She was in the area she’d deemed public. He landed, Ajax at his side. Then Nico was there and holding out his arm again. Patrick accepted the lift. By then, both women were inside and Sara Beth had a First Aid kit unfolded on the counter. He didn’t remember one in the house’s inventory, so she must have gotten it while he was gone. As if she knew they’d need it. Given his position in the clan, it was a logical assumption. If he’d been in human form, a feral grin would spread his lips. This was his woman.
Nico set him down on the counter. He kept his injured wing close to his side. Fought the instinct to fight when Sara Beth reached for him. She gave him an exasperated look.
“I need to get the fragments out,” she said softly. “It won’t heal if I don’t.”
The eagle had taken over and it only knew two things: hunting and protecting. It didn’t know self-preservation. But despite that and against all instinct, it knew this woman, its mate, could be trusted. She might cause hurt, but it would never be on purpose. He spread his wing and with a set of tweezers, she set to work.
She had no idea how she did it. How she remained calm in the midst of chaos. When she got the last, tiniest piece out, he shifted. She could see the anger and terror in his eyes but she just didn’t fucking care. He was her mate and she needed to be held. She lunged forward and he caught her.
Gods. She’d been terrified. She still was. The hunter had found her. Would he be the last? How many more would come?
“We have company incoming,” Nico warned softly. “You should get dressed.”
She hurried away because she scented what he didn’t say. Her father and brother were close. Also Michael and Hector. She went to the family quarters, Patrick at her back. He locked the door behind them. It was only then that she realized she might be in a more serious kind of trouble than she’d ever imagined. His gaze was so intense it burned. Hot, angry, possessive. Scared. She knew that fear was for her and a part of her melted at his protective streak, but the other part rebelled. She was no one’s pet.
And they didn’t have time for that conversation. He stalked her slowly. For a bird, she sure was getting a lot of four-legged danger vibes off of him. It didn’t really surprise her anymore. A lot of people, shifters included, thought birds were helpless. They were so, so wrong. She felt exposed. He’d never allow pretense between them and if she was honest, she didn’t want that either.
“You’re okay,” he said.
He could see she was. His gaze swept over her again and again. Was she imagining that touch or really feeling it?
“I’m fine,” she said through dry lips. He gave her the slow wicked smile that made her melt.
“Oh yes, that you are,” he agreed.
He was going to reach for her any second now and she wouldn’t fight it. Hell no. She wanted to cling to him. Wanted him inside her, making her forget the danger she’d just been in. Before either of them could move, however, she scented more people arrive. Patrick groaned and crushed her lips against his for a minute before stepping back.
“Later,” he promised.
She dressed quickly. He pulled on a pair of jeans and started to put on a T-shirt when she shook her head. He would heal fast, but there were dozens of ugly scratches on his arm.
“We need to clean that and bandage it for a couple of days.”
He carried the shirt and followed her back to the others. He sat on the stool near the First Aid kit and waited while her family fussed over her. They meant well so she gave them a couple of minutes before extricating herself and returning to Patrick. There were peroxide wipes in the kit and she ripped one open.
“What happened?” Patrick asked as she started cleaning the wounds.
“He was waiting for me in the parking area. I have no idea how he found it.”
“We found a tracker on your car,” Nico said. “He must have put it there yesterday when you were in town. All he had to do after that was set up an ambush.”
Fear was quickly overcome by fury. Her growl was sub-vocal, but Patrick knew. He lifted his uninjured arm to squeeze her nape. The contact calmed her.
“We need to make sure there are no signs he was ever in the area,” Patrick spoke to Nico, who nodded.
“Already on it. We have his vehicle and it shouldn’t take long to find out where he was staying.”
“This isn’t over, is it?” she asked. The idea filled her with dread. “I mean, Nichols isn’t going to give up. And what if there’s another hunter out there looking for a half-human trophy?”
Anger scented the air and growls rumbled around the room.
“We have to begin preparing everyone for exposure. It’s inevitable,” Michael said.
“I agree,” Hector said.
And that made her damned suspicious. She could tell by Patrick’s expression he felt the same. Michael’s words too closely mirrored Nichols. Surely Michael hadn’t given Nichols her name? He was the werewolf alpha, protector of them all.
“The reporter can be silenced.” Ajax spoke so coldly, Sara Beth shivered.
Patrick pulled her back into the V of his thighs and wrapped his arms around her.
“You can’t kill him,” Hector said. “The hunter might not be missed. Nichols will. But if we can control the story…”
He let the thought trail off but everyone in the room knew where he was going with it. Not just exposure, but coming out of the shadows on their own. She stared at him and Michael. Someone had given her name to Nichols, which left her open to King and gods knew who else, and she’d bet the entire contents of her bank account that someone was right here.
“Have you gotten anywhere with that email address?” she asked Nico, not taking her eyes off Michael. If he was guilty, he hid it well.
“Not a damned thing,” Nico said. “Whoever it is, hasn’t contacted Nichols again.”
Nothing in Michael’s or Hector’s expressions gave them away—the two shifters were thick as thieves, if one knew something, she’d bet the other did too—but the suspicion nagged at her. It sucked not to be able to trust her alpha.
“There has to be a way to contain Nichols,” Ajax insisted. “And let me remind you, gentlemen, you are here as a courtesy. I rule this land and I don’t answer to anyone.”
“A fox is the target. That is my business,” Michael countered.
Sara Beth had had enough. “No. It isn’t. My mate is not in your clan, and I choose to stay with him. I’m no longer your concern, Michael.”
She had stunned Michael speechless. It was her father who spoke. “Sara Beth, you don’t have to do that.”
She had the feeling it might be the only way to stay alive. “Yes, I do, Dad.”
She held his gaze, willing him to see her resolve, and finally he nodded. “I understand.” He kissed her cheek, grabbed her brother but stopped at the door. “Make sure you call your mother.”
She nodded. “I will.”
Thankfully, Michael and Hector left with her family. She was left with Patrick, Ajax and Nico, and Jack. Everyone was grim-faced. It felt like a damned war room.
“Those two are up to no good,” Ajax said darkly. Sara Beth agreed. There was something just off about how Michael and Hector had behaved.
“No doubt. One of them gave Nichols my name, I’d bet on it.”
Nico prowled the room while the eagles stood very still, eyeing the man who seemed more cat than man. If the situation weren’t so dire, Sara Beth would have found it amusing.
“My father is an ass, but I can’t believe he’d expose one of our women.” Nico shoved his hands through his hair. “Hell, who am I kidding? Of course, he would do it if he could justify it to himself.”
“We can’t prove it,” Sara Beth said. “Even if we could, what would you do?”
Patrick was all controlled fury behind her. If he ever found proof, she knew he’d kill Hector and Michael for putting her in danger. Or at least try. She couldn’t allow that. She set her palms on his thighs, and the contact seemed to calm him.
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“We couldn’t kill them,” Jack said, the voice of reason. “Even if you could make it look like an accident, the repercussions throughout the shifter world might very well destroy us all.” He paused and looked at Nico, then her. “Unless you think Jason and Bastian can hold the leopards and wolves in check?”
“Jason is already doing that,” Nico said. “And my brothers will help him.”
Then they all looked at Sara Beth. Were they really standing here talking about assassinating the werewolf alpha and the former wereleopard alpha? It was insane.
“I don’t know Bastian very well.”
“Better than the rest of us, baby.”
True. “He’s strong. Well liked. Loyal.” She shrugged. “He’s the heir. As long as he wasn’t implicated in his father’s death, the clan would follow him”
“Your clan too?” Patrick asked.
“Of course. But y’all seem to be forgetting something that I shouldn’t have to point out.”
“What’s that?” Ajax asked.
“You’re neutral. And you aren’t assassins. You want to cause upheaval in our world? Break either of those covenants.”
Ajax scowled. “Well, there went my chance of getting rid of Hector.”
Nico laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders. He tugged her back to his chest. “You know he’s not that easy to kill. And Sara Beth is right.”
“Well shit,” Ajax muttered. “We can’t do nothing. Not with this.”
“Baby, aren’t you friends with Celeste?” Patrick asked Sara Beth. Celeste was Michael’s human step-daughter, and Jason Leonidas’s mate.
“Why?”
“Just curious,” he said, much too innocently. She wasn’t buying it for a minute, but she played along.
“Yeah. I haven’t talked to her since we mated. She’ll be pissed if she hears about us from someone else.”
“That is sneaky and underhanded,” Nico said. “But it’ll work without breaking the rules.”
She understood. Anything she told Celeste—including suppositions—would get passed onto her mate, Jason, the wereleopard leader. Sara Beth wasn’t sure if she liked the solution, but she did agree with the others that everyone should be warned. Once it leaked, the Messengers would have a legitimate reason to spread the rumor.
“And Bastian?”
“Celeste will fill him in, I’m sure, if Jason doesn’t contact him personally.”
“Well, that’s settled then.” Ajax stood. “We’re going to have to take a new look at our security, but that can wait till tomorrow.”
“See you in the morning,” Patrick said as the three eagles left.
Sara Beth turned in his arms. Finally. Alone with her mate. He wasn’t smiling, though, and she thought she knew why.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I knew if I hid long enough, someone would come.”
“It’s going to be a long time before I get over that terror.”
“Me too. He tried to kill you.”
He took her hand and led her back to their room. “I think we should stay in bed for a week.”
“You have a meeting in the morning,” she reminded him.
“We have a meeting in the morning.”
She frowned. She appreciated being kept in the loop, but… “I’m not part of Ajax’s council.”
“This is more of an inner circle meeting, and as my mate, you belong there. By my side.”
He gave her a look so scorching she forgot how to breathe. Then he crooked his finger.
“C’mere.”
She shouldn’t give in so easily. He’d come to expect it all the time. But she saw the lingering fear in his gaze, felt her own. That bullet had come so close. She went to him.
“I could have lost you,” she whispered, tears pricking her eyes. How would she have survived the loss?
“Hey, hey. It’s okay, baby,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I’m right here. A little scratched up, but I’m fine.”
It was the wrong thing to say. The tears fell and a sob caught in her throat. She clung to him, and despite his injured arm, he carried her to bed. Somehow he stripped them both without letting her go which made her cry harder. He didn’t say a word, just held her while she completely melted down. Finally she was out of tears, throat raw, and embarrassed as hell.
“I’m sorry. I never do that.”
He rolled over her and glared. “Don’t ever apologize for loving me, Sara Beth. I couldn’t stand knowing you regretted us.”
“Idiot.” She smiled. “How could I regret something so wonderful?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up in a half smile. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” He kissed her breathless. “A little less excitement than today though, okay? Torment your brothers instead. I can handle that.”
She laughed. “Tell me that after they strike back.”
She laughed harder at his expression.
“It’s a good thing I love you so much,” he grumbled, but she could feel his amusement. “Otherwise I might have to do something about your brothers.”
“You wouldn’t hurt them.”
He stroked his hand down the curve of her waist to her hip.
“I’d never do anything to hurt you,” he said softly.
“I know.”
He kissed her again, hands skimming her body, driving the desire that always lingered into a conflagration.
“Now, Patrick.” She scratched his back. “I can’t wait.”
She needed him inside her. Needed his possession, needed the connection between them. He kissed her neck before moving down to lick and tease her nipples.
“Not yet,” he murmured. “You’re not ready yet.”
She was beyond ready. Her nails sharpened to claws and pricked his skin. He growled, but it was enjoyment—not protest—she heard in the sound.
“Behave,” he ordered, and she felt teeth on the underside of her breast as he kept moving down.
“Come back up here and I will,” she coaxed.
Teeth on her inner thigh this time. Pleasure and pain mingled, and then he swiped his tongue over her sex, lingering on her clit. She froze. She wasn’t sure if she was reaching for orgasm or trying to hold it back. Not that he had any intention of letting her have that kind of control. He used his fingers, his tongue, his teeth. It was a maddening torment she hoped never ended. He stopped when the shudders began to wrack her body—so damned close she wanted to rail against the sudden loss. And then he filled her. Hot, hard, demanding.
“Look at me, foxy.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“Look at me,” he repeated, sounding one part amused and one part pure alpha.
She stared into eyes gone eagle hard. “Better,” he said and then he moved. Strong, fast, just rough enough. “Touch yourself, baby. Come with me.”
How could she refuse? Even so close to his animal side desire and love shone through. She couldn’t deny him anything. She slid her hand between their bodies to her sex and strummed her clit. Nearly came as his cock stroked her G-spot. Perfection, she thought as she gave into the most intense orgasm of her life.
A long time later she sprawled across his chest, wrapped in his arms and worrying about the future. Somehow he knew.
“As long as we’re together, baby, the world can fall apart as far as I’m concerned.”
She knew he meant it and she knew neither of them would be satisfied ignoring the world, but that didn’t matter. He’d retreat from everyone if that made her happy.
“I love you,” she whispered.
A smile lit his eyes. Emotion wrapped around her. Warmth and love and belonging.
“I love you back.”
About the Author
Loribelle is a former Army MP who traded in her combat boots for motherhood, flip-flops and all the Diet Coke she can drink. (She almost misses the combat boots.) She’s the author of more than twenty books, none of which her children are allowed to read. Ever. Visit her website, www
.loribellehunt.com, or www.facebook.com/loribelle.hunt for information on new releases.
Look for these titles by Loribelle Hunt
Now Available:
Forbidden Passions
Passions Recalled
Renegade Passions
The Elect
Protector
Guardian
Warrior
Print Anthologies
Forbidden Passions
How do you claim the heart of a fox? Tempt her into giving it up.
Secret Passions
© 2013 Loribelle Hunt
Forbidden Passions, Book 5
As a member of the elite Messenger Corps, werebird Alexandra “Ajax” Petros is in her element. Under the protection of her people’s steadfast political neutrality, the only thing she can’t outfly are the secrets of her past—and her birthright as destined queen.
Which is exactly what she’s trying to do when she lands, literally, in the arms of a man with claws—and cold, methodical wits—as razor sharp as her own eagle talons.
For Nicodemus Leonidas, information is power. The journey into werebird territory to find out what happened to his father is a calculated risk, but nothing is more dangerous than his and Ajax’s instant, explosive chemistry. In the heat of the moment, he senses the stubbornly independent woman is his mate…and that she’s hiding something.
Evasive maneuvers do Ajax no good. Inexorably, Nico peels away her layers until he holds her very soul in his hands. And when she uncovers a plot to steal her throne, he is the one man with the power to force her to make the one choice she never wanted to face…
Warning: This book contains sex. A lot of it. In a kitchen, up against a wall, bent over a sofa, tied up and not tied up. Also, a family betrayal, a fight to the death, a reluctant queen and a very kinky leopard with control issues.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Renegade Passions:
He wasn’t getting anywhere with his search and now he was being forced to put it on hold until the weather improved. In a normal situation, he’d just find local lodging. But to his extreme annoyance there was none to be had. Not that it was full, just that there wasn’t any. No hotels. No inns. No rooms for hire. He’d been sleeping outside, but that wouldn’t be possible tonight.
Secret Passions: Forbidden Passions, Book 5 Page 11
