He took a deep breath and shifted in his chair. The little fox was flirting with him, and his pants were suddenly very tight. “I see. Then, by all means, continue to help yourself.” He pushed the plate a little closer.
“Thanks. I’m Sarah, by the way. I’m not sure we really had a chance to speak this weekend yet.”
“Chris Michaels, Chase’s brother.”
“Margaret and Sam mentioned you, but I wasn’t in the best frame of mind when I first got here.”
“You seemed like you needed some space.” He took a bite of toast and grinned when she snagged yet another piece of bacon from his plate. At least she was eating. She was so thin. She needed to gain a little weight. Women should be soft in bed. Crap. Focus. Quit thinking about sleeping with her.
“You probably don’t want to hear this, but I lost my fiancé about six months ago. It happened right after Sam married your brother.”
Definitely a mood killer, but perfect timing. He paused, thinking about his next words carefully. “Sam mentioned you lost a boyfriend. I’m so sorry though. I didn’t know you were engaged.”
“We hadn’t announced it yet.” Her face darkened, and Chris saw something in her manner that worried him. Something desperate and dark he’d seen in his mother right after the incident. His mother had tried to give up, but killing yourself was tough to do when another sentient being shared your body and didn’t want to die.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, but I have to say, watching you eat that bacon is totally worth talking about anything you want.” He prayed the redirect would bring back her lovely smile.
It did.
She blushed bright red. Her face was practically the same color as her hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it. I always...”
“Ate off of his plate?”
She nodded and put the bacon down on her napkin. “I think you’re the first guy I’ve shared a meal with since he was killed.”
“What was he like?” Aaaaack! Why did I ask that?
“Because you have a kind heart and she needs to talk about her loss to heal from it,” his wolf whispered back.
Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath. “He was sweet and thoughtful and looked out for me. I tend to forget to eat, and he always made me eat off of his plate. He said it was so he knew I was taking care of myself and not just drinking coffee to survive.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. Her broken heart could be seen as clearly as if it had been tattooed onto her skin.
He knew what loss felt like. He’d just lost his dad. Heck, more than half the pack had lost someone. Renata Demakis had viciously murdered all of them. They’d gone with Peter Demakis, her husband, to try and move her to another safe house. Peter had been so desperate to save her. His hope had cost them dearly.
She’d killed all of them. Her husband. Her brother. His father. Margaret’s father and two of her uncles. The pack had been devastated. They were still trying to pick up the pieces. Even six months later, he knew his mother still cried herself to sleep. He and Maggie took turns watching over her. But her wolf was slowly helping her grieve and move forward.
“It’s good to talk about the ones we lose,” he finally spoke. “It keeps their memory alive.” He shifted in his chair and let his gaze stray out the window next to him. The green of the mountains and forest was so much more soothing than the harsh dryness of Vegas. He was glad he would be staying here a while.
“You lost your dad in the same incident that took Margaret’s and Sam’s. Your families are very close. It must be hard. I’m so sorry.”
What a strong little broken heart. She’s practically in tears over her lost fiancé, and she’s trying to comfort me.
“Thank you, Sarah. We are all very close, and it has been difficult, but it’s been the hardest on my mother. They’d been together so many years. I may have lost my father, but it broke my mother. She was in the kitchen with yours when I first came down. When Bonnie told me to go put a shirt on she smiled. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen her smile since he died.”
“It feels as though you’re betraying them by finding joy in life again.”
He nodded. “It’s important to remember that he would’ve wanted you to find that joy again.” His dad wouldn’t have wanted his mother to suffer and waste away. No man who truly loved a woman would ever wish that on them.
“I know. But it’s still hard. And some days it’s impossible.”
“Margaret said you might be staying with us a while.”
Her gaze narrowed on him and then flitted toward the window. “Just a couple of days. Mom and Dad apparently think I need…time.” Green eyes flashed, and she glared at him again. “You knew she asked. How?”
He glanced back at her. Damn. This girl didn’t miss a beat.
“Several of us are staying here for a while before we head back to Vegas. You aren’t the only one Margaret’s trying to mother,” he answered quickly, hoping the lie was convincing.
“Oh,” she paused. “It will be nice to relax a few days. It’s not like there’s much in Vegas for me besides helping Mom and Dad at the diner.”
He pushed a little. “So you’re staying?”
She nodded. “Yes. For a couple of days.”
CHAPTER TWO
The Vegas skyline was home. At least it had been for nearly a century.The lights and music and noise of the Strip was comforting in its own way. Of course the best thing about Las Vegas was the sheer number of supernaturals that lived in it and visited, making tracking a particular one quite difficult. And being tracked was something she just couldn’t afford right now. There were too many plans to execute. Plus, she’d quite enjoyed watching the fallout the pack was suffering through once they realized she’d killed a half dozen of their seasoned males.
The cocky alpha men had arrived at the house in Washington, armed, but not ready for her to take them down with the very weapons left to guard her. She’d tranquilized them all before they’d even made it to the front door. It was more fun that way. Less noisy too.
Stefan really should have known better. She’d always been a better shot than him.
A natural hunter.
It was in their blood. Antipas blood. It was why Stefan had been such a good assassin for the Council. And it was why she’d been able to take down a group of male werewolves without so much as blinking. Royal blood carried with it more power than they knew. It was a closely guarded secret. She was faster and stronger than almost any other wolves in the pack. Only her daughters could ever be true rivals.
“They will find you,” Renata’s whiny voice snapped in the back of her mind. “When they do, they will kill you.”
She rolled her eyes. The human soul was tireless. Always fighting to be heard. Sometimes it was easier just to listen to her rant than to push her back down into the abyss of their shared mind.
Her parents were descendants of the original royal line of Greek Sparta. Her great grandfather had fought in the Peloponesian War. Both wolf and woman were strong. But the tides had turned in her favor, and she fully intended to make her enemies pay. She would have her revenge on those who’d ordered the death of her true mate.
No matter who they were and by any means necessary.
First, she needed to find a certain potion.
While Siobhan and Kate were out of town for Margaret Taylor’s wedding, she would go digging through their little shop.
Where there were witches, there would be an abundance of spells.
***
Sarah looked up from her e-reader into Margaret’s brown eyes.
She’d come out to lounge on the deck in one of the comfy chaises. Chris had told her yesterday morning it was safe to be outside as long as she stayed close to the inn. The sun was high, and she held up her hand to shield her gaze.
“Hey,” Margaret said, sitting down on the chair closest to her.
“Hi. Thanks for offering to let me stay a few days. Aren’t you and Scott headed off somew
here?”
“No, we are postponing a trip for a little while. We are glad to have you here. In fact, I need to talk to you about the real reason why.”
Her friend stared at the deck.
Sarah put her tablet down and sat up. Why wouldn’t they go on a honeymoon? Something was wrong. “What’s going on?” Muscles clenched in her jaw. “Margaret?”
“I should wait for the others. Chase wanted to be here.”
Now she was officially freaking out. “Why the hell does Sam’s husband want to talk to me?”
The door behind Margaret opened and closed several times. Scott, Chase, and Sam filed out, along with Sam’s three sisters. Chris brought up the very end of the silent train.
Nerves on the back of her neck tingled. Panic made her voice catch in the back of her throat. “Did something h-happen to m-my parents? Margaret?” Tears burned at the corners of both eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks.
“No!” Margaret answered quickly. “Your parents are fine. We have information about Brad’s death.”
Brad’s death?
“Why do you have it and not the police?” Sarah stood and faced Chase Michaels as he approached. He seemed to be the one they were all deferring to. “What is going on? You guys are creeping me out.”
“Sarah, we waited until we had solid evidence. But now that the test results have come back positive, we needed to make you aware of the danger you’re in and why Margaret really asked you to stay at Woodhaven.”
She turned an accusatory glare at Margaret, who nodded and frowned.
“Please sit down.”
Sarah shook her head. “Just tell me. Whatever it is. Just rip the Band-Aid off and tell me.”
Chris moved from behind his brother and sat on her chaise lounge. He patted the cushion next to him. Her lip trembled, and a single tear slid down her cheek.
She liked him. He’d been sweet to her yesterday morning at breakfast. And then he had brought her food at lunch and dinner. They’d talked some in her room, but she’d turned down his offer of walking the property. It was that evening before he’d finally coaxed her out of her room and away from her e-reader. They’d turned on a old Arnold Schwarzenegger film in the upstairs common room, made popcorn, and had a party with everyone who had stayed at the lodge.
Just spending time with another man made her feel guilty, but she knew Brad wouldn’t want her to stay miserable. She would have wanted him to move on too. It didn’t make it any easier though.
But, right now, every single one of her so-called friends was in on a secret and they’d been shielding her.
“Did you know this yesterday? When you asked me about Brad?”
“It wasn’t like that,” he answered, shaking his head.
She sank down onto the chaise but scooted away from his big body and pushed his hand from her shoulder. “Don’t touch me.”
He was silent, but she could see the hurt from her words reflected in his eyes. His pain hurt her too. She wasn’t like this. She didn’t lash out and hurt people or push them away. But he had lied. He had betrayed her trust.
“Chris was under strict instructions not to say anything until we got the rest of the labs back,” Chase’s voice rumbled from the lounger across from her where he’d sat beside Sam. The others had found seats nearby or were standing, leaning against the railing of the deck.
“Sarah,” Margaret started. “we have contacts inside HPD, and they ran some tests on the bite marks and trace evidence recovered from Brad’s body.”
Sarah frowned and shook her head. “Contacts? Who are you people? The Vegas mob?”
Chris chuckled under his breath next to her but didn’t speak.
“We just recently learned that you’re descended from my uncle, Stefan Antipas,” Sam spoke up. “My mother’s brother.”
“We are related? That can’t be possible. My mom doesn’t have a brother.”
“Technically, by human standards, you would say we were fourth generation cousins. I think. In packs, we just call everyone a cousin if they have a common relative. The generations are lopsided because your family tree progressed in normal human generations while my parents waited nearly a hundred years before concieving any children at all. Your great-grandfather, James Cartwright, was my, Nicole’s, and the twins’ true first cousin.”
“You’re crazy. Pack? Pack of what? You know you sound completely absurd, right?”
Sam smiled and raised her eyebrows to her husband.
“What is this? Is this Play-a-Joke-on-Sarah-Day? ‘Cause I’m not amused!”
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Chase started calmly. “The trace evidence in the bite marks on Brad’s body confirmed our fear that a supernatural killed him. A werewolf. You would’ve been the next target. A group of people called the Council are trying to eliminate all of Stefan Antipas’s half-human descendants.”
She shook her head back and forth. Supernatural? Council? Werewolf? What science fiction film had she just stepped into?
“They killed Brad because he was close to you.” Chris added. “The agent knew he couldn’t leave a grieving fiancé behind. It would cause too much noise. You’re lucky you got back to Vegas as quickly as you did.”
“Neither of you are making sense. What is a supernatural? Who is the Council? Why would they care about someone like me? I’m nothing. Nobody special. And why the hell are you talking about werewolves like they are real?”
“But you’re special. The blood of the Antipas werewolf line flows through you. You will have very powerful magick once you transform, and the Council doesn’t want it or you awakened,” Chris answered softly.
“Once I transform? Into what? A wolf? I don’t think so.”
“Yes, into a wolf. I know it’s a lot to take in. We’re all surprised they haven’t made an attempt on your life yet, but we’ve had pack trailing you and your parents for months as a precaution,” Chase added.
“Are my parents in danger?” Her heart stopped for a second, and she turned to meet Chris’s gaze.
He shook his head. “Not that we can tell. We have pack sentries on them at all times, but so far the Council has only attempted to eliminate the youngest generation. Your mother is too old to survive the transformation and is not a threat.”
“Too old? Not a threat to what?”
“She is not a threat to the Council because she can’t be turned without killing her. She must remain human.”
“Remain human? I’m remaining human, too. You’re all fucking crazy. I’m going home.” Sarah jumped up from the lounger and moved away from Chris and the others. She turned to walk to the door, but Chris jumped into her path. How the hell did he move that fast? “Get out of my way!”
His arms crossed over his chest defiantly. “You need to hear this. Your life is in danger.”
Damn man thinks he can tell me what to do! Thinks I’m some kind of freaking magickal werewolf! She kicked toward Chris, but he caught her foot before it connected with his privates. His fingers tightened around her ankle, and she struggled, but he wasn’t letting go.
“No!” Blinding pain sliced through her skull. The voice never pushed against her concious mind. It can’t be real. The dreams. The nightmares. They can’t be real. “Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! The dreams can’t be real.” She fought his hold again, and tears begin pouring down her cheeks. It became difficult to breathe in air. She gasped and cried more, fighting to suck in every breath.
“Are you going to listen?” he thundered, his brown eyes darkening.
She returned his smoldering glare, feeling a unwelcome surge of arousal flood her system. “No!” Turning to his brother, she continued, “Chase Michaels, tell your little brother to let go of my foot and move his ass out of my way.”
“Sarah, normally we would never interfere,” Chase said, stepping toward her.
Chris released her foot, only to grab her by the shoulders and wrap his arms around her, pinning them together. The strength in his body calmed he
r terrified nerves, and she slowly allowed herself to sink into his embrace.
She took in a deep breath of Chris’s earthy scent. Soothing heat radiated out from his body. The rest of her anxiety faded away. How? Her panic attacks never subsided that quickly. But it was gone. The tenseness in her muscles relaxed and her breathing returned to normal. “I don’t think I can do this,” she murmured into his chest, snuggling her head deeper into the crook of his shoulder. He feels so good. So right. Why?
“Yes, you can, little firecracker,” he whispered in her ear and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. Without warning, he scooped her up and headed for the door. A few protests echoed from the others on the porch, but Chris ignored them and kept walking.
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