With Damon’s help, she’d found out that her inheritance was never in Gaston’s hands. He’d squirreling her money away, hiding it, so she wouldn’t find out and take it from him. It had been another brutal blow, another lie, but like everything else, she’d gotten over it.
Over him…
She glanced down at the ruby and diamond ring on her swollen finger, watching it catch fire in the dazzling sunlight.
Madie had a new life, a new baby, and a wonderful husband who loved her dearly. She couldn’t ask for anything more. She glanced down at her swelling belly and stroked it lovingly. Except for maybe a little girl.
SNEAK PEEK-EXCERPT
MOONLIGHT KIN 2: AIDAN’S MATE
Aidan Fortier turned to the plump breast beside his face. He plopped the rosy nipple in his mouth and began to suck and nip at the sensitive nerve-endings. The tip beaded eagerly in response. Hunger engulfed him, all consuming, insatiable, and demanding. Aidan’s shadow-self rose to the surface to investigate.
He released her ample bosom, so he could view the woman lying beside him. Beautiful as only a female werewolf could be, her red hair flowed like fiery embers over her silken back. She was lush and most definitely ripe for the taking.
She nudged his massive shoulder with her nose, her yellow-green colored eyes urging him to stake a claim. Tempted, he held himself in check, waiting to see what she would do.
The woman draped herself over his lap and swiveled her hips. As if Aidan needed further proof of her willingness, her ample body flooded with pheromones, surrounding him—tantalizing.
He hardened as the urge to rut increased. His felt his fangs lengthen and his bones begin to shift. Her eyes shimmered in anticipation and she bared her neck. Aidan clamped his jaw shut, slicing his gums in the process. He swallowed the blood in disgust. It was too easy. She was too easy.
The woman whimpered in frustration.
Aidan growled.
The female-were lowered her eyes and scooted off his body. She moved a small distance away until they were no longer touching. Aidan watched her from beneath hooded eyes. He would not allow any werewoman to make demands of him. After all, he was alpha male of the west coast Moonlight Kin pack.
He rose out of the bed, his nakedness as comfortable as his favorite robe. Aidan glanced back at the bed. The woman immediately spread her thighs for him. He had no doubt she could slack his need, but then what?
Aidan couldn’t see himself mated with a female like that. Where was the challenge? It didn’t matter that the pack expected him to choose a woman. He knew his duties better than anyone. He just wasn’t in a hurry to settle.
It was then that Aidan realized the real problem. He was bored. Ever since he’d returned from his cousin, Damon’s tribunal with the Lycanian Elders, he’d been restless.
Not even a willing female in heat interested him anymore. Nothing but his bondmate would satisfy his growing appetite.
Unfortunately, he’d been unable to find her. And after years of searching, Aidan had reached the point that he was beginning to question her existence.
It’s not like she’ll walk up to the door and knock. The wry thought tempered his foul mood.
Still, Aidan knew he had to keep looking—or at least give the appearance of continuing the search. It was either that or have the pack show up at his house.
So he wiled away the hours in the company of various female pack members, their warm bodies bringing release, but little comfort.
He needed an heir, and willing or not the werewomen had been unable to produce one for him. The wolf had not locked inside their bodies. A sure sign they were not his bondmate.
That’s why he’d been so reluctant to bite any of them.
Aidan walked to the balcony off his master suite and shoved the French doors wide, allowing the darkness to embrace him.
The scent of pine trees surrounded him, their needles rustling in the warm summer breeze. The roses that grew in his garden perfumed the air. The night sounds were like music to his Moonlight Kin soul. He listened to the crickets sing, their chirping orchestrated to perfect syncopation.
In the distance he scented deer as they made their way through the woods, their silent hooves falling on the soft blanket of ferns below the green canopy.
He threw his head back and let out a mournful howl, strangely diminished by his human form. Creatures scurried for cover and the woods seemed to hold its coniferous breath.
Somewhere out there his bondmate waited, but tonight he’d have to settle for the willing female in his bed.
With bitter resolve, Aidan returned to the woman. She eagerly spread her ample thighs. Without preamble, he mounted her.
He worked her sex until she climaxed, then carelessly spilled his seed. There were no soft words or gentle touches. This was duty, nothing more, nothing less.
She waited a moment to see if he’d ask her to stay. Aidan didn’t. He sent the woman back to her own chambers in the east wing of his home that housed the rest of the pack, then wandered back out onto the balcony.
“Where are you?” he muttered. The wind’s low moan was his only answer.
***
Cassie kicked the tire of her sixty-eight Volkswagen. It sputtered for a second before coughing out its last strangled breath, a small plum of black smoke signaled its demise. The acrid exhaust filled her lungs and she coughed.
“That’s just great.” She gave the tire one last kick. Her big toe made firm contact, causing instant pain. Cassie yelped, hopping up and down on one foot. “Now what am I going to do?” she asked.
Her dead car belched its answer.
Cassie sighed and wiped the sweat from her face with back of her hand. The last sign she’d passed said Portland was another thirty miles down the road. Her brow furrowed as she tried to calculate how far she’d traveled since seeing it. She was probably the last person on the planet to not own a cell phone.
A missed purchase she was beginning to regret right about now. She shaded her eyes against the afternoon sun, searching for any sign of a callbox. Cassie winced as her fingers accidentally brushed the tender gash on her eyebrow.
The little goodbye present left by her now ex-boyfriend.
Cassie glanced up and down the road. There wasn’t a car for miles. That’s what you get for taking back roads, she thought.
She debated whether to wait in her vehicle like the police tell you to do, but she was anxious to get to town so she could start her new job—her new life.
“It’s too late for regrets, Cassie girl.” She tried to reassure herself that her decision was sound.
The job at ‘The Ridgecrest Oregonian Journal’ was her big chance. She’d left a broken relationship, a dead end job, and most of her belongings in Vancouver. She had no family—few friends, basically nothing to tie her down.
Her ex-boyfriend’s face flashed before her, so many years of abuse and for what? Good riddance.
Her eyes took in the road ahead. A gentle breeze parted the branches of the thick trees lining the road, revealing a hidden driveway on the left. Cassie had missed it the first time, but could see it clearly now. It sat about a half a mile down the road.
Cassie reached into the car and pulled out her rucksack, the only thing of value to her in the vehicle. Old family photos of a life long ago, a few changes of clothes, and the usual essentials were all she had left.
“I guess today’s my lucky day.” She shrugged the heavy camouflaged-colored bag onto her shoulder, as she began the short trek up the road.
***
Aidan’s butler, Weatherly entered the library, a queer expression pasted on his normally stony face. He smelled of wax and polish tempered with a hint of unease.
“What is it?” Aidan casually rubbed his sensitive nose to ward off the offending odor.
“Sir, we have a visitor.” His normally monotone voice rose, belying his true emotions.
Nothing rattled Weatherly, but there was no mistaking the slight quiver he’d heard. Ai
dan arched a brow. They never had visitors, unless the high council called a meeting.
They hadn’t.
Curiosity peaked. Aidan rose out of his thick leather bound chair. “What kind of visitor?”
A sliver of premonition coursed through his veins, as he leaned against the edge his heavy mahogany desk, careful not to disturb the papers.
“A female visitor, sir,” he said. “Human,” Weatherly added with disdain.
Aidan’s brow furrowed. “What does she want?”
“I’m not sure, sir. She mentioned that her car broke down. She wants to know if she can use the phone.”
“Doesn’t she have a cellphone like the rest of the planet?” he asked.
Weatherly sniffed. “Doesn’t appear so, sir.”
“And you think she’s lying?” Aidan asked.
Weatherly wavered. “She’s a human female, sir.” Which to his butler said it all.
Aidan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and considered the information he’d been given. Lately he’d had an unusual amount of reporters sniffing around.
Unfortunately the success he’d obtained in business dealings had brought attention—attention he didn’t need, considering the secrets that he kept.
If she were a reporter, she’d regret this bold move. By the time Aidan finished with her, she wouldn’t even have a job. If she truly were a stranded motorist, then he’d loan her a car pronto just to get rid of her.
Aidan couldn’t afford for her to be here any longer than necessary. The full moon would be upon them by tomorrow. The pack was already preparing for the monthly run.
“Did you show her in?” Aidan asked, breaking from his thoughts.
“Yes, Sir. I’ve put her in the parlor. I can tell her to go, if you like.” His voice was hopeful, but Aidan was going to have to disappoint him.
“Thank you, Weatherly, but no,” he said. “I’ll handle it from here.”
The butler raised an angled brow to Aidan, before lowering his eyes and bowing out of the room. “As you wish.”
Aidan crossed to the antique mirror on the wall to inspect his appearance. His long hair, as black as the night, fell past his shoulders. His face held the scar he’d earned from taking over pack leadership. The jagged white line ran across his chin and along his cheek, cutting into his polished appearance.
Sharp amber eyes stared back from the mirror. He smiled—a firmly masculine, dominant display that promised both pain and pleasure.
He hoped his expression didn’t frighten their visitor too much. The last thing he needed was another wild story printed about him.
He walked out of his library across the marbled entry hall to the closed door on the other side. He raised his hand to knock on the thick wooden door, stopping short in surprise, unsure why he found the need to do so in his own home.
Aidan turned the knob and entered, his footsteps silent. Her back was to him. Lost in thought, she hadn’t heard him come in. Not that he could really hold that against a human, their hearing wasn’t nearly as developed as his species. He inhaled. The scent of lilacs and sweat made his head spin.
He scanned the parlor, checking to ensure Weatherly hadn’t placed a bouquet in the room. Aidan’s gaze returned to the woman, locking on her slender figure. He inhaled again, this time deeper. She was the source of the sweet aroma.
Luxurious strawberry blonde hair fell in ringlets across her narrow shoulders. Her clothes were disheveled as if she’d been wearing them for days. He sniffed. Make that weeks. Yet somehow the rumpled shorts and wrinkled shirt highlighted her form, instead of diminishing it.
Aidan’s gazed dropped to her heart-shaped bottom. It swayed gently to some internal tune that only she could hear. His attention lowered farther still.
Her long legs were bare where her brown walking shorts left off. Strong muscles flexed with each side-to-side motion. A wisp of a waist peeked out beneath her tucked in white cotton shirt. The slope of a full breast remained hidden beneath the billowy material, but still it was there, if a man knew where to look.
And Aidan definitely knew where to look.
His mouth watered as she bent over to get a better look at the photos in his antique maple curio cabinet. Aidan cleared his now dry throat.
The woman spun around, knocking the lamp off the end table in the process, surprise clearly written on her delicate face. She caught it before it hit the floor, her reflexes fast, cat-like.
Aidan’s breath froze in his lungs.
Wide emerald-green eyes watched him in wary silence as they sized each other up. Aidan couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away. Her pert little nose crinkled as he continued his undisguised perusal.
How could a woman who looked like that have freckles? He wondered, as his eyes moved of their own volition to her lush mouth.
“Sorry about the lamp,” she said, placing it back onto the table. Her full lips parted, breaking into a slightly lopsided grin.
Aidan’s gaze was drawn to an angry slash that bisected her right eyebrow. The wound looked unusual—and fresh.
He pointed to it. “Did you get that when your car broke down?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
She frowned in confusion.
“The wound on your eyebrow,” he clarified.
Her hand flew up to cover the area protectively and her smile faded. Aidan watched the shadows cross her face before she carefully schooled her expression. He didn’t like the implication. Casually he scented her again.
She’d been near a man—recently.
The faint odor of the male’s cheap cologne lingered on her clothes. A brief growl erupted from his chest. He coughed twice to cover the unbidden sound. The urge to shake her until she told him everything about this man besieged him.
Aidan wanted to rip him in half. Sink his jaws and teeth into his throat, until he begged for his life.
The woman didn’t have to say a word. There was no doubt the man had abused her.
Aidan clenched his fists, trying to gain control of his suddenly volatile emotions. His mind flashed to a hearing he’d attended as a member of the Lycanian Elders.
Damon had professed his love for a human woman, his bondmate. Aidan had dismissed it as folly. Disgusted by the fact his cousin had chosen a human over one of his pack.
A buzzing noise sounded in Aidan’s head, before being muted by his own heart beat thundering in his chest.
Well that same insanity wasn’t going to happen to him, dammit.
He dismissed the strange feelings of possession that had momentarily overwhelmed him, blaming them on the pull of the full moon and his natural need to protect what was in his territory.
After all she was female.
***
Cassie froze like a deer caught in headlights. The hair at the nape of her neck stood on end. The muscles in her body readied for a quick escape.
She felt his eyes assessing her before she’d actually turned to see him.
Spinning around she lost her balance. Her arms flailed knocking what was sure to be an expensive lamp off the end table, nearly shattering it into a million pieces.
Way to go, Cassie.
At least she’d managed to catch the lamp before it had broken.
She looked up into the most unusual pair of amber eyes that she’d ever seen. Her breath hiccupped. Never in her life had she ever seen a man so devastatingly handsome.
Jet-black hair hung loose about his broad shoulders. Cassie normally didn’t like guys with long hair, but on him it worked. Muscles rippled beneath his well-tailored shirt, as he crossed his arms. Black jeans hugged his thick thighs.
He was powerful like her ex, Carl, but different. Whereas Carl found the need to remind everyone around him that he was wealthy and important. This man didn’t need to flaunt his power or influence so blatantly. He wore his strength like a cloak—subtle but there nonetheless for everyone to see.
Even from across the room she could tell he was tall, at least six four. Out of habit, Cassi
e’s eyes darted to his left hand. He wore no ring. She allowed her gaze to travel over his impressive physique once again. Spit-shined boots covered his large feet.
You know what they say about a man with big feet? The thought raced through her mind before she could stop it.
She felt her face heat.
It hadn’t been forty-eight hours since she’d left her nightmare named Carl.
What was she thinking?
Her hand covered her tender brow, a not so gentle reminder of why she had left her ex, and why she was through with men, especially rich, powerful men—for good. She pasted what she hoped would pass for a smile on her face and extended her hand.
“My name is Cassie Roberts.”
For a few seconds the man simply stared at her outstretched hand, then he stepped forward and ever so gently clasped her hand.
The contact sent a jolt through her arm. Cassie felt it zing through her body. Her toes curled inside her boots.
The man obviously felt it, too because he frowned and dropped her hand like it was a hot potato, then rubbed his palm along his jeans.
Out of self-preservation, Cassie took a step back.
***
“Aidan Fortier,” he said, shaking off the remaining discomfort his body felt from touching her soft skin.
Aidan waited for some sign of recognition to cross her features. There was none. Some of the tension in his shoulders diminished, but it didn’t leave completely.
Something about this human made him uneasy. She was different. Every time he inhaled, her womanly scent beckoned him like the most succulent aphrodisiac. It took every fiber of his being not to bend her over a chair and take her.
He closed his eyes hoping to escape the sensory overload. It must be the desperation, he thought.
Aidan so wanted to find his bondmate that he was willing to convince himself that a human female might fit the bill. He shook his head, dismissing the insane thought, even as Damon’s taunting face flashed in his mind.
Moonlight Kin: A Wolf's Tale Page 19
