Rex was beside her in a heartbeat, grabbing onto her arm. “I don’t feel well.” Her mother nodded, grabbing onto her other arm. “You just took the power of the whole coven. Violently. I would imagine you’re going to faint, daughter.” “Faint? I’ve never in my whole life.” Rex shrugged. “There’s a first time for everything, witch.” She groaned before she slumped against him. Gently, he laid his now powerful witch down on the floor. Silently he memorized her face, knowing he would never see her again. “Ma’am.” Rex had never spoken to Elizabeth’s mother before. He could see her beloved features in his mate’s mother’s face. Older, weathered, the resemblance was distinct. “I owe you a debt, Rex.” He nodded. “I would argue but I can’t imagine it would matter. There is something you can do for me.” Her mother stroked Elizabeth’s hair. “What?” “I am returning home now to a fight I don’t believe we can currently win. I would not risk anyone against Drea and Kendrick. They are too powerful together.” Certainly no one in Elizabeth’s coven had ever been able to take Drea even by herself. “We would help you.” He nodded at the sincerity in her gaze. “I know. I appreciate the offer but I would not have you all die, which is what brings me to my favor.” “Yes?” Elizabeth’s mother rose to her feet from where she knelt next to her daughter. “She mated me. I don’t believe she wanted to. She saw no other choice. I would not have her pay with her life for something she had to do to save her loved ones. When I die, see she doesn’t. See that the spell binding her to me, if it even worked, doesn’t take her too. Her life is how you can repay me and how I can thank her for all she did.” Rex kept himself straight, his face impassive even as his wolf howled and his soul died.

Chapter Fourteen Elizabeth opened her eyes, and the bright light of the sun coming through a window assaulted her. She felt like she had the worst headache in the world. Had she drunk too much alcohol? Suddenly, the whole experience came back to her and she jolted upward, nearly falling off the bed as she did. “Daughter, calm down.” She swallowed, her mouth very dry. “What is going on?” “You became coven leader. The goddess gave you back our heritage. It was violent and sudden. You’ve been asleep for over twenty-four hours. I was starting to worry.” Elizabeth gripped her forehead like it might explode from her skull. If she was so powerful why couldn’t she make her head stop hurting? Just like that, it did. She blinked away the sensation of pain and everything seemed clearer. “I took the power. I could sense it flowing, throwing everything. They were going to kill Rex. Kendrick had him. He’d sacrificed himself to save me because I screwed up. Again.” “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Her mother smiled. “I can remember. As for us, we all have our powers back. You’re not stealing it, like Drea did.” She shook her head. Now that she could feel the power the way Drea must have, the way it made everything whole, the way the goddess fed everything with such light and beauty, she couldn’t begin to understand how Drea had distorted it. How had she taken what was such a gift and polluted it with such evil? “Where is Rex?” She needed to talk to him, to explain. When he’d briefly opened their connection she had felt his pain. He really believed she’d betrayed him to Kendrick, and to make matters worse he seemed to have forgiven her, which only made her feel more sick to her stomach. Her mother’s eyes widened at her question. “He left. Of course.” “What?” The room spun in front of Elizabeth’s eyes. He had left her? What? He was her mate, her other half. He held her soul. And he’d left? “He said he’d forced you into a mating you didn’t want, and he wouldn’t hold you to any promises considering he had to go and would most likely die. He asked us to free you from the spell binding you to him so you wouldn’t want to follow him. We’ve been up all night researching it and Sam thinks he’s found a way—” “No.” Elizabeth grabbed her mother’s arm. “Don’t you dare. I won’t allow it. I’m in charge now, right?” Maybe she should feel some guilt about taking her mother’s role but she didn’t. Not at the moment, anyway. Her mother nodded. “The goddess chose you.” “Then I say no one touches the spell. If there even is a spell and if it is even possible to undo it. No. If you could feel him as I feel him, you’d understand.” Rex thought she had a gentle soul? Well, he had a vulnerable one. “That jerk.” Elizabeth pounded the bed. “He still thinks no one can love him. Briefly, he believed. I know he did. And then he lost it again. What is it going to take to make him feel my love?” “Elizabeth, I’m not sure I’m following you.” “No. Of course you aren’t. How could you?” She stood up, the world righted again and she was no longer dizzy. “I have to get to Maine. I have to find a place called

Westervelt. It’s probably not on a lot of maps.” Rex needed a witch. He was supposed to bring one back with him. Had he gotten into trouble when he hadn’t? And what had happened with his father and the question of who his father was? Damn it, she had so many questions and the jerk had run away. She was going to make him apologize when she saw him. He would learn not to doubt and to at least give her the chance to say she was sorry when she was wrong as she’d been in this case. Sort of. “We’ll get you a plane ticket, but you may not be there until tomorrow. These things can take time.” She shook her head. “I don’t have it. I need to be there yesterday. I’m going to magically transport myself.” “Elizabeth, it isn’t even possible. I never could do anything like that.” “I’m sorry, Mom.” She touched her mother’s arm. “I can feel that I can. I know it like I know my name. I need to eat something, charge up, and then I can be in Maine in a heartbeat. Assuming I can find Westervelt on some kind of map.” She was getting to Rex and she would never be away from him again. “How will we work this? Are you planning on staying in Maine?” “I’m planning on helping Randolph win his fight. Then I’ll figure things out. I will not abandon this coven. Right now, however, my mate needs me.” And she needed to whack him over the head until he figured out he was loved. **** “Why aren’t you inside at the meeting?” Rex sipped his coffee. It tasted horrible. Bitter and sour, the flavor suited his mood perfectly. He had smelled Tristan approaching minutes ago. He had not anticipated his question. Staring down at the falls, which had once been his favorite hiding spot, he finally looked up at his brother—correction, half-brother’s—face. “My Alpha, I assumed you would not want me.” Tristan raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not react. Rex’s wolf wanted to cower. Pissing off the alpha was a dangerous thing. “Why would you think that?” “Because I am not a Kane.” He could have choked on the sentence. Rex did not relish being Kendrick’s son but at least he had known where he was in the pack. “Neither is Cullen. Malcolm. Jack. Dean.” Tristan took a step toward him. “You are my brother. Do you think I would value you less because you don’t have my father’s taint on you?” “Why value me at all? I may not be Kendrick’s, but I assure you, my soul is nothing to brag about. My mate did not want it.” “Oh, that.” Tristan nodded. “Yes, that.” Had it finally come to this? Was it time to punish him for failing to bring back a witch? “Have you been filled in on what happened with Angel?” Rex rubbed his eyes. Gods, he was so exhausted. Would he ever feel energized again? In the distance, an alarm signaled. There must be a wolf attack happening somewhere. They’d all gotten rather blasé about the whole thing. Attacks were constant. As long as Tristan survived, the pack could continue. Protecting him was pivotal. “She

gave you the power to find all the pack members.” “Yes. I can now feel all the members of our pack. Everywhere.” Rex smelled Theo, Michael and Cullen in the distance, approaching. The meeting must have broken up and now they wanted Tristan. How had Tristan ever gotten away from them to come here in the first place? “It must really be something. Do you suppose when this is over you’ll go find them?” “You’re missing the point here.” Tristan looked up at the sky. “Why am I not surprised?” “What?” Tristan grabbed his arm and squeezed tight. “I’m pissed as hell at you.” “Yes, I know. I screwed up. Again!” He shouted at the alpha, and even though his wolf howled for him to stop, he couldn’t help it. At that moment, he wasn’t Tristan the alpha; he was Tristan, Rex’s brother. “I didn’t bring home a witch. I’m always fucking everything up. I can’t even mate properly. Everyone finds a mate, it’s easy.” Tristan laughed. “Easy?” “But I can’t even manage to get mine to want to be with me. I only get a pretend mate. I can love her forever but she can’t love me.” “I can feel every single member of this pack, Rex.” Rex growled. “Why the fuck are you bringing it up again?” “Because, clearly, he can feel me as part of the pack.” Rex jerked like he’d been struck. Elizabeth. He whirled around. He’d not smelled her until she’d spoken. He should have. Why hadn’t he? His heart in his stomach, he couldn’t manage to form words. There she was. Beautiful, healthy and standing before him on Westervelt. Was he dreaming? Had he fallen down and struck his head? Had Tristan killed him and this was heaven? “Elizabeth, I presume.” Tristan stepped forward and gave her his hand to shake. She took it. “You must be Tristan. His brother, the alpha.” She scratched her head. “Should I bow or something? I don’t know how to do this and he’s not told me anything.” Tristan laughed. Rex could hardly think. Why did Tristan keep laughing at these really strange times? “Do people bow to you in your coven?” She raised an eyebrow. “How do you know it’s my coven?” “I can smell power when I’m around it.” “I have no idea how they’ll treat me. I’m new at this. No one bowed to my mother. But, seriously, I don’t know what to do.” “You’re human. I don’t expect a lot of bowing from you. Not to mention, you’re going to be my sister-in-law, or already are depending on how you feel about mating. Different rules.” “Are we related?” She looked at Rex like she wanted him to answer. “I think I’ll leave Rex to tell you about it. One question before I make myself scarce. How did you get on my island undetected?” “I popped in.” “Popped?” Finally, Rex couldn’t stand it anymore. “What do you mean popped? Is it safe for you to pop?” “What do you care? You left me. Unconscious. In Florida. Never to see me again.”

“And that would be my cue to leave.” Tristan turned on his heel. “You don’t miss the next meeting, brother.” They stood in silence and watched him walk away. Tristan had been a buffer and now there was none between them. She thought he left her? He set her free. What the hell was she doing here? Ask her. I intend to. If he could find his voice. “You mated me because you thought you had to deliver me to your family to get help. It was misguided but I get it. I’m certainly not going to ruin the rest of your life by demanding you as some kind of payment.” “Is that what you think?” She looked genuinely surprised, and then, to his utter horror, tears fell from her eyes. His wolf wanted to howl. Whatever had happened, he needed to comfort her. He stepped forward but she took a step back. “Let me tell you what I have to say. Don’t touch me. It’ll confuse things.” He nodded. Touching her did strange things to him; it could make things harder to understand, especially if his cock had anything to say about it. “Fine.” “I wanted to turn information about you over to Drea. Stuff about mating, about wolves. I thought she could use it somehow. It’s awful I ever thought it, but I came up with the idea before I ever even knew you. Things changed fast for me and I should have called off the idea, never phoned them. My only excuse, and it’s not a good one, is by that point I was so invested in the idea I had to go through with it.” “I told you. I understand. You can be done with this.” Her eyes flared. “Oh, can I?” “What do you want from me?” He shouldn’t be hollering at her and yet he couldn’t keep the tone of his voice down. Too much had happened for him to be calm. “I did not know Kendrick was there. I need you to believe me.” He nodded. “I do. I can even understand why you did what you did. I set you free.” “Do you love me?” Her hands were fisted at her sides. “Of course I do.” Her heated gaze softened just a bit, which made him relieved. He took a step toward her. “Why would you assume I don’t love you?” “Because you’re so extraordinary, and I’ll never be good enough for you.” “Rex, up until yesterday, no one but you could even look at me. You saw me when no one else did. I think you saw me as I truly am. That’s how I see you. I have your soul leaning against mine. It makes me feel complete. Please don’t take it from me. I love you too.” He was done being noble. If she didn’t want out, she wasn’t getting out. In two strides, he’d grabbed her. Her body pressed on his, and he suddenly felt like he could breathe again. “You’re my witch. If you want me, I’m yours forever.” She ran her hand across the stubble on his chin. “I think we have a lot to talk about.” “We do.” He kissed her nose. A noise behind him caught his attention, and before he could think he’d shoved her behind him. The explosion didn’t knock him off his feet. It was small but it got his attention. There would be made wolves any second following the hit. They always came like that. He wouldn’t have her hurt. Tristan ran through the clearing with Michael, Theo and Cullen on his heels. “Are you hurt?”

Rex could have strangled him. “Tristan, are you crazy? You’re the alpha. Get out of here.” His brother growled. “I don’t run anymore. End of story.” “Move, boys.” Elizabeth pushed out from behind him. Pointing at the sky, she narrowed her eyes. A popping noise sounded and then … nothing. No wolves. Where were they? Rex sniffed the air, looking around for an explanation but none came. “Did you block them?” She nodded. “I did.” She smiled, chewing absent-mindedly on her fingernail. “I can do it like this, one at a time, and I’ll work on figuring out how to do it island-wide in the meantime. We can keep them out. Well, we can keep them from entering that way.” Tristan grinned. “I knew you’d get us a witch, Rex.” “Is my witchness why you’re with me?” Her eyes twinkled. “Because I’m a witch.” “Yes, exactly. Because you know how much I loved witches before I met you.” “Now, I guess we just have to get Kendrick.” Tristan stretched. “No big deal, right?” Rex sighed. “I couldn’t take him. I tried but he was too strong for me in a fight. We were well-matched, but ultimately he wouldn’t have tired and I would have.” “There was only one of us who could ever really take Dad.” Theo spoke for the first time. “And if what Kendrick said is true, then Gabriel can’t be counted on. I’m not even certain where he is.” Tristan’s face fell, his grin replaced by a scowl. “I can’t feel him. He’s not dead but he’s not in the pack mix. I can’t believe he’d be a traitor. None of you would ever betray me. Still, he’s either left the pack or he’s dead.” “You would know if he was dead, my Alpha.” Cullen stepped forward, bowing slightly to Elizabeth. Rex grinned. The other man would always be and had always been incredibly formal. Nothing would change that. “I’m afraid it has to be the other option. Still, it doesn’t mean betrayal. It could just mean he left us. By the way, Rex, I knew your father. Your real father.” “Oh yes?” He squeezed Elizabeth’s hand. This was what he’d wanted. Someone who had known him. “Good man. You look just like him. How could we not have noticed?” Elizabeth pushed her nose against his arm. “We see what we want to see.” “True.” Cullen nodded. In the distance an explosion sounded. Elizabeth raised her finger at the noise. “No made wolves coming through there.” “It’s good to have you, Elizabeth.” Tristan nodded at the others who followed him back into the woods. “It is. So good.” He leaned over to kiss her, loving the feel of her softness pressed against him. “To see you.” She was his witch and he was her wolf. For better or worse. Whether he deserved her or not. He could see it. This was forever. This was what he’d waited for. “Why don’t you show me what we’re fighting to save? You’ve met my family. Now I get to meet yours, wolf.” Family. Yes. It was really all that mattered. Westervelt was his home. And Elizabeth was his mate. They would win. Suddenly, he could believe it. The End

About the Author: As a teenager, Rebecca would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes that these days, her parents think it was worth it. She is the mother of three adorable boys, and she is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months. A hardcore fan of science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal, Rebecca tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She's been told she's a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you'll enjoy the action-packed ride that always ends in romance. In her world, anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect it probably will.