Wild Cowboy Domination

Wild Cowboy Domination By

Brit Blaise Triskelion Publishing www.triskelionpublishing.net

Triskelion Publishing 15327 W. Becker Lane Surprise, AZ 85379 First e Published by Triskelion Publishing First e publishing March 2007 ISBN 1-60186-108-7

Copyright 2007Brit Blaise All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information retrieval and storage system without permission of the publisher except, where permitted by law.

Cover design Triskelion Publishing. Publisher’s Note. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to a person or persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is purely coincidental. Play Nice: Piracy is a crime and in stealing books your favorite authors do not receive royalties or any payment.

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Chapter One Manacles? Rachel Benson stared in disbelief at the leather and metal shackles attached to a steel frame. The dim light coming from the doorway made her squint for a better look. Did she dare turn on a light? “Do you see anything interesting?” Ray Wilde stood in the doorway, which led into the stock compartment of the fifth-wheel horse-trailer. Rachel tensed. She had no business in his tack room, especially no business seeing this contraption. “I heard you like to control your women, but isn’t this excessive?” She considered leaving and tamped down the urge to walk away without getting what she needed from him. Maybe the cost of learning the truth would be more than she could physically or emotionally pay. It was hard to justify wanting this man while knowing he possibly had something to do with her sister’s disappearance. However, this might be her only chance to unearth answers about her missing sister from one of the two known sources. “I can honestly say I’ve never had any complaints.” He reached to caress the leather binding. She gulped as moisture flooded her panties with his declaration. Rachel and her best friend, Pam, had plied him with alcohol all night in the hopes he’d invite Rachel to his trailer for some alone time. Did she have the guts to see it through even if it meant sex? Or had she just wanted an excuse to sleep with him? She’d wanted him long before she discovered the truth about him and his complicity in Helena’s disappearance. “Why so quiet? You want something from me…I know that much. You and your friend weren’t exactly subtle.” He leaned in nearer to her, but held back like a man who didn’t like to get too close to anyone. Dark angles, dark hair and firm muscles invaded her space. At least in the dim light of the horse-trailer, his eyes weren’t the pale, almost colorless hazel that mesmerized her earlier in the bar. The long dark fringe of lashes framing them, made them even more arresting. The man turned heads, whether on the back of a rank bull or walking by his lonesome through a crowded room. He wasn’t the most handsome man in the world, but he gave that distinct impression, and then some. “Maybe I just want your bod,” she said. “It’s all about meeting someone new for me, the initial attraction. I’m like a junkie. I crave the delicious spark of getting together with someone I’ve never been with before. It makes for unforgettable sex.” In this case, she could almost believe her ridiculous statement. He was tall for a bull-rider, well over six feet and on the lean and lanky side. The fact he went eight seconds on the back of a rank bull more often than not, attested to his strength. “That must make it hell on your boyfriends.” “Having a boyfriend would be counter-productive. I only get the rush, the heartpounding, palms-sweating, warm-all-over feeling when I’m with someone I’ve never been with before.” Rachel told a half-truth. She had all of that and more for bull-rider, Ray Wilde. However, as a rule, she didn’t do one-night-stands. Until tonight, that is. Ray picked up the leather manacle dangling from a heavy chain. “And you’re interested in becoming my love-slave for the night.”

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Rachel could tell by the sarcasm in his voice, he didn’t believe her. Did she have the courage to agree? She reached an arm toward the manacle. Hell, yes! He sucked for air as if she’d punched him. “Before you go too far, take a closer look around. These walls are steel reinforced too. What if I chained you and didn’t let you go?” He flipped a switch on the ceiling. The small rectangular light receptacle didn’t offer much illumination, but enough. Not only were the walls made of steel, there were a second set of manacles on the floor for her ankles. He’d told the truth. Once he put them on her, she’d never get out of them on her own. She dropped her arm. The tack room was small, probably no more then four or five feet separated the walls. The smell of leather and horses comforted her. Horses she understood. Men weren’t nearly as easy…especially this one. Did she dare allow him to truss her in his bizarre contraption? She examined his handsome face. His nearly black hair fell across his forehead and onto his collar. His pale hazel eyes narrowed. A muscle in his strong square jaw twitched and his full firm lips hinted she’d amused him. When Ray chuckled, he gave her backbone a nudge. Rachel raised her hand toward him a second time. “I may’ve had too much to drink. I think I’m hallucinating. I didn’t figure you for the kind of woman who’d summit so easily.” “Trust me, I’m not.” The way he’d said the word summit in a deep baritone rumble, caused internal havoc low in her abdomen, inching down to settle into a needy itch demanding to be scratched. Preferably with this cowboy’s cock! “All the better,” he said. Why did his words and the inflection in his voice worry her so much? Ray reached above his head to the ceiling to flip the light off again. Only the glow from the half-open door leading into the tiny bathroom next to the tack room, kept them from complete darkness. The living-quarters at the front of Ray’s horse-trailer would be far more comfortable than the tack room, but she’d already seen this… If Ray was into bondage and domination, Rachel needed to know how far he’d take the game. Could that have been what happened to her sister? No. Ray Wilde didn’t scare her. She didn’t doubt he had secrets, but a tendency toward violence? Could she be wrong? “What if I scream? Could someone hear me?” He paused to narrow his eyes and gave her a mysterious look she didn’t understand. If only she could see him better. “If they were close enough to the trailer…maybe,” Ray said. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt you? Trust me. I don’t get hot hearing a woman scream in fear…not even close.” “I thought doms get off making their submissives fear them?” “So you’re saying you want me to scare you? Lady, be careful what you wish. This time, you just might get it, in spades.” He took her hand in his. The thick calluses on his palms gave her goosebumps. He had strong hands, the kind she liked on a man…the kind she liked touching her naked body. There’s wasn’t an inch on his incredible frame she didn’t admire. From the top of his dark wavy head of hair, to the heels of his well-worn western boots, the man oozed perfection. This cowboy was the epitome of tall, dark and incredibly handsome. Instead of binding her right away, he edged his second hand upward along her arm

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and stopped to circle her neck. “Are you sure you want this?” With his thumb at the front of her throat, he more than likely knew she’d gulped at his question. “Yes, I want it.” When he released her hand and brought his other up to her throat, she nearly drew away. He tugged at the end of her scarf holding her ponytail in place. Strange place to start undressing her. Her hair fell free and she gave her head a shake. “I’m using this to blindfold you.” He tied scarf around her head to cover her eyes. She was about to remind him, he only needed to shut the door to the bathroom if he wanted it dark when she heard the overhead light being flipped back on. He wanted to look at her naked? Rachel gulped again. The thought of him seeing what he wanted, when he wanted, without her knowledge gave a powerful jolt to her nether regions. He yanked open the snaps on her western shirt and slipped the garment off her shoulders. He ran his warm fingers over the tops of her breast and followed the line of her bra. His intimate touch gave her pause. She wanted her seduction of him to be only about finding her sister…it wasn’t. Not even close. Did he want her as much as she wanted him? Why didn’t he say something? Anything? In the confined space, the sound of his harsh breathing made her pulse pound. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from him before he unfastened her bra. She started to turn back to face him, but he held her in place before he lifted her hair and tenderly kissed the back of her neck, his lips firm and hot. In the next instant, his teeth nipped her. Not painful, but enough to send a shiver along her spine. “It’s not too late to call it quits,” he whispered against her nape and sent trickles of desire along her nerve endings. “Nice. You’re wearing my favorite scent. Woman.” She shook her head to show him she wasn’t about to quit. He nuzzled the back of her neck again and she tingled all over while she waited for him to bite her again. “Open your mouth.” What? She hesitated, and then did as he said. A second later, he stuffed her open mouth with silky material. Her bra? “If you reach up and take it out, we’ll call it quits.” She didn’t like the gag. It completely stripped her of power. She couldn’t see, couldn’t speak, she was at his mercy. Plus, it meant he wouldn’t kiss her. Nor could she question him in the heat of the moment about her sister as she’d planned. She began to tremble in spite of herself. “If you want to keep going, put your hands on the wall in front of you. And keep in mind theses restraints were made to grow tighter when the person inside them struggles.” Were made? This guy had to be into domination big time. Rachel thought about the length of the chain. She could pull her bra out of her mouth if she panicked. She raised her hands and rested them on either side of her head. Ray took his time securing her wrists in the soft leather manacles. A second later, his hands were on her ankle. Did he intend to bind her legs? Instead he pulled her foot off the floor and pulled first one boot off and then the next one. “I hate ostrich skin boots.” Her sister had always said the same thing, but Rachel liked the look of the quill holes. What a strange thing for him to say while he got her naked. When he began to undo first her large silver buckle and then her jeans, her breath

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hitched. It’d been a long time since she had a man between her legs, far too long. He pulled her jeans down and took her panties at the same time. The cool air on her naked skin made her shiver…or was it anticipation? He helped her get her feet out of the legs of her pants, and then kissed her at the small of her back while he ran his large calloused hands between her legs. He nudged her legs apart, but instead of moving upward he ran his hands down the length of them over her calves. Interesting, he’d touched her legs before her breasts. A leg man? When he began to kiss and nip along her thigh she discovered she couldn’t think. First he delivered an almost sharp nip of his teeth, followed by a warm moist kiss which both soothed and aroused. He continued the game until she wriggled in her restraints. He stopped his sensuous assault and she heard him remove his boots when they dropped onto the floor. “You aren’t what I expected.” His voice was more rasp than sound. Ditto. Moisture flooded the place he’d yet to touch. At the sound of his zipper and rustle of his denim jeans, she groaned through the bra in her mouth. “Whatever else you want from me, this can’t be bluffed.” He inhaled loudly. “The sweet scent of your sex tells me you want me as much as I want you. Damn, I wished I hadn’t had that last shooter.” Under these circumstances, Rachel wanted him to have less control…or did she? She’d deliberately tried to get him drunk. Her friend, Pam had switched glasses with Rachel without him knowing. When they couldn’t switch drinks, Rachel had allowed her tequila to dribble out of her mouth until she’d soaked her shirt. To hide what she’d done, she’d run to the ladies room and used the hand-dryer to mask the evidence. Enough had gone down her throat to make her head spin, so Ray had to be reeling. The sound of a foil wrapper made her sober. Please don’t let this be too good. No way did she want him to have that power over her. He began to run his teeth along her arm and over her shoulder. He reminded her of a stallion nipping the mare into place. Each time he bit harder, he rewarded her with a tender kiss. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. Why? “It’s been so long since a woman….” He didn’t finish the sentence. What? What had been so long? Since a woman had done what? The movement of his arm against her told he’d heaved the loose end of the chain down. This, in turn, jerked her arm upward. Somehow he locked it in place, suspended above her head. This forced her forward against the cold wall of the trailer and gave her a jolt of reality. Once he did the same with her second arm, she had to fight to keep from struggling against the bonds. He’d lifted her until she teetered on the tips of her toes. She gave a fierce shake of her head. When he eased the gag from her mouth, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Is there something you want to say?” he asked with a husky tone. Rachel considered telling him to stop. Need raged inside her. “I don’t like the gag.” “Fine. If I do anything uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll stop. But otherwise, don’t talk. Don’t say a single word.”

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All of a sudden, he’d shown her mercy? What had changed? The raspy sound of his breath said he wanted her. She didn’t understand why he wished her to stay quiet, but what would it hurt? Rachel didn’t care to speak anyway while she enjoyed the exploration of his large warm hands over her body. When he reached both hands around the front of her stomach and downward to her sex, she groaned and allowed her head to lull back. The sound seemed to spur him to action. He moved to stand against the length of her and his long thick cock ran along the seam of her ass up to the small of her back. The heat from it branded her. Her head fit into the hollow under his shoulder blade. The clean manly scent of him enthralled her senses. She turned her head to where she could nearly touch her lips to his neck. He tucked a hand under either side of her inner thigh and lifted her. He stepped back until she hung from the manacles, but no longer had the cold wall against her belly. He brought her ass higher and separated her legs. She clutched his legs with her knees while he rubbed his cock against her seeking entrance. He was very strong and held her in place without effort. His cock pushed against her ass and then moved lower to her core. She strained to give him access. Rachel had no leverage other than to push back from the wall. She was at his mercy. If she’d been facing him at least she could wrap her legs around him and hold him in place. Ray inched his full swollen head inside her and paused. While delicious, she wanted all of him. Was this an attempt to be gentle? She didn’t want tender. The pressure building inside her demanded more. He pressed slowly until he filled her completely. And then he held himself fully seated against her without movement. Rachel started to speak to urge him on when he began to pump into her. He started slow and then quickly picked up intensity. Rachel had never come without external stimulation, but pressure deep inside steadily built until she burst fast and hard... ***** This woman spoke to the beast inside him. In nearly two hundred years, only one woman had ever called his beast. Until Rachel Benson. Every thrust deep inside her tight warmth brought him closer to the change. The hairs all over his body had thickened and the pain in his bones while they stretched made him want to throw his head back and howl. Ray couldn’t stop this mating any more than he could stop breathing. He didn’t want to stop…ever. No matter how much havoc in his life it caused, he wanted this…needed to fuck her more than he wanted to admit. She fought to move in the restraints he normally used to chain his beast. He’d never bound a woman in them…never even considered it. The irony wasn’t lost on him. The fragrance of their joining filled his nostrils and drove him wild. He wanted to taste her, but didn’t trust his beast. Her ass, snug against him, gave him a jolt of desire like he hadn’t had for a very long while. Despite the bizarre position, his penetration was deep. Pleasure overrode his sense of survival and he immersed himself in the sexual high. He lost touch with his surroundings while he focused on sliding his cock in and out of her taut warmth. The urge to nuzzle her, draw closer to her, made him pull back where only his groin

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touched her while he drove into her again and again. He wanted to run his mouth over her back and shoulders to taste her. He didn’t dare. The tang of her skin was an aphrodisiac and he didn’t need anything that could make him lose his tenuous attempt at control…all he could do was fuck. Rachel’s breath hitched and her tight pussy began to milk his cock as she thrashed into an orgasm. It seemed to go on forever and made his aching balls tuck tight. She panted and then moaned a long low growl of satisfaction. The sound traveled through him and brought him that much closer, not to his release, but closer to shifting into the wolf he carried inside him. It was a tossup, which would come first; his beast or him.

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Chapter Two “Take the seat next to the beautiful redhead.” When he was shown inside Gardner Wright’s Phoenix home by a maid, Ray thought he’d only have to contend with Gardner and not a formal dinner party. A quick look showed a man, two women and Gardner, dressed for the occasion. Ray, on the other hand, had come from training a colt all afternoon and hadn’t changed. “I’m not here to socialize. I need to talk to you in private,” Ray said. Gardner didn’t stand. Ray was about to walk back out the door when the redhead turned to look at him. Rachel Benson. Ray’s heart jumped in his chest. Why would the woman he’d fucked the previous night be sitting at Gardner’s table? This didn’t bode well. Ray had to know what Gardner was up to. He took the seat next to Rachel. Ray never imagined he’d be sitting next to this woman at a dinner table, the night after he’d fucked her and left her unconscious on the floor of his trailer. Once he’d unchained her, she’d collapsed into a dead faint. She hadn’t seen his elongated jowl, his sharp claws or the fur covering his body. He didn’t dare stick around, not with his body half-frozen in wolf’s form and someone pounding on the door. He didn’t want to think of how pleased it made him to see her again, even under these circumstances. Her smell, a unique woodsy fragrance, made him want to move his chair nearer. Instead, he inched away. This was not a time for human weakness. Nor did he care to examine her power over him. It had to be only about sex. Didn’t it? Somehow, in a short period of time, she’d gotten under his skin and he didn’t like it. Rachel’s presence in Gardner Wright’s home didn’t worry him half as much as the reason behind it. Ray didn’t trust Gardner, never had from the moment they’d met over five years earlier. Gardner knew too much about the clans living at the sanctuary, enough to get someone killed. A dinner party hosted by his arch-enemy! Ray had come for one reason…to hopefully save a young girl from Gardner’s diabolical clutches. Look what had happened to Helena when she’d become involved with Gardner. She’d disappeared without a trace and hadn’t returned. Now Gardner may have taken another of the clan members. Ray didn’t have a choice. He didn’t dare leave until he could be certain of Rachel’s safety too. So many unanswered questions buzzed in his head. How did Gardner know Rachel? Why had he brought them together, especially now? The empty place setting diagonally across from Ray made him wary of what tricks the evil bastard had planned for his four unwitting guests. Not that Ray could be caught unaware, but Gardner never did the expected. The unusual dishware had belonged to her. Helena Benruc. Everything had happened at once, as bad things tended to do in his chaotic life. Ray had found Rachel and discovered a physical union which could only be described as unique. But then, to learn she had a connection to Gardner? A young woman from his ranch had gone

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missing the previous night and Gardner claimed to know her whereabouts. Not to mention, Gardner had been in love with Helena, who’d disappeared four years earlier under a dark cloud of mystery. Now with two women missing, both with a connection to Gardner, Ray didn’t doubt his host’s wicked intentions. Gardner raised his wine glass. Ray tensed. “I see you’re admiring my dinnerware,” Gardner said. “It’s one of a kind. I used to have twelve place settings, but one is broken. I only use them on very special occasions.” Ray didn’t doubt it was a special occasion for Gardner. He probably couldn’t believe Ray had agreed to come. But what Gardner Wright called special could be a nightmare for him and anyone present at the intimate setting. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Rachel said. So far she hadn’t acknowledged Ray’s presence. It was as though the previous night hadn’t happened. She sat sandwiched between Ray and Gardner and didn’t look at him twice. If she didn’t want anyone to guess they knew each other, she went about it the wrong way. Not looking was the worse thing she could do. Hopefully, it went over Gardner’s head. Gardner cleared his throat. “Allow me to make the introductions. Ray, have you met Rachel Benson? Ray didn’t want Gardner to know he’d not only met her, he’d done much more. “I’ve seen her around, but haven’t had the pleasure.” Rachel, thankfully, remained silent. “Rachel,” Gardner continued. “This is Ray Wilde. He owns a wildlife sanctuary up north near the Verde Valley. I’m sure you’ve seen him ride bulls at one of the local rodeos you seem drawn to.” Gardner leaned forward when Rachel didn’t answer. “I can’t believe you’ve never met my Rachel. You two run in the same circles. Or should I say ride in the same circles.” His Rachel? Ray clenched his fist under the table and bile rose in his throat. “I don’t do anything in any circles.” He cast a glance to Rachel and then instantly regretted it. Her shining auburn hair hung in thick waves over her shoulders and down her back. The night before she’d worn it gathered in a thick ponytail. He’d released it then, but it hadn’t looked nearly this inviting. He wanted to reach out to touch a strand. “Please don’t call me your Rachel. You make it sound as if you own me. I’ve seen Ray ride. The bull riding events always draw a huge crowd.” “I’m Carl Benson, Rachel’s father.” The man sat at the end of the table, on Ray’s left. Ray looked away from Rachel and pinned the liar with a glare. The man smelled almost as evil as Gardner. He looked nothing like Rachel. He had a square face with coarse features and no chin. His nose was bulbous and veined, his eyebrows, untrimmed and shaggy were the same nondescript brown as his hair. His brown eyes didn’t begin to compare with Rachel’s striking green. The woman yet to be introduced must be claiming to be Rachel’s mother. She sat directly across from Ray and picked at an invisible piece of lint on her sleeve. She had no more similarity to Rachel than Carl Benson. Her short, mousey brown hair curled tight against her heart-shaped face. Her pointy chin jutted stiffly outward. The already thin line of her lips

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was pulled tight which made them nearly disappear. Mrs. Benson wasn’t a happy woman. Whatever Gardner had planned, it wouldn’t be good. The nonverbal behavior of the cast of players he’d assembled, spelled big trouble. “You never answered me,” Gardner said. “What do you think of the dishware, Ray?” The silence in the room grew louder than a scream. This wasn’t about dishes. This was about Helena. Everything had been about Helena from the day Ray had met her. She’d made it so. Ray had been with her when she commissioned the set of dishes crafted by a local artist. The colorful red winged bird emblazoned on a black surface was symbolic, but more than that. The olive branch in its mouth symbolized peace. Helena didn’t live to see peace. Or had she? And if she still lived, why hadn’t she let him know? Bile rose in Ray’s throat. Anger nearly escaped its internal chains. Helena had to be dead! And Ray didn’t want to talk about the goddamned fucking dishes! “You don’t look like you’ve aged a day since our time together in Montana,” Gardner said and twirled the stem of his glass. “I wasn’t aware we had time together,” Ray answered. “Get to the point, Gardner. You know why I’m here.” Ray had wondered how long before Gardner brought up Helena and Montana. In some ways, he was predictable. “Ray here knew your sister, our Helena. He was in love with her.” Our Helena?! Helena was Rachel’s sister? No way. The implication of a family connection with Helena blindsided Ray. Impossible. Wasn’t it? Ray wanted to look at Rachel. He should. After a statement like that, he’d be expected to see if she resembled Helena. He turned his head, to find her face turned toward Gardner. Her hair wasn’t as red as Helena’s. It was more subdued. “Ray wants to see your face,” Gardner said. Rachel turned to face him. How had he missed it? She did resemble Helena with her red hair, green eyes and porcelain complexion. Only, Rachel had a dusting of freckles over her nose and cheeks. This had to be coincidence. Gardner was trying to rattle Ray’s chain. He gave a glare to Gardner, who could barely contain a malicious smile. He wanted to taste Gardner’s blood. Fucking Gardner! The rage inside Ray brought his beast howling to the edge of his resistance. He wanted to observe Rachel’s reaction to Gardner’s show. Right then, he didn’t dare look at her again. “You knew our Helena, too?” The woman sitting across from him demanded of him. “You knew my oldest daughter? Were you lovers?” Now, all of the players had moved onto Gardner’s board game. Gardner had trapped him in an impossible situation. Did Gardner know just how impossible? Ray loved Helena with all his heart, but he’d never been in love with her. Falling in love was something he’d learned a century ago, he shouldn’t do. His heart wouldn’t take it. “I knew Helena Benruc, not Benson. And Helena Benruc was a close friend, nothing more. He met the woman’s stare with a hard glare until she looked away. It didn’t take long.

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How had they all gotten Rachel to go along with this charade? He didn’t know the woman’s relationship to Helena, but she sure as hell wasn’t her mother. Years of hearing the human voice with all its hidden nuances made it easy to detect a fabrication, even without the obvious lack of visual traits to connect them to either Rachel or Helena. “What do you mean you knew her?” Rachel said. “Is she missing like my sister?” Ray turned back to face Rachel, anticipating the emotional upheaval it would cause. This woman had a connection to his beast, Ray couldn’t understand. Just like the previous night, her sensuous voice bored into him and spoke to the beast within. Her eyes were greener than Helena’s, even while her red hair was more sedate. She was very similar to Helena. And he was a fool for not seeing it sooner! His bones began to ache and shift. The power she unwittingly wielded could be his demise. Ray needed to get control or leave quickly. She wore a low cut, sparkly top which showed the perfection of her pert breasts. Her eyes glowed from the illumination of the chandelier overhead. They were fringed with thick amber lashes. He shook his head. “I haven’t seen her in over four years. I think it’s more than likely she’s dead.” Did Rachel know Helena couldn’t be her sister? He allowed his beast to stretch and it reached its essence out to Rachel. She snapped back ramrod stiff in her chair as if she’d been pushed. The metaphysical part of him had touched her, and now, his wild beast had been pacified for the time being. For how long, he didn’t know. This was uncharted territory for Ray and his wolf. While Ray’s insides churned in turmoil, on the exterior, he remained unruffled as he looked away from her human green eyes to stare into the cold, unfeeling brown of his host. “Helena disappeared shortly after we met. I didn’t have an opportunity to know her as well as I would’ve liked. Contrary to Gardner’s opinion, we were never lovers. Not even close. Helena and I were just good friends who had a lot in common.” The sharp hiss from the woman who claimed to be Helena’s mother told him he’d struck a raw nerve. Who was she to Helena? Was she a shifter? If she was from Helena’s ancient line, he may not be able to sense it. The man who claimed to be Rachel’s father had his bushy eyebrows pulled tight in a frown. It appeared only Gardner enjoyed the dinner party. “Helena, like her namesake, was the most beautiful woman on earth,” Gardner said while he circled his middle finger around the top of his wine glass. ”Men became mesmerized at the sight of her. If she gifted them with her attention, she held them captive forever.” Gardner spoke the truth for the first time that evening. Ray agreed. Helena was indeed perfection. Rachel had similar characteristics, the green eyes, red hair and voluptuous body. Helena’s flaming red hair gave her an edge in beauty. Rachel had a darker auburn shade of red, more sedate, but attractive. “Helena was perfection.” “You both talk as though she’s dead. What’s the chance two women named Helena went missing at the same time? They must be the same woman and she’s not dead!” Rachel sounded close to panic. Did her lovely face show her emotional state? Ray wanted to look. Instead, he made a show of examining his watch and gave an exaggerated yawn into the back of his hand. He’d give his host five more minutes to get to the point. The only reason he agreed to come was because one of the young women from the wildlife sanctuary had gone missing. Gardner’s

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invitation alluded to the missing woman, Sarah. If Gardner had anything to do with her disappearance, he’d pay dearly. Gardner huffed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I’d spoken so unkindly. I don’t believe she’s deceased. In fact, I’ve dedicated my life to finding her, bringing her back from the dead, so to speak.” Ray had enough. He tossed his napkin onto his clean plate. Whatever, Gardner planned, he could damned well do it without him. “Leaving so soon?” Gardner’s lips curled into a sneer. “We haven’t had the main course. I promise it is well worth the wait.” Ray hesitated. “Please stay.” Rachel placed her hand on his arm. Prickles almost made him jerk away. If not for Gardner’s probing inspection, he would have avoided the intimate contact. His beast relished Rachel’s touch. It turned somersaults inside him and Ray couldn’t speak until she removed her hand. “I’m not much for high society as Gardner knows.” “That goes without saying. You could’ve at least dressed. You look like you’ve come straight from the barn.” Ray turned to face the man who’d spoken. The man, Carl Benson, who falsely claimed to be Helena’s father, had a superior smirk on his square face. “Haven’t you heard clothes don’t make the man?” Carl Benson wasn’t convinced. He ran his hand along the lapel of his expensive suit. Didn’t the fool realize he reeked of low class? “Father, please. Ray is a cowboy and doesn’t pretend to be anything he’s not.” The man’s face darkened at his daughter’s intervention. And her word’s stung Ray. He lived each and every day pretending to be something he wasn’t. He hid his true self from everyone except those living at the sanctuary. These people had secrets too, but they didn’t hide them well. Ray had long since mastered the art of portraying what he was not. “Your father’s right. Just because I choose to cowboy, doesn’t give me permission to leave off using my manners. I didn’t realize anyone would be here, except me. I thought there would only be Gardner and myself and maybe a young lady I’m very fond of. Her name is Sarah. And just like your sister, she’s missing” “Sarah Forman?” Rachel asked. Ray nodded, not taking his scrutiny from Gardner’s face. The smug expression didn’t bode well. Ray wanted in the worst way to knock it off. Rachel reached for her wine. “I’ve seen Sarah compete in barrels every now and then, and she’s good. I’ve ridden against her.” Ray agreed with a nod. “She’d rather ride bulls, than do barrel racing.” “Have you met Sarah’s sister?” Ray mentally jolted at Gardner’s words. “I didn’t realize Sarah had a sister.” What the hell was going on? Gardner rang a small bell at his fingertips. A petite woman dressed in a plain black dress covered by white apron entered carrying a silver tray. She wore her sandy-colored hair tucked under a white cap. When she kept her eyes downcast, Ray knew… She was one of his kind. A shifter… His beast sensed her and tensed. She eased the tray onto the table in front of Gardner and backed away. Gardner moved

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nervously in his chair. Or was he excited? Something changed with the arrival of the tray. Ray didn’t think it had anything to do with the food under the large silver dome. Or did it? Thanks, Maria. That’s all for now.” Gardner dismissed his servant and grabbed for Rachel’s hand. She flinched and jerked back before he caught hold. “Sarah’s sister met with an accident and that’s how I came to meet Sarah.” Ray’s esteem of Rachel rose in value with the gesture, but Ray’s words concerned him. “Did you treat her in ER?” Rachel asked. “No, my love. Sarah’s sister died before anything could be done. She did, however, speak of Sarah and of the wildlife sanctuary. Imagine my surprise when I connected my old friend, Ray to the sanctuary through his association with Sarah. I’d lost track of him. And then to discover, my fiancé actually knows him. If I was astounded by Sarah’s sister, I’m beside myself now. It truly is a small world.” The volume of Gardner’s voice rose as if he tried to emphasize his point. Ray didn’t hear anything beyond the word fiancé. Fiancé? Ray’s beast grew agitated. No, it couldn’t be possible. Ray didn’t know Rachel well, but he certainly knew Gardner for a liar. Ray wished he’d just get to the reason he’d brought him there. “Where is Sarah?” “Patience,” Gardner said. Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I haven’t agreed to marry you, Gardner. Nor do I know Ray, other than by sight and reputation.” “Nonsense,” Rachel’s father interrupted. “What are you waiting for, girl? Do you think a man like Gardner comes along every day? Tell him you’ll marry him.” “I don’t need or want a matchmaker, Father.” The tense interchange didn’t hold Ray’s attention. The smell of cooked fowl wafted from the fancy silver tray. The Bensons continued to talk, but their words didn’t register. “Enough about us,” Rachel said too loudly. “Evidently, Ray is here because he’s worried about his friend, Sarah. Can you help him or not?” “Why are you so short with our host?” Rachel’s father finished his wine and thumped the stem onto the table. A second later, the woman, Maria, who’d brought the tray, came to refill his glass. Again, Maria stopped short of meeting Ray’s eyes. Danger hung thick in the air. The tiny hairs on Rachel’s arm stood to attention as she watched Maria carefully pour the wine. Ray wanted to comfort her. Across the table, Mrs. Benson had a death grip on the edge of the table. The tips of her fingers turned white. The only person who didn’t seem tense was Gardner. He smiled as if feeding off the negative energy in the room. “Shall we eat before our meal is cold?” He lifted the lid. Ray heard another almost inaudible hiss from Rachel’s mother. The sound distracted him for a second and then he saw.... He had smelled fowl. The size would indicate a small turkey or… Ray understood, like a bomb exploding in his head. Who had Gardner killed? Could it be Sarah in her hawk form on the tray? Whether it was Sarah or not, it was one of the clan. Ray turned away from the horror to see Gardner’s eyes gleaming with malice as he eager watched Ray’s reaction.

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It was time to end Gardner’s miserable life once and for all. If Gardner had killed one of The Chosen he deserved a swift and merciless death. Was it Sarah, whose beast was a hawk, he’d killed? Rachel leaned forward in front of Gardner and Ray couldn’t see his face. “Take it away, Maria. I’ve told you often enough Gardner, my entire family is vegetarian. We don’t eat chicken or turkey either.” “That’s wild game. Hawk,” Gardner said. “Ray prefers red meat, but wild game is also to his liking if I remember correctly. The hawk was prepared with him in mind.” Rachel leaned back to where Ray could see Gardner again. The smirk on his host’s face would be easy enough to wipe off. Ray clenched his fist just as Rachel turned to him. He wanted to launch across the table and take hold of Gardner’s throat, but the clear green eyes searching his, stopped him. “I’m sorry for any inconvenience, but if Maria doesn’t take the dish away, I’ll be sick on Gardner’s beloved dishware. I’ve never heard of anyone eating hawk.” She shuddered. Could Ray kill him in front of witnesses? Would it be worth the years of exile he’d have to face afterwards? As the smell of the bird both enticed and sickened him, he had to get out of there. He couldn’t leave without knowing if Gardner had killed his young friend. “Sarah?” The spoken name stuck in his throat. “No, it’s not Sarah.” Ray believed him. If there was a chance Sarah still lived, then Gardner would be spared. But, hell if Ray would sit at the table with a kindred served on a silver platter. He stood, jerking the table and upsetting his wine glass. “I’ve had my fill.” “No!” Gardner started to protest, but Ray didn’t listen. He made his way to the front door with the sound of footsteps following. “I know you’re a lone wolf, but this is rude, even for you.” Gardner called out from behind him. Ray had given Gardner enough satisfaction for one night. Ray opened the door and hesitated before he turned to face Gardner one final time. Rachel had followed and pushed in front of Gardner. This was the first time he’d seen her standing in her sparkly dress. It clung to her curves, stopping several inches short of her knees. The sight of her long beautiful legs gave him pause as his cock began to communicate. Ray tried to concentrate on Gardner. “When you’re serious about talking without an audience…send a message. You found me once, I’m sure you can manage again. And Rachel, watch your back around this one or you’ll be sorry.” Ray walked out. As he climbed into his old pick-up truck, he started having second thoughts. He’d never been able to keep his cool where Gardner was concerned and did he dare leave Rachel? He had to get out of there…if Gardner suspected Ray had formed an attachment, he’d kill her.

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Chapter Three Rachel didn’t listen to Gardner’s harsh complaints as she slid into her car. No way could she leave well enough alone. She needed to talk to Ray even if she had to chase after him. She started the engine and put it in drive while Gardner pounded on her window. “Leave me alone!” Gardner beat harder. Rachel hit the gas. The tires squealed when she accelerated in the tight space and for all she knew, she’d run over Gardner’s feet. She could hear him cursing over the sound of the motor. She wheeled around the circular drive nearly taking out a decorative palm tree too near the edge of the asphalt. The large, iron security gate loomed ahead. Could Gardner manage to close it before she got through? She drove faster. At the end of the drive, she didn’t stop. The tail lights of Ray’s vehicle had almost disappeared in the distance. When she caught up to him, she used the horn to get his attention. He ignored her. Damn him! She pulled along side of him in the suicide lane and prayed no one would come because she wasn’t about to take no for an answer. She continued to honk her horn, but still no response. At the sight of headlights, heading straight toward her, he jerked over to the side and nearly careened into the ditch. Damn! She wanted to stop him, not kill him. If he’d damaged his truck, he’d really be pissed with her. She angled her car in front of his, so he couldn’t easily change his mind. After she jumped from her car, Rachel raced to the passenger side of his truck, only to find it locked. “I need to talk to you.” A click told her he wouldn’t make her beg. Thank God! She climbed up onto the front seat and tore her expensive dress in the process. When she closed the door behind her, it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. His truck smelled of leather, hay and the rich manly musk of his inimitable scent. “You heard, Gardner. I’m a lone wolf. If you don’t believe anything he said…believe that. Remove your lovely ass from my truck, right now. If I stay here another minute I’ll do something I’ll regret.” “To Gardner or me?” “I haven’t given you much thought.” She tried not to let him show how much his biting words hurt. Nor had she known they would. “What about last night?” “What about it? I had too much to drink. You made sure of that. Didn’t you get enough of what you wanted?” Was he purposely being cruel? “At least tell me what you know about my sister.” “If that’s what this is about, you may as well get back in your car right now. Your sister’s disappearance has nothing to do with me.” That’s not what she’d been led to believe. “How do I know that?” “What are you doing with Gardner?” Rachel hated Gardner, but she’d fooled everyone, especially Gardner. Did she dare trust this cowboy with the truth? This evening and the previous one had convinced her

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Gardner had to be behind Helena’s disappearance. “How much do you know about my sister?” She’d narrowed down her search to two suspected culprits in her sister’s disappearance. At first, she’d believed Ray to be the most likely, but after last night…she discovered more than sex. Or had she? That was the problem…something different had happened, only she wasn’t sure what. He shook his head. “I can’t do this.” “Is it true you loved Helena? Did she live at Great Wolf Lodge with you in Montana?” He sighed and Rachel moved closer on the wide bench seat. “She stayed at the compound for a short time,” he said. “Everyone who knew her loved her.” How much did he know? Could she trust him? She didn’t dare as much as she’d like to. “That’s very kind of you.” He made a rude sound. “I’m not kind. Far from it. Especially on this night.” He looked over at the moon cresting a nearby mountain which made it easier to see his handsome face. When he turned back to her his eyes were blazing with heat. Maybe anger? Or hunger? “I told you to go.” He reached for her so quickly she didn’t see it coming. As his head came down toward her, the moonlight brought out the fiery highlights in his dark hair. His eyes changed from hazel to pewter. His mouth came down on hers with uncomfortable force, and made it hard not to resist. She suppressed the natural impulse to pull back. Rachel didn’t care for aggressive behavior. Living day-to-day with Helena’s in-your-face aggression had taught Rachel control as a form of rebellion. Ray’s force could only be characterized as extreme aggression. Certain he wanted to make her uncomfortable, she fought back the only way she could. She took control and kissed him back hard. Rachel met the pressure of his lips with a challenge of her own making. She pushed her tongue inside the warmth of his mouth. She met with his clenched teeth and smiled inside. With a moan, he opened to her and delivered a parried thrust with his tongue. Heady sensations flowed into every part of her. Almost mindlessly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, while she sought to get closer. Need so potent it snatched the breath from her, made her both weak and strong at the same time. What was it about this man made her act so unpredictably? He drew away and eased her arms off his neck. His chest heaved with each rasping breath. “You don’t know what you’re doing.” “This isn’t about emotion. I’m taking care of myself…my needs. If you’re not interested, just say so. I know what I’m doing at all times. You started it this time and if you’re not up to finishing it, I’ll get Gardner.” Ray moved away from the steering wheel…toward her and pulled her onto his lap to straddle him. The heat in his eyes turned to anger. “I told you to leave.” Rachel reached for his zipper. She didn’t want to give him time to refuse. Her torn skirt exposed her bare thighs and made it easy to accommodate the position. When his long, thick cock sprung free, she caressed it. With the light of the moon coming through the window she could see him, and she wanted an even closer look. The large darker head

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seemed painfully swollen and a pearl of cum formed as she stared. She swiped her index finger to capture it. Would his taste excite her as much as she believed? When she delivered the pearly remnants to her mouth, he emitted a feral growl. She smacked her lips, and he groaned. His face darkened until he seemed to change somehow. Her eyes had to be playing tricks. A desperate need overtook her…rolled over her and slammed into her like a speeding train. Nothing would do, but to have him inside her as fast as possible. She reached down to claw at her delicate panties. The tear sounded loud in the close confines of the truck. She threw them aside. She rose on her knees to take him inside her, but he pushed her back. A moment later the sound of foil told her why. When he pulled her back toward him, she was more than ready. She couldn’t breath, she panted so hard. His harsh breathing matched hers. The scent of sex filled the air around them. This wasn’t normal…it was an act of desperation. When she finally positioned him where she wanted him, she tried to come down on top of his cock fast. She found she couldn’t. Pressure signaled an orgasm before she’d even begun to fuck him. She couldn’t believe it! If this was anything like the orgasm he’d given her the previous night, she didn’t know if she’d survive. ***** Ray eased into her tautness while her pussy greedily milked the length him. The woman shimmered with her orgasm! For the second time in as many days their joining sucked reason and sanity from his mind and replaced it with raw need. In the next second, he was about to humiliate himself by coming prematurely. His beast rose in a feverish rush and shredded his last ounce of control. He exploded with a roar and came in waves as she rode him. He peaked a second time and then a third while she went off nonstop. This thing between them had grown stronger the second time. He needed to end it and send her away. “Do people always jump when you bark?” she whispered once she stilled. Ray didn’t want to talk. He held her in place, not wanting it to be over so quickly. “Most of the time.” “Did Helena?” He especially didn’t want to talk about Helena with his cock still buried inside Rachel. “Never. If she had, maybe she’d still be…” “So you believe she’s dead?” He began to get hard again and she squeezed him with the hot walls of her pussy in response. He craved to move. But did he dare start again? Not while his beast waited for an opportunity to come out and play with her too. “Why else would Helena disappear?” “Perhaps she’s been taken, made a prisoner. Gardner says he’s looking into her disappearance for me.” At the mention of Gardner’s name, his cock went soft. Gardner. Gardner. Gardner. “Do you believe everything Gardner says? Are you certain Gardner’s not the reason she’s missing?” “I believe he loved my sister. I know she was engaged to marry him. She told me so. I saw the ring when she visited me once.” “Helena broke off the engagement.”

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“How do you know? Do you have proof?” A rap on the window startled her and she jumped with his hands on her hips. Fucking Gardner! The man was an idiot. Ray suppressed a growl. “I wanted to avoid this. If I kill him, you’ll have to look for answers elsewhere.” What the fuck was he supposed to do? If he moved her off his lap, Gardner would get a show. Ray ran his hand over her hip to make sure nothing showed. It was a good thing he hadn’t come to the driver’s side window, where he could see her dress had split to the top of her hip. “I wonder if there’s any way we could pretend he isn’t there.” She buried her forehead against his shoulder. “I’m not that good at pretending.” “Fuck. If he gets close enough, I’ll knock him out.” Ray turned the ignition key and reached to roll the window down a few inches. “Your parents are worried about you,” Gardner said. Gardner was an utter fool. The man had to know Ray’s cock was buried inside her. Didn’t he? How much could he see? With the window only partially down, he couldn’t get his beak in the window, although it looked like he tried. “Come with me right now. I’ll forget this ever happened.” She raised her head from his shoulder and turned to face Gardner. “Forget what happened? What I do is my business. I’m a big girl. My parents haven’t worried about me for a long time, if ever.” The woman had moxie. How many women would be so calm and collected when squeezing one man’s dick between her legs while arguing with another? Ray shifted under her and damned if he didn’t get hard again. “Back the fuck off! I walked out before I did you bodily damage. Are you sure you want to pursue this right now? You won’t live to regret it.” “Go away, Gardner,” Rachel said. “I’ll be back when I’m ready.” “Like hell you will.” Ray didn’t want her anywhere near Gardner now. If he’d killed Helena, Gardner wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to Rachel. Ray reached for the window opener and rolled it down. In the next instant, he leaned over and caught Gardner by the collar. Ray jerked him into the side of the car and smashed his face against the top of the door before pushing him away. Gardner fell where Ray couldn’t see him. If he couldn’t see Gardner, then it was safe to move Rachel off his lap. Ray picked her up and sat her aside before he moved behind the wheel. He started the truck. “You better get the fuck away,” Ray hollered. “Am I going to run over the idiot?” Rachel leaned to peer out the window. “Move out of the way.” When she grabbed for the door handle, he started the truck and pealed out. “Wait! What about me?” “Buckle up.”

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Chapter Four Gardner scrambled out of the way as Ray slammed the truck into reverse. When he crashed into Gardner’s Porsche, Ray couldn’t help but smile. He stopped, shifted into drive and pulled forward just enough to deliver another good hit to the expensive car when he backed again, this time sending it into the ditch with the sweet sound of a crash. “Stop!” Rachel demanded. “What are you doing?” Ray stared over at his unwelcome passenger, huddled against the door, but still able to vocalize her disapproval. Good for her. She’d need every drop of courage she could muster before they’d finished with Gardner. “I’m probably saving your life. Do you honestly believe he’d allow you to live after what he witnessed back there?” “You think Gardner would kill me?” “Maybe not right away. He’d wait until you gave him good reason…maybe if you broke one of his precious place-settings.” “That’s not the Gardner I know.” “Fuck the Gardner you think you know. I don’t need this complication in my life any more than you want it.” Now why was he taking his frustration out on her? Fear of what might linger around the proverbial corner? If this little conflict made her come unglued, what would she do if he shifted into his wolf in front of her? What would the wolf in him do to her? It evidently wanted to get to her as the pain and roiling inside him attested. “Where are you taking me?” “I’m taking you to the sanctuary. You’ll be safe there until I can figure this out.” Since he’d only been in Arizona a little over four years, he’d figured he had a long time before he had to move to a new locale. Now everything had changed. He enjoyed the life he’d carved out as a bull-rider. For the first time in many years, he had fun. He’d cowboyed in Montana, but not in the public eye of the rodeo circuit. Before Arizona, he’d been a cowboy for over a hundred years on the family ranch, and it was a hard life to give up. “I figured I had a couple of good years left here. This night has blown my life to hell. I can’t stay here and I don’t dare go back to Montana. Helena made sure of that.” “Because the authorities in Montana consider you a suspect in her disappearance?” “I didn’t have anything to do with her disappearance. And enlighten me about this sister story you have going. Helena could no more be your sister than I could.” “Why are you questioning my word? Helena is my sister.” Ray pulled the truck over and flipped on the interior light. “Look at me and say it again.” She swept her long auburn hair back with her hand and frowned. “Helena is my sister.” “Fuck,” Ray said and slammed his hand into the steering wheel. She believed what she said. “My mother had Helena when she was quite young, and then I came along much later. I’m afraid the difference in age kept Helena and I from enjoying a close relationship, but I love her with all my heart. And I’d give anything to know where she is, and why she hasn’t

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contacted us.” “And how’s your relationship with your mother?” Ray pulled back onto the road. “Why would you ask that?” “Why are you so defensive?” She sighed and shuddered. “I don’t have a relationship with my parents. I went away to boarding schools all my life. Summers and vacations, I spent with household staff. It’s only been since Helena’s gone missing my parents have paid any attention to me.” That would explain a lot. “Did your parent’s finances suffer with Helena’s disappearance?” “How would you know that? Who are you and how do you know so much about my private life?” Ray wished he didn’t know. How could he make her understand? He reached to his belt for his cell and flipped his phone open. He depressed the single number to the ranch and put the cell to his ear. Elena answered after a single ring. “It’s me.” Elena gave a chuckle. “Who else would it be? Anyone else would call the business number. When will you be home?” “I should be there in a little over an hour or so. Could you get one of the guest rooms ready? I’m bringing someone home.” “Someone? A woman?” “Yes, a woman, Elena. Does that make a difference what room you put her in?” “Don’t be silly.” Click. Ray looked at Rachel and shrugged. “She hung up. You’ll like Elena. She was close to your…to Helena.” “People at your wildlife sanctuary knew Helena?” “Most of them did. You can pick their brains until they want to drop you off a cliff. Just so you stay out of my way.” As soon as the harsh words left his mouth, Ray wanted to call them back. But it was for her own good. Many of the tales of werewolves came from folklore and the basis in reality little resembled the truth. However, the pull of the full moon did call to his beast and tomorrow night the lunar zenith would bring about the change. Ray could only imagine Rachel coming face-to-face with the terrifying beast. Even the other were-creatures inhabiting the sanctuary stayed their distance at his time of the month. Only the two she-wolves would welcome him. What would they say when they saw Rachel? Complications. And just when he thought it couldn’t get more complicated…his wolf decided to come out and play, full moon be damned. Rachel grabbed for the wheel just as the truck careened left of center and narrowly avoided an on-coming car. “What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to get us killed?” Ray wrested the wheel away from her and pushed her away. There was a road ahead off the main route. He needed to get there before… His fingernails lengthen. It wouldn’t be long before she’d see. One more mile… Ray made the turnoff before driving onto the brim. Thankfully they weren’t anywhere near any of the numerous drop-offs that could’ve easily plunged them to their deaths. Ray jerked his phone from his waist and hit a single programmed number before he threw it on the

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floor and got out of the truck. He needed to get far away from her before he shifted into a wolf in front of her. ***** Rachel didn’t know what to do. Ray appeared to be having seizures. She reached for her door and he slammed his fist into the front fender. “Stay!” Okay. So much for that. She folded her arms across her chest and refused to even look at him. When she heard what sounded like a wolf howl, she reconsidered. Only Ray was nowhere to be found when she scanned the area. And there were no wolves in this part of the Arizona desert. There hadn’t been for years. She grabbed for the door, heard a second howl, and locked the door. For good measure, she reached over to lock Ray’s door. About two seconds later, her conscience got the better of her and she got out of the truck to find him. She left the door open just in case she needed to make a hasty retreat. First she needed a weapon. “Don’t take this as a sign of weakness,” she told any invisible creature who might be about to pounce and picked up a jagged rock twice the size of her hand. “Ray. Where are you? Are you all right?” This had to the weirdest night of her life…all twenty-four years. Why had he kidnapped her only to leave her alone in the desert? She hesitated to step further away from the truck. “Damn it. Answer me.” Nothing. She listened as hard as she could for any sound to reassure her. The full moon shed its cloud-cover and she could see a good distance, but no Ray Wilde. Rustling in the bushes nearby made her retreat a step. “This is nonsense. Come on, Ray. Where are you?” The sound of a growl sent a shiver down her spine. “Ray,” a male voice called from behind her. She hadn’t heard a car approach. How could anyone happen upon them in the middle of nowhere? Rachel jerked around to see a dark figure approach from the opposite side of the truck where she stood. “Who are you?” “Cade Wayne, ma’am.” Rachel had seen the freckle-faced Wayne men around the rodeo circuit for years and there were so many of them. You couldn’t go to any rodeo in Arizona without running into a Wayne, mostly competing in the calf-roping. “I’d know that flaming red hair anywhere. But how you came to be here in the middle of the desert calling for Ray is beyond me.” “Isn’t this Ray’s truck?” “I’m certain you know it is.” Why didn’t he answer her question? How had Cade miraculously appeared searching for Ray? “Did you find him?” came another voice and soon Rachel saw the top of a second redhaired head. “Over here, Cole. I found Rachel Benson, but not Ray.” This was too much. The Wayne twins had appeared from thin air. “How did you guys get here?” Neither of them spoke. Fine. They could find Ray. “I’ll wait in the truck until you locate Ray. It looked as if he

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was having seizures, but he didn’t want my help.” Cole turned back in the direction he’d come and headed into the desert, still calling for Ray. Cade opened the driver’s door on Ray’s truck at the same time Rachel got in the other side. “Did Ray want you to come to the sanctuary?” he asked. “Are you going to answer my question? How did you know to come here and search for Ray?” “We have an emergency number Ray dialed.” “I saw him dial his cell.” She reached down to pick up the phone lying open on the floor near her foot. Cade rudely grabbed it from her hand and flipped it shut. “I’ll make sure he gets this back.” “Cole was already in the area to watch Ray’s back. I was not too far away. And a friend from the ranch called to say Ray was having a little trouble.” “Ray didn’t talk on the phone…how did you know to come here? To this exact spot.” “GPS.” “How does that work?” She wasn’t convinced. Cade shook his head and sent a red curl into his eyes, he swept back. “No more questions until you answer mine. Did Ray want you to come to the sanctuary?” “Ray abducted me. He’s taking me there against my will.” Cade laughed until she wanted to smack him. “What’s so funny?” “It isn’t like Ray to do something so stupid. This is going to be good.” He slapped his knee and started the truck. “Aren’t you worried about him? He could be sick.” “Ray will be fine. I’ll finish what he started and drive you to the ranch.” Rachel wanted to argue. But maybe it would serve Ray right for the way he yelled at her if she allowed Cade to drive away with her. Besides, Ray told her to stay away from him. And, despite her claim he’d abducted her, she wanted to go to the sanctuary. She wanted to talk with people who knew her sister in the worst way. She fastened her seat belt as Cade surged the truck onto the road. They hadn’t driven far when it occurred to her maybe Cade knew her sister. “Did you know my sister? Helena?” “Helena Benruc? No, you couldn’t mean her. She couldn’t be your sister.” “Helena Benson. Long, fiery red hair, pale flawless complexion, green eyes and men claim she’s the most beautiful woman in existence.” “Sound’s like one and the same, but I’ll say it again. The Helena I knew wouldn’t be your sister. Both her mother and father died a long time ago. Well, before you were born. Plus, my oldest brother, Jon, would’ve said something. He’s loved Helena all his life. “If the Helena I believe is my sister is so old, wouldn’t she be too old for your brother too?’ “Maybe we should talk about something else.” Maybe we shouldn’t talk at all.”

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Chapter Five After two days, Rachel still had no new information to go on in her search for her sister. Everyone at Wilde Animal Sanctuary knew Helena Benruc, but not Benson. And the disappearance of Sarah had the entire sanctuary in an uproar. It was too much of a coincidence two women named Helena were missing, but everyone insisted the Helena they all knew couldn’t be her sister. Ray still hadn’t shown his face, but no one seemed worried except her. The only bright spot was Elena Wayne, the mother of Jon, Cade, Cole, Ace and Parker Wayne. Elena took care of the main house and helped cook meals for everyone there. There were so many coming and going at all hours of the day or night, Rachel didn’t know if the sanctuary was for injured and endangered animals or displaced people. While she relaxed in an over-stuffed chair in Ray’s library, the sound of boots scraping over the wooden floor distracted her from the open book in her hands. More than likely Cade had found another way to make himself useful. In the last twenty minutes, Cade had brought her a vase of flowers for the table next to her, an afternoon cup of tea and a piece of beef jerky. What next? “I have something for you.” Rachel looked up to see Ray in the doorway. She jolted and slammed the book shut. He looked perfectly delectable in his faded denims and tight white T-shirt. His dark hair, damp like he’d come from a shower, clung to his face and neck. The sight of him made her sex clench. How could she stay mad at a man who easily excited her like this one? She wanted to ask what he had for her, but didn’t want to appear overly eager. Besides, she was more than content to feast her eyes on him. The muscles on his lean body weren’t bulging, but they we none the less lethal. Ray Wilde had to be the best-looking cowboy she’d ever seen in her life. Should she show him how pissed it made her that he’d taken so long to show his face? If he didn’t look so damned good… “I see you’re still alive. You have the strangest friends. No one seemed worried in the least when you didn’t come home.” Except her. Not to mention her ego had taken a bruising. She’d thought maybe he wanted her at the sanctuary— for himself. He gave her a crooked smile and walked nearer. She’d never seen a hint of a smile on his gorgeous face until that moment. The sight made her heart jump in her chest. She clutched her hand to her bosom to hide the evidence of how he affected her. “I’ve been with Cole the entire time,” he said. “Of course no one worried. Now Sarah is another matter. Cole and I have come up with a plan if you’re willing to help.” Rachel laid her book on the stand next to her and tapped it with her forefinger. “I wouldn’t have figured you for the type to have romance books in your library.” “That’s a romance? I thought it was about gargoyles.” He gave her a second silly grin and a dismissive wave. “Do you want to hear our plan or not?” Once again, she found herself in an emotional fuddle over the sight of his smile. What would happen if and when he gave her a full-fledged smile? She didn’t dare consider what it would do to her. “I thought you said you had something for me.”

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“Right.” He tucked his large hand into his front pocket on his tight jeans and stepped closer to give her a photograph. “Here. Now you tell me…is this the woman you believe to be your sister?” Rachel took the wallet sized picture, anxious to finally see the sanctuary’s Helena. The well-worn head-shot showed a woman with striking red hair, slightly slanted green eyes and pale complexion. It could only be one person… “This is my sister.” “I was afraid you were going to say that. Elena?’’ he called. Elena peeked around the door frame only a moment later. Her graying red hair, pulled tight into a bun, made her dimpled face even more round. But she had a friendly freckled face and Rachel didn’t think she’d ever tire of seeing it. “I think we need a meeting of the clan, right now if possible. Especially you and your sons. This affects you more than the rest of us.” Rachel hugged her arms to her chest. “The clan? Could this get any stranger?” “Trust me. Before we’re done with you, it’s going to get as strange as it can possibly get and then some.” A short time later, people started to file into the library. All the Wayne men and Elena came first, but soon others crowded into the room, both men and women. Before long, Rachel counted fourteen heads. “I’m calling this meeting because we need to do everything within our power to save Sarah, before it’s too late. Gardner has her. I don’t know where or how, but he does. And who of you knew she had a sister…part of the hawk clan.” One of the women cast Rachel a dubious stare and then raised her hand. “Her sister lived up north in the rim country.” “She doesn’t live at all any longer,” Ray said. “Gardner encountered her in the emergency room. He’s back to practicing medicine again. This time he’s in Phoenix.” The group murmured among themselves at Ray’s words. It seemed she’d been right to think Gardner more than likely had something to do with Helena’s disappearance. “He served Sarah’s sister as the main entrée for dinner the other evening. I had to restrain myself from killing him with my bare hands.” What was Ray talking about? “Should we be speaking in front of her?” one of the women asked. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. Helena would want us to keep her daughter safe. I don’t know if it’s too late for Helena, but we can protect Rachel and do our best to bring Sarah home.” One of the Wayne men stepped forward to stand next to Ray. “Helena doesn’t have a daughter. I should know.” Rachel recognized him as the eldest of Elena’s sons. “Yes, you should know, but Helena evidently didn’t tell you about Rachel. Helena had gifts of prophesy as well as her other powers and none of us understood her…even you.” “But if she’s Helena’s daughter, then that would mean…” “Rachel’s your daughter too, Jon. For whatever reason, Helena believed she could keep Rachel safe by not revealing her existence to anyone, not even you.” Rachel didn’t know what to think. She drew her legs up and hugged her knees to her chest. This wasn’t possible!

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She stared in disbelief at Jon Wayne, who stood only a few feet from her. He stared back. He shook his head and moved closer, searching her face. “She has my freckles, but I don’t see anything else.” “How about the fact she rodeos despite being raised in hoity-toity boarding schools?” Ray said. “How about the fact, she looks like her mother…and you? The woman Helena hired to play the part of her mother doesn’t resemble either one of them and the father…is a con man. Helena could’ve done better.” “Helena wouldn’t have dared to have a baby and not tell me,” Jon Wayne huffed. People stepped aside allowing Elena to move nearer her son. The confusion and shock on their faces made Rachel shudder. How could any of this be possible? “I should have told you,” Elena said to Jon Wayne. Rachel gasped at the harsh and painful words. Elena looked away from Jon to Rachel and then back. Tears slid down Elena’s face, but Rachel could only deal with her own tumultuous emotions. This was an ethical and moral nightmare. “Helena made me promise not to say anything to you. You were so young and you’d just learned about your…gift. And then later, Helena told me she’d lost the baby so I saw no reason to break your heart.” Elena glanced back to Rachel. “I didn’t know you lived. Although from the moment you arrived I felt a kinship.” “How old are you?” Jon demanded of Rachel. “Twenty-four.” Jon—her father?—frowned and rubbed his temples. “How could Helena do this to me? This explains a lot.” “We’ll worry about what Helena did later, right now we need to concentrate our energy on saving Sarah,” Ray said. Rachel didn’t know Sarah and she wanted answers right then. “My father is a cowboy and my mother is…what? Dead? Is that what you all believe?” Ray kneeled down next to her. “I’ll talk more with you in private about Helena. Right now we all need to come to a decision about Sarah. I think you can get into Gardner’s house to search it. If you show back up at Gardner’s claiming I’ve hurt you, Gardner will believe it and take you in.” He wanted her help? Help to find a woman she didn’t really know? “First, you tell me I have a daughter and then you want to throw her to the devil himself. No. Rachel stays here with us.” Ray straightened. “Gardner has plans for her. He’d never believe we’d use her to get information. We have to decide if we can trust her with our secret.” “If she’s Helena’s and my daughter, we can trust her.” The murmuring started again. Ray walked up behind her chair and leaned close to her ear. “If Jon is pissed with me now for wanting your help with Gardner, imagine what he’ll do when he learns I fucked you.” How did her life get so complicated? So fast? “Shall we take a vote then?” Ray put a hand on either of her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. “All in favor of sharing our secret with Helena’s daughter raise your right

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hand.” A quick look at the faces surrounding her, made Rachel want to close her eyes. Whatever this secret was that Ray wanted to share—it scared the shit out of most of them. Jon Wayne, however, didn’t hesitate. He raised his hand first, followed by the rest of the Wayne men and their mother. Did that mean he believed she was his daughter? With six members of the Wayne family voting in the affirmative, the rest of the crowd slowly reached the same conclusion. If this secret was bigger than learning she had a family she never knew about…she didn’t know if she wanted to hear it. “Let’s see then…Cindy,” Ray said. “I think you’d be the least intimidating of all of us to show Rachel. You can be a transitional example to help her get used to those of us who are more hairy and have sharp teeth.” A small woman perched on a stool, stood up and gave Ray a salute. “Yeah, right. It’s unpleasant for all of us to see you hairy. Where do you want me?” “Come closer to Rachel, but not too close. I don’t want to scare her,” Ray said. The woman, Cindy, paused to look at Rachel. “It’s not as painful as it looks. Not for me anyway. Ray says it hurts him like hell.” “Wait, wait,” Elena said. “Let me get a towel, this always makes a mess on my clean floor.” “Not now, Mom,” one of the Wayne’s said. In the next moment, the woman began to convulse much like Ray had in the desert. Why didn’t anyone help her? In fact, no one even seemed surprised. The woman rolled into a ball on the floor and ripped at her clothes. Horrified, Rachel didn’t know what to do. What was wrong with these people? How could they do nothing when the woman obviously was having a serious medical problem? Or was it mental? “Help her!” She jumped from her chair, but Ray caught her under the arms and restrained her. “Just wait,” Ray said. “It won’t be long now. She is starting to molt.” “Molt?” What the hell did he mean by that? People didn’t molt. “Are you fucking crazy?” ***** Rachel huddled in the chair. Ray didn’t know what to say to make it easier. Rachel hugged her legs to her chest and didn’t speak a word. Her green eyes widened as she stared at Cindy, in her red-tailed hawk form, perched on the stool she sat on before she’d shape-shifted. Elena touched Rachel’s shoulder and she flinched. “Dear, dear!” Elena tisk-tisked. “There has to be a better way to do this. The poor dear is traumatized.” Rachel wouldn’t speak to her father or Elena. Ray decided to take her to his room, away from all the faces who eagerly watched for her to react. Not that he blamed them. If word of their secret lives reached the wrong ears, they could all end up dead. When he plucked her out of her chair and began to carry her, she didn’t protest. When she looped her arm around his neck, he breathed a small sigh of relief that she accept his touch. Ray hesitated and glanced to Jon. “I’m taking her upstairs. Maybe she’ll feel more like talking if we’re alone.” Jon frowned and then nodded. If her family didn’t like his relationship with Rachel,

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then he may as well find out sooner rather than later. He brought her up the staircase and into his suite where no one dared disturb them. An unwritten rule at the sanctuary assured them privacy. Since everyone living on the ranch was a shifter, no one would come into his room without good reason…life or death. Rachel reached up to touch his face as he nudged the door shut with his foot. “How long have you known about me?” she whispered. He lowered her to her feet before he did something she might regret. She didn’t need him… With all the excess baggage a shape-shifter brought to the table, she’d be crazy to get seriously involved with him. “I became suspicious the night of Gardner’s dinner party. I knew the man and woman who’d claimed to be related to you were lying. I could see the resemblance between you and Helena and I knew you really believed her to be your sister. That’s an advantage of having lived almost two-hundred years. I can tell when someone’s lying. “Two-hundred years?” Ray wanted to get into his problem. He had no desire for the thing between them to be over before it really began. And there was definitely something between them. “Are you a hawk, too?” she asked when he didn’t answer fast enough. “My beast is a wolf.” He watched her reaction closely and she didn’t blink an eye. Good girl! “So it was a wolf I heard in the desert.” She gave a shake of her head sending her ponytail back over her shoulder. He wanted to loosen it and see the glorious auburn tresses in riot around her in the sunlight bathing her from the window behind them. He wanted…her. Her scent filled his head. “I didn’t think I could keep the wolf in me away from you. I didn’t trust myself with you.” And at that moment, he ached for her. He only needed to raise his arm to touch her. She hadn’t moved. She leaned into him and placed her hands on his chest. “This whole affair wasn’t about you and me. But, I made it about us when I purposely seduced you in the bar the first night, didn’t I?” He looped his arms around her, when he really wanted to crush her to him. “I knew I was a foregone conclusion, but I just didn’t know why you wanted me so badly.” She blinked her beautiful green eyes and then buried her head against his chest. “I’m sorry. I just should’ve been upfront with you.” “So you’re sorry we…” Ray didn’t want to hear regrets. He needed her to want him. Desire rose so strong and urgent, he had to fight off the urge to kiss her. He wanted her to make the first move. Her head on his chest didn’t qualify, no matter what his beast said. She pulled her head away from his shoulder to look up at him. “Why do you have manacles in your trailer?” His manacles. “I use them if my beast decides to give me problems. Generally, I know when it’s going to happen, but there are times…they’re my safety net if I’m in a public place. It’s my way of offering protection to the population at large when the urge overtakes me.” “And I assumed you used them for sex games.” Her face turned pink and her freckles were more pronounced. “Why did you play along with it?” “Play along? I enjoyed myself until you called my beast. At that point you almost outed me. Thankfully, Cole and Cade were nearby to offer help. They watched over the

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trailer while your friend came to rescue you. They distracted her and I slipped out the back.” “So my uncles know about us…that we…” Her face was as red as her hair. “Is there an us? Would you have willingly slept with a half-man, half-wolf?” Rachel pushed back out of his arms. His heart ached. When she began to shrug out of her sweater, the ache became elation. She dropped the garment, but Ray had no idea where it landed. He was too busy staring like an idiot. She wore nothing beneath the sweater. The delectable sight of her milky white globes with pale mauve nipples standing to attention made his breath hitch and his cock harden more than it had when he first took her into his arms. Why so nervous? Ray began to tremble as he waited for her next move. He couldn’t remember the last time anything had been this important. This is life-altering. “I’m willing to make love to you…really make love with you for the first time,” she said. Why did he hesitate? His feet were cemented to the floor. Rachel ran a hand over her breast, where he’d been staring and hadn’t realized. When he looked up to her beautiful freckled face, she smiled…really smiled. The radiant glow did for his feet what her breasts couldn’t. He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her and drew her against the length of him. Rachel linked both arms around his neck and lifted on her toes. She brought her mouth within a hairsbreadth of his and waited. The sweet aroma of mint curled into his nose and the warmth of her breath excited him beyond comprehension. He was in over his head. “Wolves mate for life.” Now why the fuck had he said that?! Ray couldn’t meet her eyes, but she reached to tilt his head where she could see into his soul if she cared to look. “Maybe people should too,” she whispered. Her words produced the momentum to seize control. He held her tight against him and kissed her. The taste of her caused chaos inside his body. His beast rose. Just once he wanted to make love without interference. “Easy,” she whispered into his mouth. Was she talking to his beast? His wolf growled, but settled. Never in his life had anyone controlled his beast other than Ray, and he’d only just managed. “Easy,” she said a second time and for the first time ever when Ray held a half-naked woman in his arms, he couldn’t sense the presence of a hungry, horny wolf.

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Chapter Six Ray stood by the side of his king-sized bed, naked from head to foot. It humbled Rachel to see such a magnificent male ready to give her pleasure. His long lean body showed not an inch of excess except maybe there… His had a perfect body, the most spectacular she’d ever had the privilege to see, let alone touch. Oh, how she wanted to touch him. His cock jutted out toward her, proud and potent. She had him inside her twice, but somehow this time the meaning had changed. She’d changed…forever. A flood of moisture between her thighs from excitement and anticipation made her grab for him to hurry him along. She wanted to take her time with him. But she didn’t want to take her time…even more. Rachel sat on the edge of his bed, just as naked as he. Normally, she’d be selfconscious, but she could only think of him. When he took a step neared, she reached for him and bent over to place a kiss on his cock while she circled him with her hand the best she could. He leaned into kiss…all the encouragement she needed to drop to her knees and take him into her mouth. Ray threaded his hands in her hair and moaned. She alternately sucked and licked around the firm velvety top and stopped to nibble on the tag of skin on the underside. He took her head into his large hands and pushed forward only a little, but enough to send a message. She lowered her mouth over him and took him deeper until he touched the back of her throat. She began to swallow, but panicked and pulled back. Not one to give up easily, she took a deeper breath and began again. This time she worked him further before she needed to release to breathe. She stopped to look up at him. He smiled at her. Beamed really. She’d wanted to see a full smile on his handsome face and she’d gotten her wish. It curled her toes. He bent down to catch her under the arms and lifted her for an open-mouth kiss that left her breathless. “No more. As good as that feels, I want to come inside you.” Lifting her with ease, in one forward motion, he took them both to the center of the bed. Ray rested on one side of her and anchored her to the mattress with his weight of his leg over her. His cock lay along the side of her hip, enticing and warmer than the rest of him. When she caressed the dark hair on his muscular pecs with the tips of her nails, he moaned and gave her a crooked grin “As much as I want to take my time with you, we have to get back to Phoenix soon,” he told her. He kissed her neck and began to work his way down toward her breast. Each touch of his lips set her on fire. His tongue was magic as he swirled over her nipple and caused a riot inside her. A second later he began to move lower, kissing and nipping his way over her belly. He didn’t stop until he settled between her legs and nudged them further apart. When he used both thumbs to separate the folds of her sex, she pulled up on her elbows to watch. Both vulnerable and wanton at the same time, she couldn’t resist. He glanced up at her, his hair ruffled and his eyes heated. He gave her a wink before burying his face. He laved her from clit to core and back again to concentrate on her little friend. Rachel wanted to scream from the pleasure, but held it inside in case anyone might

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hear. Holding still was another matter. She involuntarily ached toward the ceiling, both mentally and physically. It only took him seconds to bring her to the brink. She slammed her head back and grabbed the sheets with both hands as she tried not to come too quickly. As she crashed over and the first wave slammed into her, so did Ray’s cock. He buried himself deep inside her as she crested. ***** She squeezed his cock with her contractions until every lucid thought left his brain. Ray could only think about the explosion about to rip him apart. He thought each thrust he delivered into her tight heat would be his last. His balls loosened, but the off-the-charts internal push to detonate with each pump didn’t. Ray worked it. In and out…in a feverish pitch. He trembled. When Rachel cried out a second time, he lost it. He came so hard it lifted both of them from the bed. He entered a place of pleasure he’d never been, more mental than physical, and he kept coming. When the spiral brought him to a pinnacle more emotional than he’d ever known sex could be, he did the only thing he could do. He kissed her long and hard, using his tongue to communicate what she did for him…to him. A languid boneless peace eventually settled upon his spent body as he sucked the plump curve of her lower lip into his mouth. She opened to take his tongue and gently sucked him back. He began to harden inside her again. How did this woman make him go from completely spent to rock hard in seconds? Ray started to move his cock deeper when an orgasm hit him so hard he saw stars and his beast screamed at the same time. He could feel her smile against his mouth as he held onto her, almost afraid to move. So soon? He couldn’t believe he’d come a second time when only moments earlier he’d experienced the most explosive orgasm of his life. What the hell had just happened? And please let it happened again and often! “Good boy,” she whispered. Was she talking to his beast? ***** Ray steered to the side of the road and cut the motor. When he turned off the headlights, it took a few seconds for Rachel to grow accustomed to the darkness. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Cindy can see inside most of the windows,” Ray said. “The Coles will be in the big Mesquite tree in the rear. And Dave is in the handbag Elena gave you.” The news gave her a jolt. “Now you tell me! I wondered why it was important I have this purse. I thought maybe you’d given me a gun to carry. I hope I’ve been gentle with him.” Rachel tried to remember if she‘d tossed the bag onto the floor of the truck or laid it down gently. “So that’s why you told me to leave it unzipped. I should’ve known. Did you tell me what Dave is?” “He’s a wererat,” Ray said. “So are Karen and Thomas, but neither of them have the experience to help us with something so potentially dangerous for us all. Gardner may only

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be one man, but he’s as evil as they come. When you first get inside the door, find a reason to put your bag on the floor and then distract Gardner. And don’t forget this.” Ray touched the gold necklace he’d given her, his hand warm against her skin. Rachel was still trying to wrap her mind around having a wererat in her purse. She covered his hand with hers. The necklace didn’t look like it, but it was a whistle. Although when she blew it, she didn’t hear anything except air. Ray, on the other hand, jumped out of his skin when she’d blown it while sitting next to him on the drive to Gardner’s house. “Just put your lips together and blow. I’ll break the fucking door down to get to you.” Rachel had never just shown up at Gardner’s door. The fact it was late at night made it worse. Ray had stopped several doors down just out of sight and she walked up to the gated drive. The Southwest-style, stucco multi-story houses were impressive, but only on acre lots so Ray’s truck wasn’t far away. Just on the other side of the gate sat her Miata. All of a sudden she had the perfect reason for being there. She hadn’t considered Gardner would take her abandoned car back to his house for safe-keeping. She figured the people she’d believed to be her parents would’ve seen to it. She depressed the button on the gate and waited. On either side of the iron fence were cameras. “Yes?” a female voice said from the speaker next to the button. “Rachel Benson. I’m here to get my car.” “Just one moment, Miss Benson.” A short time later the hydraulic gate grated open. Lights in the front of the house and down the walkway came on, all at once. Gardner burst out the front door and approached too fast…confrontational. The menacing scowl on his face confirmed her impression. “It’s about time,” he said angrily when he reached her. “You have some explaining to do.” “Not now, Gardner. I’m worn to frazzle and I didn’t get a single answer to what happened to my sister. Everything I did was for nothing.” Gardner paused. The tight single line of his eyebrows eased and he gave her a thoughtful stare. Rachel needed to get inside his house. “The other night when you said Ray Wilde knew my sister in Montana, I knew I had to do whatever it took to get answers from him. Only Ray didn’t have answers or at least none he cared to share with me. He’s not a very nice man. I wished you wouldn’t have pushed me into his arms to get information.” “I pushed you into his arms?” he shrieked. “Jeez, Gardner. Get a grip. You know how important it is for me to find my sister. If you can’t handle that, I’m out of here. Where are my keys? Why didn’t my parents take my car with them instead of leaving it here with you?” “You’re keys are inside. Fucking a cowboy didn’t give you the answers you wanted? Imagine that.” He took a step nearer and Rachel had to fight the urge to retreat. His fists were clenched at his side and any minute she suspected he could use them on her. She needed to be strong. “If you’re going to be nasty about this, I’ll wait right here while you get my keys. I have enough to deal with. I don’t need this right now.” “You don’t think I have a right to be pissed.” “No, I absolutely don’t. I’ve never agreed to be your wife. I’ve told you that more

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times than I can count. Twenty-five is too young to settle down. And I won’t even consider marriage as long as my sister is missing.” The suspicion and anger in his eyes didn’t give her much hope of getting inside his house. Maybe she should try another tactic. “Get my keys or I’ll report you’ve stolen my car.” Gardner glared at her and then shrugged. “Come in. We need to talk.” If she allowed him to believe she was anxious to enter his house, she’d lose the opportunity. “No, I’ll wait here.” “Are you afraid to come in the house with me?” “Of course not. I just don’t want to hear any more of your complaints about how I’ve disappointed you.” His face turned still darker. “I won’t say anything else tonight. I promise.” She shrugged and followed him. On the other side of the front door, she hesitated. She had to get the purse on the floor where Gardner couldn’t see. “I really could use a glass of wine. Do you mind? And I need to use the little girl’s room.” She didn’t wait for him to answer and headed toward the closest bathroom. She held the bag near her mouth. “If you can hear me,” she whispered. “Be careful of the cameras. Every room has several. I wouldn’t doubt the bathroom does too. I’ll set this purse under the sink and leave the door open while I wash my hands.” She walked inside and laid her unzipped bag on the floor while she made a prolonged display of washing her hands. As hard as it was, she resisted looking inside the bag as she picked it back up. When she walked back into the living room, Gardner waited with a glass of wine in both hands and offered one to her. No way would she drink it. On a good day she hated to drink red wine in Gardner’s pristine white living room. White furnishing, white walls and plush white rugs surrounded her. Even the accessories were white. Hopefully, Dave was a white wererat, but she doubted it. “Thank you.” She held the stem, put the drink to her mouth and pretended to sip. Gardner absentmindedly rubbed his middle finger around the lip of his glass and then set it on the mantel. He swept his hands through his short brown hair and then headed out of the room. “I found something of your sister’s. I think you’ll find it interesting.” Should she follow? The plan was to slip a vial of sleeping powder she had hidden in her waistband into his drink. That’s why she’d asked for wine. Did she dare play along with this game and avert from the plan? “What did you find?” “It’s in the den. Follow me.” Rachel had no choice. It there was a chance he had something, which might reveal Helena’s whereabouts, then she had to take it. She placed her glass next to his and followed. “Here,” he said and moved to the other side of the room. He held his open hand toward a silver urn which sat on his desk. It was emblazoned with a fiery red bird much like the one on the dishes he’d been so proud to display. “It’s pure silver.” Rachel came closer. “Did it belong to Helena?” “No, I had it made.” Rachel should have known he’d lied. “I thought you said you found something of

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Helena’s?” The cell phone she’d borrowed rang and she involuntarily jolted. She pulled it from her waistband and flipped opened it. After looking at the number displayed, she rolled her eyes for Gardner’s benefit. It was Ray, but she didn’t dare let Gardner know. “Hey, Mom. I told you I’d be a while. What’s up?” Tension crackled in her voice. Could Gardner tell? “Get out of there right now,” said Ray. “We have Sarah.” “I’ll be there as soon as possible, Mom. Are you certain you shouldn’t just call an ambulance instead of waiting on me? Okay. Okay. I’m coming. I’m leaving Gardner’s right now.” She flipped the phone shut. “It’s Mom. She wants me to take her to the emergency room. Gall bladder.” Gardner looked like he wanted to argue. “My keys, Gardner?” She held out her hand, palm up. He reached into the top desk drawer and removed her keys. He held them in the air as though debating whether to turn them over. “I’ll come with you.” “Do you think you could take her?” It was a high-stakes risk, but she didn’t think for a moment Gardner would agree. “It’s probably nothing. She does this all the time. Shame on me, I shouldn’t have asked. I have to go, just in case.” He gave her the keys without an argument. “We still need to talk.” “I’ll be back when I can. I need to get some rest, so maybe tomorrow.” Rachel didn’t waste time. She left the den and headed for the front door. Expecting him to stop her at any minute, she held her breath. Once Gardner talked to her so-called mother, she’d never be allowed to return. As she reached for the doorknob, Gardner’s housephone rang. He hesitated answering it and followed her out the door instead. A moment later, she heard the answering machine pick it up. She was out the door as fast as her feet would go short of running. She didn’t want to rouse his suspicion. Her breath came in pants and she tried to hide it with Gardner following. Thankfully, he hadn’t closed the gate and locked her in. “I wish I had more time to see your urn,” she said, hoping to mollify him. When he smiled, so did she since she had her hand on her car door and the keys ready. She got in and closed the door without saying anything else to him. She held her breath while she started the car. When it started right away she broke out into a cold sweat and shook almost uncontrollably. Somehow she managed to get the car in gear and hit the accelerator. She did it! In her rearview mirror, she saw Gardner walk back toward the house with his cell phone to his ear, but she didn’t care. She’d made it. In the next instant, a wolf ran out into the road in front of her car. She slammed on the brakes.

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Chapter Seven When Ray ran his hand up her leg, Rachel understood why he’d hid her panties after they’d made love. He wanted her bare-assed and at his mercy. She desperately needed to do some shopping. Begging for old clothes from the other women, she could do. Begging for old panties…no way. “I thought Ray was a goner when he jumped in front of her car,” Cindy said and slapped Ray on the back as she carried a bowl of food to set on the table. There were sixteen people gathered around the table and despite the long tablecloth hiding Ray’s hand from view, Rachel worried someone would know. “If you think that’s bad, you should’ve seen her face when I shifted back into human form in her car. I’ll never forget.” Ray smiled and dipped his hand between her thighs. His fingers, hot and inquisitive, trailed a line along her inner thigh and skated higher to the juncture between her legs where he’s soon find her hot and wet. When Ray boldly continued his exploration under the table, Rachel sighed and opened to him. The last thing she needed to do was have an orgasm in front of her new family, drat him! The man was insatiable and it was catching. “Did you find time to clean my car?” Her voice sounded raw. “What’s a little hair?” He dipped a finger inside her and she gasped and covered her mouth with a napkin and coughed to mask the error. The man qualified as certifiable to pull such a stunt in front of her new family. Her family. Would she ever get used to them? She looked down the length of the dining room table and gave thanks. She’d always wanted family more than anything she could’ve wished for and now she had more than she wanted. Her father glared at Ray. All of the Wayne family had green eyes with gold flecks. When they were angry, they had more gold than green and they seemed to glow. “It’s a good thing it all turned out so well.” Her father had his fork pointing to Ray when he spoke. “The highlight of the night came when I shifted to human form in Rachel’s car. I don’t think she’ll look at any of us the same way again.” Rachel ignored him, but she couldn’t ignore the second finger dipping into her. Sarah gave a little cough and raised her hand like a school girl. Ray stilled his exploration. The small woman with long blonde hair hadn’t spoken since her return and more than likely her grief over losing her sister was the cause. “I thought I was a goner. And I want to thank everyone for not giving up on me.” “You’re welcome,” Ray told her. “Boss, we’ve got company,” a male voice called from the hallway. “It’s a postal truck. Probably nothing,” a young man peeked around the corner to say. Cole jumped up from his seat next to Sarah. “I’ll see what it is.” People went back to eating and visibly relaxed, except for Ray who continued to stare at the doorway. Although, only a small demonstration, it showed Rachel what these poor people went

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through every day of their lives. They had to be constantly on guard. Cole returned with a letter in his hand. “Weird.” He walked the length of the table and handed it to Ray. “It’s from Gardner.” Ray frowned as he took the letter with the tips of his fingers. “It’s too light to be a bomb. What the fuck is Gardner up to now?” He picked up his knife and slit the end of the envelope. When he looked inside, he let loose a stream of curse words. Rachel leaned closer to see, but he moved it away. Ray pushed back his dinner plate and grabbed his empty coffee cup off the saucer and set it where his plate had been. He poured grayish powder out of the envelope onto the saucer. “It’s Helena’s ashes! I’ll kill the fucker!” Jon, her father screamed at the top of his lungs. “It’s her isn’t it?” “There’s one way to be certain.” Ray pushed the saucer closer to Rachel. “Give me your finger,” he told her. “Wait!” Jon yelled. “Gardner can’t possible know the ways of the firebird. He’s more than likely scattered Helena’s ashes to the wind.” After Ray spoke, he gave an apologetic glance to Rachel. “I shouldn’t have said that in front of you. I know you’ve hoped to find her alive.” “What did you mean there’s a way to be certain if the ashes belong to Helena—my mother.” “Helena was powerful. If human, she’d be called a witch. But the firebird clan calls her Alma--One Who Knows All.” Rachel’s father’s voice, strangled with emotion, stopped him from speaking for a moment. “She would find a way to contact her daughter, even from the dead. “Firebird? Like a Phoenix? Are you one too?” Her father nodded. “Like a Phoenix, but not of the Phoenix clan.” Were all the Wayne family firebirds? “But you were never married to my mother.” His golden eyes blazed with frustration and pain. “No.” He stood and walked to stand next to Ray. “Tell her.” “If you touch the ashes you may have a vision. Perhaps you’ll see what happened to Helena and more than likely it won’t be pleasant.” “I want to know.” Ray pushed the saucer toward her. “Just the tip of your finger.” Rachel reached for the saucer with a shaky hand. As she touched the soft ash, Ray’s arms surrounded her, lifting her onto his lap. “I love you.” Had he said the words or had the hallucinations begun? A warm wind blew over her and a peaceful calm seeped into her bones. What had they been worried about? In the next instant, flames licked at her, but it didn’t hurt. Only it wasn’t Rachel who burned. It was her mother and Gardner stood over her with evil in his eyes. The sight of him infuriated her, but waves of euphoria swept over Rachel until she rested her head on Ray’s shoulder. ***** “Rachel, wake up.” Her heart beat strong against him, so he didn’t worry, but the faces around him showed agitation, all the same. “She’s fine. Helena would do nothing to hurt her,

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not even in death.” A moment later, she blinked her beautiful green eyes and brought her hand to his chin. “Did you say you love me?” He hadn’t meant to tell her in front of everyone. “I love you, although I swore I’d never love a human. What did you see?” She glanced over to her father and then to her grandmother and shuddered. “My mother is dead. And Gardner killed her. There’s no hope?” Ray stared at the remaining ashes on the plate. He so wanted to give her hope. Helena would’ve already returned if she could. They’d lost hope after the first month and now after four years… “I don’t think so.” “The dishware Gardner is so proud of—is that a representation of my mother? Is it a firebird?” “Yes,” Ray told her. “I thought so. He showed me another in his den on an urn on his desk. It looked like a burial urn. Do you think it could be my mother’s ashes?” Jon knocked into the table and caused the several glasses to topple. In the matter of moments, general chaos ensued as everyone began to talk at once. Ray stood taking Rachel with him. “Don’t say anything yet,” Jon said. “We don’t know if it’s Helena’s ashes for certain. And we don’t know…” Ray understood Jon’s reasoning and why he’d stopped speaking. He didn’t want Rachel hurt. If there were enough ashes in the urn why hadn’t Helena already risen from the dead? “Did he say what the urn was made of?” Jon asked Rachel. “He said it was pure silver. Why would that matter?” Ray looked at Jon and shook his head. Helena could melt silver in an instant. There must not be enough ashes remaining for her to rise. “I’m going to Gardner’s anyway.” Jon headed for the door. “We can’t take a chance it’s Helena. Maybe it isn’t made of silver.” Cade joined him. “I’m going with you.” “All of us can go,” Cole said. “You’re going back?” Rachel demanded. “You can’t. His house is a fortress. He has alarms and cameras in every room. You’ll be arrested or worse.” Jon stood rigid by Ray’s side. They’d been close friends for a very long time. He knew what he’d do in Jon’s place. “I have to, no arguments,” Jon said. Rachel sighed. “Then I’m going with you. Maybe he’ll let me inside again.” This time, Ray didn’t want to hear it. He’d about lost his mind the first time she’d went to rescue Sarah. “He has to know you helped Sarah escape.” “I’ll call him. What can it hurt?” Rachel unclipped her phone from the waistband of her short jean-skirt. She’d retrieved it from her rescued car, but he hadn’t seen her use it. She flipped it open. “My…the woman who pretended to be my mother has called several times. She never leaves a message, but her number shows up. Maybe I should return her call and see if she’s spoken to Gardner.”

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Before he could tell her to wait… “Hello, …Mom?” Her eyes started to tear and she shrugged. “You called?” When she gave a thin smile, Ray let go his tension. His beast, however, did not. “Fine. I’ve realized the error of my ways and I’ll call Gardner right now. Thanks for not giving me away.” She gave Jon a raised thumb sign and clicked the phone shut. “Gardner called her. When he questioned if I took her to the emergency room, she confirmed I had. She said she didn’t want to ruin my chances with him and Gardner is desperate to get a hold of me again.” “I guess Helena didn’t choose so badly after all,” Ray said. He’d wondered why she’d picked those two to act as Rachel’s parents. “I’m calling Gardner.” She flipped the phone open again and dialed. “May I speak to Gardner, please. This is Rachel.” No one spoke while she waited. “Gardner. I need to see you. Will you be home later this evening?” “See you then.” She flipped the phone shut and sighed. “Is it possible he doesn’t know Sarah is missing?” Everyone looked at Sarah who shrugged. “His housekeeper hates him. Maybe she found a way to keep him from finding out I got away. It isn’t like he visited me every day. I only ever saw the housekeeper.” Ray gave the thumbs up to Sarah and turned back to Rachel. “He’s expecting you soon then?” Rachel gave him her hand. Her face was tight and her complexion pale. She put on a good act, but it worried her to go back to Gardner’s. “I need to change.” Jon shook his head. “I don’t want you to do this. We were lucky once, let’s not push it. We can manage without my daughter’s help.” Ray didn’t want her involved either, but if she was anything like her mother, there’d be no stopping her. “It has to be Rachel’s decision.” “I’m going. Give me fifteen minutes to get ready.” Ray followed her. They’d made love for hours when they’d come back from Gardner’s, but he needed her. He needed her. He caught her from behind. He hadn’t thought of this when he took her panties earlier, but now he wanted to shout his approval. “On your hands and knees.” She didn’t argue and he didn’t explain his rude urge to take her there and then. This was his beast. She pulled up the short skirt to gather at her waist, dropped on all fours and looked up at him over her shoulder as he unzipped and pulled his cock from his pants. Her luscious rounded ass made him salivate. He came down behind her and nudged her legs further apart and tried to slow the humping beast inside him. He moved close and found her sweet hole. He was panting and shaking uncontrollably as he thrust inside her and rode her, fast in and out until his cum rose hard and quick. The walls of her pussy tightened and tugged at his cock. He let go and filled her with his seed.

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Chapter Eight Rachel moved toward the firebird urn on the edge of Gardner’s desk while he pulled the blind and stared out the window overlooking his back yard. “I could swear I heard something. Look! Did you see that? It looked like a wolf.” A chill ran down Rachel’s back, but she managed an indignant huff. “You’ve got to be kidding. You’ve been watching too many scary movies.” He turned away from the window and shut the blinds, before he gave her a menacing glare. “I know what I saw. You’re no better than Helena. I should’ve known.” “Known what? You’re losing it.” Gardner reached for the intercom on his desk, just as Rachel’s hand closed around the top of the silver urn. Gardner watched her, but didn’t seem concerned. She lifted it from his desk and clutched it to her breast. “Time to let the wolves out,” he said when he depressed the button. “Now?” a man voice asked. “Immediately. We have company.” “Since when am I company?” Rachel managed a smile. “Whore!” She backed toward the door. Gardner moved faster than she would’ve believed possible. He grabbed her free arm and twisted it behind her. She wrested away, only to be punched in the face. She saw stars and fought to control her rising panic. Gardner grabbed her arm again. This time his fingers bit into her and he jerked her off her feet. Somehow she managed to keep hold of the urn as she went face first into the side of a chair. The pain she’d experienced moments before didn’t compare with this. She began to wonder if she’d make it out alive. Gardner grabbed her by the hair and began to drag her across the floor toward his desk. Her scalp popped as it separated from her head, making her scramble to move with him. Pain cut through her like a knife. He stopped by the bookcase behind his desk and released her. She didn’t know why, but she needed to take advantage of the opportunity. Rachel reached for the whistle on a chain around her neck. She got it to her mouth and began to blow. Gardner didn’t notice as he swept books from the case. One hit her in the forehead making her lose the whistle. As she reached for it a second time, she looked up to see Gardner open the bookcase to expose a steal door. Gardner punched numbers into a keypad on the front of the door and the metal skated sideways with a hydraulic hiss to reveal a hidden room. It was dark and she couldn’t see inside, but she wanted no part of it. Rachel dug both feet into the floor and tried to scramble away when Gardner seized her hair a second time. This time she didn’t care if he scalped her…no way was she going inside that room with him. She slammed him in the knee with the urn. He let out a howl, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he reached down with his other arm and wrapped it around her throat, both pulling on her hair and choking her at the same time. She pummeled his head with urn, yet somehow he managed to hang on until she became light-headed.

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“I give,” she whispered hoarsely before she passed out altogether. Her head cleared as he turned on a light. The room was packed with boxes and shelves with food and supplies. Gardner dragged her inside and shut the door behind them. Rachel didn’t have a clue if Ray would get to her in time. As the door whooshed shut, Gardner kicked her. He landed a blow to her calve and then another to her hip. The pain made her recoil against the wall and curl into a ball, cradling the precious urn to her stomach. He stood over her as if waiting. Rachel didn’t raise her head or move. Even when he walked away, she didn’t trust he wouldn’t come back and kick her again. “Kill him!” Gardner screamed. Rachel jerked up to see him speaking into a microphone. In the next instant, she understood. There were four monitors mounted on the wall, each with a different view of the house, both outside and in. On one of the monitors, she saw three wolves were locked in a fight to the death. Was one of them Ray? ***** Ray didn’t worry about the larger foe. He was a stupid fighter. He went for the meaty part of Ray’s shoulder. But the smaller wolf was wiry and dived for Ray’s throat while Ray fought to sink his fangs into his gullet instead. Just as Ray bit down and his jowl locked, pain sliced his leg. He was jerked from his feet. The piercing scream of a firebird rent the air, and in the next instant the sharp teeth of the wolf holding him, let go of his leg. Ray lunged forward just as the smaller wolf came for his throat again. This time Ray seized the smaller wolf by the side of his neck and hung on while his foe fought ferociously to pull away. It wasn’t a death hold, but maybe it would make him expend energy. Out of the corner of his eye, Ray saw the larger wolf covered with blood. But whose blood? When the wolf shook his head, Ray understood. One of the firebirds had ripped away his eye. Another scream and feathers beat against Ray’s nose as a firebirds tried to help him. Ray used the moment and plowed his teeth deeper to get the other animal’s jugular. When Ray’s teeth pierced deep into his adversary’s flesh, blood ran hot down his throat. One more time Ray released and then gave a fierce snap. His fangs sank into a vein and blood sprayed Ray’s face. It ran into his eyes almost blinding him. The stench of death permeated the air. “He’s finished.” Jon said. Ray released his grip and the wolf fell lifeless at his feet. He looked up to see Jon shifting back to human form. Rachel. Ray ran for the house and saw an arcadia door shattered. He’d worry about changing later. Two of the firebirds beat him inside. By the time Jon joined him, Ray had half-changed back to human form. Parker, one of the firebirds looked like he’d taken a blood bath. “Where is she?” Jon demanded. No one spoke and then Jon started to run down a hallway. “Search the house. Everyone hurry!” Ray headed toward Gardner’s den where Rachel had said she’d seen the urn. It would be the first place she’d go. Once inside the room, he saw the books on the floor in front of a steel door and fought to regain control over his beast so he could speak. “In here!” Jon, Parker and Cole Wayne ran into the room, followed by Dave who hadn’t shifted

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from his rat form. “One of you get the housekeeper. I think Gardner has Rachel behind the steel door.” Ray examined the keypad while the sound of feet padding over the floor told him someone had gone for the housekeeper for all the good it would do. “Can we figure out the code?” Jon asked. Ray’s bones popped and cracked, but he delayed the full change as he put his nose to the keypad. Four of the numbers carried Gardner’s smell. “Three, four, seven and nine. How many combinations would that be?” “Too many if my daughter’s in there with a mad man.” “Here she is,” Parker called. “She says only Gardner knows the combination.” Ray turned to pin the housekeeper with a heated glare. It was the same timid woman who’d served Sarah’s sister on the silver platter. She didn’t blink. She told the truth, she didn’t know the combination. “How the hell can we get in there?” Cole slammed a chair into a camera on the ceiling and pieces rained down on the floor. “No sense in letting him see how he’s stumped us. At least we’ve narrowed it to four numbers…that’s a hell of a lot better than ten.” “Gardner’s a dead man if he touches her.” Ray growled. ***** Rachel wanted to shout with elation as she watched the fight end. Ray hadn’t been killed. However, she kept her face down so Gardner wouldn’t see. He’d been intent on watching the fight and now paced the small room like a caged animal. “They can’t get in here. There’s no way they can get in here.” It may take them some time, but Rachel didn’t doubt they’d get inside to rescue her. She knew they were outside the steel room. She’d seen them before the monitor went blank. Gardner put the microphone to his mouth. “Get out of here or I’ll kill her, Ray. I mean it. I’ll kill her.” Rachel never knew the true meaning of hate until she looked at the evil man in front of her. “I’m your bargaining chip, Gardner. If you kill me, then you don’t stand a chance in hell of getting out of here alive.” “Fuck you, whore. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I wonder what Helena would think of you fucking a man she once fucked?” “Ray and m—Helena didn’t have that kind of relationship.” “You’re a fool. They fucked liked rabbits. He’s a stinking animal in more ways than one.” She didn’t believe it for a moment. “You’re wrong. I love him.” Gardner whipped around, his eyes blazing with anger and he stalked toward her. “You fucked him when you won’t let me touch you, whore?” A scream welled inside her, but Rachel held it and let it build. She gripped the urn and waited, huddled on her side with her back against the wall. When he came close enough, she kicked and connected with his shin. Instead of stopping him, she only angered him. He dove for her and slammed her head into the wall with his shoulder. For the second time, she nearly lost consciousness. Gardner ripped at her clothes. She fought through the pain and hit him with the urn. She’d aimed for his head, but connected with his shoulder.

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He knocked the urn from her hand and it slammed into the wall with a loud thunk. In the next instant an explosion of fire erupted from where the urn landed. The back of Gardner’s shirt caught fire. He howled and flailed while he tried to stuff the flames. Rachel brought her leg up and leveraged him away from her. Gardner crawled to where there were bottles of water stacked against the wall. He fumbled with a gallon of bottled water and finally succeeded in removing the top before he poured it over his head. Smoke rose, but it didn’t just come from Gardner. Rachel glanced back to where the fire had started. A shadow of smoke moved away from the wall. It billowed and swirled into the shape of a bird… No. It was a woman! With each passing second, the smoke dissipated and she became clearer. Helena! How? Was Rachel hallucinating? “Helena!” Gardner threw himself at her. Helena raised her hand. A bolt of fire flew from her fingertips to slam into Gardner’s chest. It lifted him from his feet and tossed him back against the bottles of water and they crashed around him. “Don’t get up. Next time you’ll die and I don’t want my daughter to see me kill you. Although I should kill you for this, I won’t.” Helena walked to a small wooden chest with a blanket over the top. As the remaining smoke dissipated, she picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her body. A moment later, the air cleared enough to tell Rachel why. Helena had been naked. “I’ll never take life for granted again. And I will be more careful of my association in the future. Now let’s get out of here.” Helena walked to Rachel and reached for her. “Can you walk, my sweet one? My daughter. How desperately I’ve longed to acknowledge you.” Rachel nodded and took her mother’s hand. It was hot to the touch, but no pain came from the intense heat. Instead a zing traveled from her hand and spread. Every place where she hurt became instantly better. She stood and her mother took her into her arms. The effects magnified. “I can’t believe my own daughter helped raise me from the dead. I’ve never been more proud! Now let’s get moving. I could never sit still for two minutes. Can you imagine what four years in an urn did to me? I need to fly.” Helena started toward the door with her arm around Rachel and then paused to look at her with eyes so like Rachel’s own. “I’m not scaring you, am I? I thought because you were here you must know about me.” “And about Ray.” “Ray?” Helena raised a delicate brow. “If you know about Ray’s wolf, then it must be serious between the two of you.” Rachel’s face warmed. “Very serious.” Helena sighed. “I tried to protect you from all of this nonsense. I wanted you to have a normal life for as long a possible before—” When her mother stopped speaking and looked away a cold chill ran along Rachel’s spine. What did the future hold for her that worried her mother? But soulful revelations

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could wait until later…she needed Ray’s arms around her. Helena showed Rachel the switch to release the door, not that Rachel needed to know. She’d never set foot on Gardner’s property again. “What about Gardner? What if he says something to the authorities? What would happen to the sanctuary if he talked?” Rachel looked over to his motionless form twisted against the water bottles. “They would lock him up and throw away the key. Would you believe a woman could rise from the ashes? Or any of the other mysteries you’ve seen firsthand? Don’t worry about Gardner. Besides, in a way he did me a favor. I’ve discovered I have powers beyond my wildest dreams. And I have a very vivid imagination.” Helena poised her hand on the switch. “Now if I’m not mistaken, we both have gorgeous men waiting on us.” ***** Two weeks later Ray bobbed his head up from between her thighs to look at her with an arched brow and a devilish grin. “Feeling smug, are you?” Rachel wanted to say more, but it took such effort to talk…to move. “I haven’t finished. I could lick your sweet cunt all day if you’d let me.” Rachel smiled. “I might be persuaded. But today’s our wedding day. How would it look if the bride and groom were late?” He grinned. “Don’t worry. I’m more anxious for this wedding than you. I can’t wait to start the honeymoon.” He waggled his dark brows and gave her pussy a noogie. “I’m serious,” she giggled. “No, this is serious.” He pushed up onto his knees and took his cock into his hand and lifted. “I can’t go to my wedding with blue balls. The bride is supposed to wear something blue, not the groom.” “Why didn’t you say something? Silly man.” She spread her legs wider and reached her hands for him. She touched her fingers lightly to his balls and found them tight and hot. He pushed her hand aside and lunged forward. He caught himself with his arms before pinning her hips with his weight. A second later he grabbed the sheet to wipe his face. Thank goodness. What a relief! She’d grown accustomed to the taste of her own pussy on his lips, but this time she had to be all over his face as long as he’d been down there. Ray kissed her and eased his cock inside her at the same time. He moaned, long and loud. She didn’t think it possible but a familiar sensation thrummed through her well-sated body. Would she ever tire of this…of this wonderful man? No way! “I’m going to need at least an hour. Can you give me that?” She smiled. “I’ll give you my entire life.” “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Your entire life could be a really, really long time with mystical firebirds as parents.” Helena had already been giving Rachel hints…testing the waters so to speak. “Then you’ll need to keep me very busy to pass the time.”

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“Like this?” He began to pump into her faster. Bliss filled her with each thrust. The thrum went to a keening tightness, so perfect it brought tears of joy to her eyes and she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Exactly like this…forever.”