by Moira Rogers
She laughed a little and let Brynn lead her toward the bedroom. “I’m exhausted, all right. But I’m worried about Keith and you.”
“Cindy’s going to patch Keith up.” Brynn nudged open the door to the downstairs bedroom that had been hers for a few short weeks. Most of her few belongings had already made their way over to Joe’s cabin in the past few days. She eyed the empty closet as she gave Abby a tiny push in the direction of the bed. “You don’t get to worry about me right now, Miss Bossy. I’m allowing one overbearing alpha up in my business at a time, and right now Joe’s got it covered.”
“Does he?” Abby’s face brightened. “I’m glad it’s working out for you two, sweetie. Joe is a good guy.”
Brynn dropped to the edge of the bed and let her fingers trace the pattern of the quilt as she tried to find the right words. “Joe is more than working out. He’s just…” Mine. Easy to say to him while the wolf sang in her blood, but saying it out loud to her sister was harder. “It’s not a very human thing, is it?”
“No, it isn’t.” Abby stretched out on the bed. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“I guess you do.” She shifted her hand to cover Abby’s and smiled. “Sometimes life sucks, Ab…but sometimes it’s okay too. Keith makes things worth it for you, and I’m pretty sure Joe’s going to make things worth it for me.”
“Mmm, I hope so.” Abby’s eyes fluttered shut, and she grasped Brynn’s hand. “Do you think Joe will be okay sitting with Keith for a while?”
“Of course.” Not so long ago their positions had been reversed. Brynn rubbed her thumb over the back of her sister’s hand and tried to find the same soothing words that Abby had summoned for her. “It’s going to be okay, Abby. I know it’s hard to see it now, but you and me and even Dylan… We’re going to be okay here.”
She was already asleep.
Brynn smiled and closed her eyes. It felt different, being curled up with her sister now. The sense of family had always been there, but something else floated just beneath the surface. A sameness that had been lacking before, or that had been so subtle she’d never noticed it. Abby was her blood, but more than that, she was…
The wolf whispered the answer. Pack.
Brynn tightened her fingers around her sister’s hand and let sleep take her, content in the knowledge that everything would be okay.
Keith looked like hell. Pale and drawn, his brow creased with pain, he was in the worst shape Joe had ever seen. Even the accident that had outed Keith as a werewolf, way back when Joe was still human, hadn’t left his friend looking this weak.
He looked uncomfortable in sleep, though his restlessness had started after Brynn had coaxed Abby from his bedside in an attempt to get her to sleep. Even so, nearly an hour passed before Keith’s hand shifted to the empty spot next to him. His eyes fluttered open, and he frowned as his gaze landed on Joe. “Is Abby okay?”
“She’s fine. Downstairs with her sister.” Joe sat up straight in his chair. He kept his expression neutral, though his words were honest. “I was just thinking you look like hell.”
“Feel like hell.” Keith’s smile was as weak as the rest of him. “Is Brynn steady enough to deal with Abby?”
“She’ll manage. What about you?”
“Cindy says I’ll make it. Says maybe I’ll wish I hadn’t for a few days, though…” Keith winced and shifted positions. “If Sasha hadn’t been here, I’d be dead.”
It was unthinkable. “But she was here, and we all owe her.”
“You know that. I know that.” Keith’s eyes drifted shut. “Fuck. This isn’t the time for me to be stuck in bed. We don’t know who will take control in Helena or what they’ll do if they’re backed into a corner, and everyone in town knows we’ve got a witch here now…”
There were few wolves who trusted witches, and many of the residents of Red Rock had last encountered magic like Sasha’s being misused by their abusive alphas in other cities. “Gavin will find a way to protect her, and I’ll help him.” Joe forced a smile, though Keith still had his eyes closed. “Shit, man, we all will. It’s not like this whole thing scrambled your brains.”
“Might as well have.” Keith drew in a shallow breath and let it out on a pained sigh. “No one’s saying it, but I’m not stupid. We’ve all seen the kinds of scars those damned magical weapons leave behind. No one knows if I’ll heal completely, and you know what that means, Joe.”
“Bullshit. You’re going to be plenty fine.”
“Maybe. But I need rest, and I’m not going to get any if I’m worrying about what’ll happen if I don’t get better.”
People had been depending on Keith since he was a kid, expecting that someday he’d take Gavin’s place as alpha. It was the sort of pressure that transcended anything Joe had ever faced before. Could he take Keith’s place if he had to? He thought of Tamara, and of Brynn, and waited for the fear to come.
It didn’t.
“I can do it,” he told Keith quietly. “I’ll step up.”
The quiet tension in Keith’s face eased. “Thank you.”
“You got it.” Joe rubbed his hands over his face. “Abby’s pissed at me for breaking your bond.”
“Abby will get over it. If you’d let her suffer through this with me, I would have stabbed you.” Keith managed a laugh that looked like it hurt. “Though when I tried to suggest she let Sasha bind her to someone else temporarily, she just about stabbed me again.”
“She won’t have anybody but you.”
“Comforting to my ego, but I’m more worried about her.”
“I’m not concerned with your ego.” Joe rose and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m just reminding you why you have to get better.”
“Wait—” Keith leveled a serious look on him. “Brynn. Is that… Is she okay? Are you okay?”
“You mean with Brynn?” Joe glanced at the door. “It’s not going to be easy. She’s having a rough time, but I’m in this, Keith. I love her.”
Keith closed his eyes and smiled. “Good. Now get your ass out of my bedroom and let my woman back in. I’m not going to be able to sleep without her here.”
Joe knew better than to think it was an exaggeration. “I’ll send her up, but I think Brynn and I are going to hang around a little while longer, if that’s okay.”
“Long as you keep your hands to yourself. I’m not listening to you play Casanova while I’ve got a gut wound.”
“Sex is the last thing on my mind right now, man. Well, okay, maybe not the last thing. But it’s still damn low on the list.”
“Uh-huh.” Keith’s voice had begun to grow drowsy. “If you do leave, take some of that damn food with you.”
“We’ll see.”
Brynn knew before she opened her eyes that Abby was gone, just as she knew that the person sliding onto the bed next to her was Joe. The room had grown dark, but the clock on the bedside table was facing the wrong direction to see how much time had passed. She rolled over and snuggled against his side, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. “What time is it?”
He brushed her hair away from her face. “Almost eight.”
“Abby went back upstairs?”
“They may not be bonded anymore, but he still feels better with her close by.”
“I guess I can relate.” She traced slow circles across his chest and smiled a little. “I feel a lot better now.”
His hand slid over hers. “Not so worried about your sister, I hope.”
“She’ll make it if Keith makes it.” That, at least, she had perfect confidence in. “Keith’s doing better, isn’t he? I mean…he’s stable now. No one’s worrying that he’s going to die anymore, right?”
“He’s not going to die. Don’t know how long it’ll take him to heal completely, or if he even will. But he’ll live.” Joe rolled to his back and pulled her closer. “Gavin talked to Sasha, and she thinks there are a few more things she can do to help his recovery.”
“What about Abby? Gavin said something ab
out Cindy helping…but I thought Abby was too strong to make it without a bond.”
“It would be best, but she already said no.”
Brynn closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his chest. “I suppose I understand that now, too. You’re stuck with me.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He drew back and framed her face with his hands. “It’s not, sweetheart. I love you.”
A gentle warmth washed through her at the words, calming her anxieties and making it hard to remember that so many battles still lay ahead of them. She turned her head just enough to kiss his hand, and a tiny hint of desire unfurled as she bit the tip of his thumb softly. “You’re mine.”
“I fought it.” Joe kissed her jaw and the curve of her cheek, his breath warm on her skin. “Not as hard as I thought I would, and it didn’t do any good. We belong to each other.”
The truth of the words made her shiver—or maybe it was the hot breath against her skin and the memory of how good it would feel to lose herself in his touch, in the absolute belonging of being with the man who was hers as surely as she was his.
She turned her head and caught his lower lip between her teeth in a teasing nip. “We belong together. Naked.”
“Then we belong at home.” He flashed her a rueful grin. “Keith’s injuries haven’t affected his hearing, and we’ve already been warned.”
Home. This bedroom had been set up for her with the love and affection of her sister and Keith, but it wasn’t home. Home had always been her apartment in Helena, the place she’d rented with the money from her first job and decorated after hours spent watching home-improvement shows.
Except it wouldn’t be home anymore. Joe was home, and his tiny little cabin where he’d held her and loved her, where he’d taken care of her while she tried to remember how to be human.
She’d never been sentimental, but she had to swallow twice before she could get the words out, and even then they sounded husky. Husky, but filled with love. Filled with hope. “Let’s go home.”
About the Author
How do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. To learn more about this romance-writing, crime-fighting duo, visit their webpage at www.moirarogers.com, or drop them an email at [email protected]. (Disclaimer: crime-fighting abilities may appear only in the aforementioned fevered imaginations.)
Look for these titles by Moira Rogers
Now Available:
Cry Sanctuary
Crux
Sanctuary Lost
Coming Soon:
Sanctuary’s Price
He is tired of fighting. She has nowhere to run.
Cry Sanctuary
© 2008 Moira Rogers
Red Rock Pass series, Book 1
Keith Winston is tired of fighting. The war between werewolves and wizards rages on in Europe, but he’s come home to Red Rock, Montana in hopes of finding a bit of peace. Instead he finds more strife as he struggles against the pack’s dictates that he resume his place as the alpha’s right-hand man.
When he rescues a new wolf on the run, he knows his instant attraction to her could cause trouble. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself embroiled in another battle that goes against all his instincts—and his heart.
Abigail Adler learned about the existence of werewolves only when she became one. With her life threatened by a corrupt alpha, she flees to the only sanctuary she knows: Red Rock. While she’s grateful for the pack’s protection, she chafes under its unbreakable rules of conduct—except when it comes to submitting to the passion Keith stirs in her.
Then her tormentor kidnaps her sister in an attempt to lure her out of hiding. To save her, Abby and Keith must be willing to do the very thing that could get them all killed—break all of the rules.
Warning: Hot werewolf sex, violence, explosions, and a heroine wielding a makeshift implement of destruction.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Cry Sanctuary:
“Oh, God.” Abby tried not to whimper, but the sound escaped her anyway. The animal inside surged forward again, ready—desperate—to be claimed, and she rose from the table, almost knocking her chair over. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do. Then she took a deep breath and walked from the tiny kitchenette to Keith’s bed.
She gathered every bit of courage she had and turned her back to him. “Can you unzip me? I can’t reach.”
Even though she heard him move, feeling his hands slide around her waist was a shock. Strong fingers stroked across her stomach before moving up to cup her breasts, and he drew her back against him. “When I get around to it.”
Fire streaked through her. Abby rocked back, whimpering again when she felt the hardness of his cock press against her ass. “Isn’t that the dangerous part?” she asked on a moan. “Getting me so excited?”
“Maybe for someone else.” His voice was cocky, almost arrogant. He pinched her nipples and rocked against her ass at the same time, his voice low and sensual. “But I can handle you no matter how excited you get, and it’s good practice for you.”
She cried out and covered his hands with hers, wishing the layers of cloth between his fingers and her breasts were gone. “Practice for what?” For going insane? For dying of frustration?
His breath heated the sensitive skin of her neck, and he bit her earlobe and tugged at her nipples. “For losing control without losing control. I can show you how.”
Abby shuddered and batted his hands away. She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. The heels she wore afforded her easy reach of his mouth, and she bit his lip. “Sounds like a ton of work. We might need to practice a lot.” She skated her lips over his cheek and closed her teeth on his ear, growling softly.
His growl was louder, lower. He caught her lips in a bruising kiss as he grasped her hands and tugged them from around his neck. He guided her arms down, behind her back, and bit her lower lip in return as he caught her wrists in one hand. “We do need a lot of practice.”
One hand held her wrists trapped, but the other moved to the neckline of her dress. He tugged it down, revealing the thin fabric of the bra underneath, and made a low noise of approval. “And you need practice in letting me take my sweet time.” He caught her nipple between his thumb and finger and tweaked it again.
“Bossy bastard.” She tried to free her hands, but he held them tight. Desire clashed with defiance, and Abby growled even as heat flooded her. “Fine. Just let me know when you’ve caught up.”
He jerked her forward, crushing her hips against his. “Oh, I was hard before we got through the door. But I’m not a kid who can’t control himself.” His fingers inched under the fabric of her bra and tugged it down, baring one breast.
Her head spun, and the ache inside her grew. She wanted to cry out again, to beg him to go faster, make her come. Instead, she clamped her lips together, muffling the moan that welled up in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her body stiffly against his. She wouldn’t let him win, wouldn’t let him see how close to the edge she was already.
His breath tickled her ear. “All through dinner, Abby. The whole time, I was imagining how it would feel to be inside you. To bend you over and show you how fucking good it can be when the person and the wolf want the same thing.”
When she opened her eyes, she could barely focus on his face. “Why didn’t you?” she rasped, pressing closer, sucking in a breath when her nerve endings screamed at the contact. “Why don’t you?”
“Oh, I will.” He left her breast bare and moved his hand down her body, caressing her stomach over the fabric of the dress. His fingers pressed lower, sneaking under her dress to rub at her clit through her underwear. “Maybe more than once.”
Abby forgot to be stoic, forgot everything but the searing heat that engulfed her when Keith stroked her. “Fuck—” Her head fell back, her hair brushing her hands where he still held
them. She couldn’t control her own body as her hips bucked against his hand, once and then again. The tension inside her stretched tighter and snapped, and the accompanying wave of pleasure wrenched a hoarse cry from her throat.
His fingers kept stroking and his lips returned to her ear. “Is that how you want it? Bent over, your ass in the air?”
Her knees buckled, and she sagged against the broad wall of his chest. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, God—please—”
Keith released her hands and plunged his fingers into her hair. His mouth came down on hers, but the brutal domination in his kiss had faded. He kissed her slowly this time, teasing at her lips without pressing past them. His hands moved to the zipper at the back of her dress and slowly pulled the tab, parting the teeth.
Abby licked his lips and urged his shirt up. “When is it my turn?” she asked against his mouth, the twisting need to make him gasp her name overriding everything else.
“What do you want to do?” The dress came undone and he tugged it down.
“Make you crazy.” She let him peel the dress over her hips and kicked it away when it fell to the floor. “I want to make you beg.”
Keith grinned at her as he slowly turned her to face away from him. His hands smoothed up her arms and to her shoulders, and he nudged her upper body toward the bed. “Sounds tempting as hell, sweetheart, but that’s not how it works. Until you’re in control of yourself, you can’t be in control of anyone else.”
Her hands hit the bed and curled into the covers. She looked back at him, her brow furrowed. “That doesn’t sound very fair. I’m doing all right so far.” Except for the fact that her arms and legs were trembling, and she couldn’t quite seem to catch her breath.
One eyebrow went up as he slipped his fingers under the hem of her underwear and dragged it off of her ass. “You think we’ve even gotten started?”
