He looked up at her, but stubbornly remained silent.
Sarah said, “You have to trust me, because I’m the only one in the world who wants to get you back to him just as much as you do.”
For an instant, Sarah thought she saw his guard drop. His small body seemed to sag with acceptance.
Bang.
The sound was so jarring that Sarah didn’t react immediately. Then, she saw the bear. Almost to the other side of the river, he abruptly slumped over, dead.
Galvanized, she seized Caim’s hand and turned back towards the forest. Snow stood just a few feet away, her back to Sarah. She was staring up at the man who was pointing a gun at them.
Chapter 14
Between being lost, encountering a bear, and being held at gunpoint, Sarah felt like she was reliving a nightmare. Only this time, there was no big, powerful werewolf by her side, just two frightened and relatively helpless children.
The man stood at the edge of the treeline, just close enough that Sarah could see his combat fatigues, but not close enough that she could make out his face. The inability to get a read on him made her feel almost as vulnerable as the gun he had pointed at her.
Caim and Snow were frozen in place, and Sarah tried to make a move to stand in front of them.
“Stop right there,” the solider commanded, staring at her through the scope of his gun. “Hands up.”
Sarah did as she was told, while her mind worked overdrive to formulate a plan.
A slight drawl to his voice, he asked, “You one of them?”
“One of what?” she asked.
“A werebear.”
She remembered how Cain had lectured her on the word when they’d first met, and for one, hysterical moment, she almost laughed.
Regaining her composure, she said, “No, I’m not a bear, and neither are they. Please, just put the gun down and—”
“We are wolves,” Caim blurted.
His loud proclamation seemed to echo through the forest, and Sarah felt the last of the blood drain from her face.
“Please,” she said, taking a step closer to the children.
“I said stop.”
She froze, but was unable to stop the stream of words that flowed from her mouth.
“My name is Sarah Harper. I’m from Florida. Mind if I ask where you’re from?” She kept talking as he began to slowly advance on them. “That’s okay, I’m great with accents. Let me guess, Atlanta? I had friend in high school that was from Atlanta, you sound just like him.”
He stopped, but didn’t lower his gun. “Valdosta,” he grunted. “What are you doing out here with these wolves? You one of them werewhores?”
Sarah took a small measure of comfort in the fact that he could have already killed them. She knew that after Caim’s admission, it would be hard to convince him that the children weren’t werewolves. Not to mention the fact that with their pelt cloaks and disheveled hair, they looked like stereotypical werewolf pups.
Her mind ran the gamut of possible outcomes, not liking any of them. She’d never heard of werewolves being taken into custody. His orders were probably to kill any shifters he encountered. Yet, he hadn’t killed them.
The last time Sarah had been held at gunpoint, she’d used her humanity as a shield. She realized that this time, if she had any hope of escaping with Caim and Snow, she’d have to think like a predator. Sarah had a hunch about why the soldier hadn’t shot them yet. He had a weakness, and she needed to exploit it.
“Valdosta,” she said in her most conversational voice. “You know, I think I might have passed through there on my way up here. I-75, right?”
He might have answered, but she didn’t wait.
“Do they shoot little kids in Valdosta, or do they just hold them at gunpoint?”
The soldier visibly stiffened. “They’re not kids.”
Fearless as ever, Caim said, “I am not a kid.”
Sarah boldly took another step forward, and she was able to place her hand on Caim’s head.
“Do you really think they aren’t kids, or are you just saying that so you can sleep tonight?” she challenged.
The soldier was close enough that she could see him glare at her from behind the scope of his gun. “I don’t shoot kids, but—”
Sarah cut him off. “And if you walk away from here, you can keep saying that.”
For a few seconds, Sarah couldn’t hear anything but the blood rushing in her head. Sometime during the course of their standoff, the sun had set. An eerie calm settled over her as she saw a dark figure moving through the trees.
For as long as she would live, Sarah would never be able to think about the soldier without feeling a pang of guilt. She would always wonder if he had been going to let them go. But never once did she resent Cain for slamming the soldier onto the ground and tearing his throat out. In the end, all that mattered was that her children were safe.
* * *
The human’s blood was still in Cain’s mouth when he shifted. It tasted like copper and victory. As his human shape took form, Cain felt his son latch to his legs. He picked the pup up, crushing him against his chest.
Cain carried his son as he made his way to his mate, scooping up Snow along the way. Shifting the pups into one arm, he wrapped the other around Sarah, pulling her into a tight embrace.
As soon as she was in his arms, her body began to tremble. Cain clutched at the silken rope of her hair, pulling it to tilt her head back. He took in her ashen face and wide, shimmering eyes, his mouth growing dry.
It had been well over a month since he found her, lost and stumbling through the wilderness in her absurdly impractical shoes. With her frail constitution and horrendous vision, she should never have appealed to him as a potential mate. Yet for some reason, his wolf had pursued her anyway.
While waiting for an opening to attack, Cain had witnessed the exchange between Sarah and the soldier. Now the man in him could see what the wolf must have known all along.
“You were very brave,” he told her, his voice thick with emotion.
His mate gave him a watery smile in response, words seeming to fail her.
Cain held them for a short while. Sarah, Caim, and Snow—his family. He knew that they could not stay there long; they were not yet out of danger. In many ways, their lives would always hold an element of danger, but Cain vowed that he would always be there to protect them, until his last breath.
Epilogue
October, 1995
Caim looked between Sarah, his father, and their pup. The small creature did not look like what he was expecting.
In the past few months, Caim had thought a lot about Sarah’s pup and what it would look like. He had never seen a pup when it was just born, at least not one that he could remember.
In the spring, he had seen a great deal of pups. Sarah’s pup did not look like any of them. It did not have sharp claws like a bear cub, or pointy little teeth like the kittens he had met. If anything, it reminded him of a fawn—small and delicate. At least a fawn could walk though. This thing did not look like it could do much of anything.
“Do you want to hold the baby?” Sarah asked.
Caim did not have to consider the answer. “No,” he said firmly.
Caim was not always careful. Two weeks ago, he had found a very big bullfrog. It was almost as big as his head. He knew that Lotus would never believe him, and so he had tried to carry it back to the den. In his excitement to pick it up, Caim had accidentally bitten it.
He did not think that he would bite Sarah’s pup, but sometimes he did not know his own strength. It was for the best that he did not touch it, at least not until it was much bigger.
Sarah and his father exchanged glances. Caim did not like it when they did that. He was fairly certain that they had some secret code that he did not know. Yes, Caim was sure of it.
“Well, why don’t you hold the baby for just a second while I get comfortable?”
She said it like a question, but it was not
a question, it was a trick. Caim realized this when she did not wait for an answer, but just pushed the pup at him. He reached out for it without thinking, and the next thing he knew, he was holding it.
It was only once he was holding it that Caim realized just how small the pup was. It did not make sense to him. As big as Sarah had been, she could have easily fit two or three of them in her belly.
Caim asked, “Is it a male?”
Sarah smiled at him. “Can’t you tell?”
He looked back down at the pup. Its face was pink and seemed a little smushed to him. There was a tuft of brown hair on its head, but the rest of its skin was smooth. It did not look like a boy or a girl. As far as Caim could tell, it looked like it wasn’t ready to be born yet. He wondered if it was an option to put it back.
“A female?” Caim asked hopefully.
Sarah nodded, and Caim felt immensely pleased.
“That is good,” he said. “You should not have male pups. They would be bad hunters. Wolves cannot wear glasses.”
She laughed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Caim had not thought to make a joke, but her laughter made him happy all the same.
His father leaned down, placing a kiss on Sarah’s forehead. For the first time, Caim realized how tired they both looked. There were dark circles under his father’s eyes, and the strength that always seemed to emanate off him was noticeably depleted. His father had been afraid for Sarah. He had tried to hide it, just as Sarah had tried to hide how much she was hurting, but Caim had seen. Caim had been afraid too.
While Sarah was having the pup, his uncles had taken him hunting. It was supposed to be Lotus’s night, but they let him go anyway.
Caim enjoyed hunting around the new den. There were lots of things he liked. Aside from the bullfrogs, there were plenty of rabbits, and he had even seen a family of boars once, though they had been too quick for him to catch.
He had not caught anything tonight. When Alder and Hale had gone off to chase an elk, Caim had returned to the den, heading for Snow’s room. It was quiet there, and far enough away that he could not hear the sounds of Sarah’s pain. Unlike Snow, he had been unable to fall asleep.
“You will have to get used to the idea of having a brother, Caim,” his father said. He nuzzled Sarah’s neck. “You will have many.”
Sarah snorted and lightly smacked the back of his head. “Dream on, buddy.”
Grinning at Sarah, his father pulled back, and Caim saw his opening. Making sure his sister was secure in his arms, he climbed into the furs, settling between his parents.
Sarah kissed the top of his head. Caim pretended not to like it.
She said, “I’m comfy now. You can give her back.”
His brow wrinkled. “I am being careful.”
While he was holding the pup, she had fallen asleep. That must have meant that she trusted him. That also pleased him.
“Okay,” Sarah said, giving him a fond look. “She’s all yours, handsome.”
Wedged between his parents, Caim took one last look at his sister before closing his eyes. He felt safe. He always felt safe with them.
Within moments, Caim had fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Coming Soon
Running With the Alphas
Taylor Michaels has never encountered a problem she couldn’t run from—until she met Alder.
What should have been a simple road trip quickly spirals out of control when Alder picks up a beautiful and mysterious hitchhiker. His new traveling companion may look sweet, but she’s harboring a secret that puts them both in a world of danger.
On the run from the FBI, Taylor isn’t about to swoon over the drool-worthy man who’s given her a ride. She has way bigger things to worry about, and the good-natured Alder is just the person to become her unwitting accomplice.
But Alder isn’t the gentle giant he appears to be, and Taylor’s beguiling scent is bringing out his bad side, along with urges he can’t ignore. Willing to overlook her sordid past, Alder is intent on being a part of her future—provided he can keep her from his lascivious twin brother.
Coming August 12th, 2014
Mated to the Alphas
Between dealing with new pack members, raising a werewolf pup, and trying to ensure that her obnoxious mate doesn’t turn said pup into a sociopath, Mila has her hands full. The last thing she wants is to deal with another mating thrall. While both of her mates are on their best behaviors, she can’t help but suspect they’re plotting against her.
Merging two packs is never easy, but while the diplomatic Asch should be focused on keeping the peace, all he can think about is how he’s going to keep Caim the hell away from his mate when the thrall begins.
Rejoin Mila, Asch, Caim, and their growing pack for the much-anticipated sequel to Claimed…
Coming July 17th, 2014
* * *
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Dedications
Thank you to Carol B. and Robyn, who gave me feedback on Bound when it was still in its infancy. Also, a huge thanks to fellow author, Blue Ashcroft, whose assistance made my early release possible!
Thank you to Cassandra, whose social media blitz helped me to recover from my surprise bundle giveaway!
Thank you to The Wolf Pack and everyone who has taken the time to chat on Facebook or on the blog. I don’t always have time to respond, but I assure you, your comments always brighten my day.
Bound to the Alpha: Part Three Page 6
