by Nina Croft
“I’ll take it all.”
She let out a little squeal and then leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. He whirled her around, pressed her back against a tree, and kissed her until the night went dark.
Finally, he came up for air. “You know, I can’t believe I didn’t guess. All that doggy sex should have given it away.”
She giggled and then went silent as someone snorted close by.
Bastian lowered her to her feet and slowly turned.
Daniel Melville stood in the center of the clearing. “I really didn’t need to know that my baby sister was into doggy sex.”
“Fuck off,” Bastian growled and Daniel grinned.
Others stepped out of the forest, filling the air with magic.
The pack.
Julia’s small hand slid into his and she squeezed. “Leave him alone,” she snarled.
She sounded so fierce that desire twisted his insides. After his wife, he’d thought he would never risk loving and losing again. But Julia was tough, tough enough to stand up to him, and she wouldn’t die on him like a mortal. Hell, she’d even protect him from a pack of werewolves.
He searched the faces circling them but saw no hostility, only curiosity.
“It seems my sister has chosen you,” Daniel said, moving closer to stand in front of them.
Bastian nodded.
“Which leaves us with a little dilemma. I can’t risk the safety of the pack.”
“So what happens next?” Somehow he didn’t think they meant to kill him. And no way would he let them anyway. But he was interested to know what Daniel would propose.
“Become a friend of the pack, help us, and teach us what you know of our world.”
Bastian gave Julia a sideways glance and she nodded encouragingly. “What do I have to do?”
Daniel smiled. “Do you swear to protect the secrecy of the pack and never willingly do us harm?”
For so long all he’d wanted was to be alone. He’d thought he never wanted to care for anyone else, never take the risk. Now it looked like he’d found a whole new family. Somewhere to belong. A purpose.
Maybe he didn’t want to be alone after all.
He took a deep breath. “I do.”
Epilogue
Julia woke the morning after the full moon deep within the forest. The sun was high in the sky, though her breath still formed mist on the chill air. She was naked, but snuggled against a hot, hard body. The folds of Bastian’s long leather coat wrapped her around her. She pressed herself back and his erection nudged her ass.
“Is that a wand in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?” she murmured, rubbing herself against him.
She felt the rumble of his chuckle, as he rolled her onto her back and came down over her, burrowing his face in the curve of her neck. “You smell of the forest and wild things.”
Probably. But for the first time she didn’t feel the need to run home and dive into the shower, rub her skin raw, gargle a bottle of mouthwash.
Inside Leloo awoke, stretched sleepily, and gave a lethargic wag of her tail. And a smile curved Julia’s lips.
“What?” he asked.
“I was just thinking what a difference a month can make.” She touched his face, stroked her finger along his lips. “A month and the love of a good warlock.”
The End
Did you love this Covet? Check out more of our paranormal romance titles here!
And for exclusive sneak peeks at our upcoming books, excerpts, contests, chats with our authors and editors, and more…
Be sure to like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Sign up for our newsletter
Acknowledgments
Huge thanks to the team at Entangled Publishing for all their wonderful edits, encouragement and the fabulous cover. To all the great women at Passionate Critters for reading my stories and letting me know what they really think. And finally, to my husband Rob, who puts up with me, and encourages me, and does a great job of hiding it when he’s totally fed up with me vanishing into my imaginary worlds and filling the house with vampires and werewolves.
About the Author
Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of nine-to-five work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.
Nina writes all types of romance, often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction. If you’d like to have learn about new releases sign up for Nina’s newsletter here.
www.ninacroft.com
Sign up for our Steals & Deals newsletter and be the first to hear about 99¢ releases from Nina Croft and other fantastic Entangled authors!
Reviews help other readers find books. We appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Thank you for reading!
Also by Nina Croft
Operation Saving Daniel
by Nina Croft
Daniel has never stopped loving his sister’s best friend, Lissa. Ten years ago when he gave her a little freedom, he always intended that one day they would be together. Right up until the moment he was bitten by a werewolf. Now Daniel has to hide what he is. He won’t risk anyone else, especially the woman he loves. But Lissa is back. Daniel’s about to marry his long term girlfriend—AKA The Evil One. And someone needs to save him. Lissa never believed in happy ever after, but Daniel is her fairytale prince and she’ll do whatever it takes to help him.
Break Out
Deadly Pursuit
Death Defying
Bittersweet Magic
Bittersweet Darkness
The Descartes Legacy
Losing Control
Out of Control
Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire
Put a little Para in your Normal with our latest Covet titles…
His Secret Superhero
by Patricia Eimer
Police officer Dylan Wilson is trying to make the world safe for his daughter by joining the anti-superhero movement. What he doesn’t know is that the sexy kindergarten teacher next door, Peggy Pearson, and his most recent target, Fantastigirl, are one and the same. He thinks Peggy is just a friend and reliable role model for his daughter, and he’s opening his heart to her—and unwittingly to the city’s most reluctant superhero. And as the hunt for her kind turns deadly, time runs out. Now Dylan must decide what’s truly worth protecting.
Lone Wolfe Protector
by Kaylie Newell
When Maggie Sullivan comes to Wolfe Creek, determined to find out why her best friend vanished one fog-shrouded night a year ago, seasoned sheriff’s deputy Koda Wolfe reluctantly agrees to help. Soon he’s compelled to protect Maggie from herself, his family’s ancient curse, and a killer who could strike again. The nights heat up in more ways than one as Maggie and Koda begin a fiery relationship. But as they delve deeper into the disappearance, the eerie woods come alive with secrets bound to tear them apart. And someone is watching their every move.
Discover more from Covet…
Forbidden Kiss
by Shannon Leigh
Rom Montgomery seeks the unobtainable: forgiveness. He wanders across continents and through time searching for salvation and the means to right an ancient wrong. To gain the respect and position she’s desired in the academic world, Jule Casale hopes to discover the unknown artist behind a masterpiece of Renaissance art. When Jule comes knocking on Rom’s door, it’s the closest he’s ever come to finally finding redemption. The closer he draws to correcting his past mistakes, the more his secrets threaten to destroy the woman who might hold the key to his future.
Love Potion
by Michelle M. Pillow
Erik MacGregor, from a clan of ancient Scottish warlocks, isn’t looking for love
…until he moves in next door to Lydia Barratt. Lydia just wants to be left alone. The last thing she needs is a demanding Scottish man meddling in her private life. But a love potion prank makes her the target of Erik’s sudden embarrassingly obsessive behavior. They’ll have to find a way to pull him out of the spell fast, because evil lurks within the shadows and it plans to use Lydia, alive or dead, to take out Erik and his clan for good.
Don’t Blackmail the Vampire
by Tiffany Allee
Charles Wright has found the perfect way to trap the man threatening his brother’s wife: befriend him, get invited along on the skiing trip, and then search for incriminating evidence. How much better that audacious but gorgeous Rachel has her own vendetta against the bastard, and is just as eager to nail him to the wall. As far as Charles is concerned, there’s nothing wrong with a little blackmail between two consenting adults. Especially when it’s time for Rachel to pay up.
Sex and the Single Vamp
by Robin Covington
Deacon is a patient vampire. He’s only loved one woman in over five hundred years— CiCi— and she chose another. So when she shows up in his office asking for help, he finally has the chance to lay that demon to rest. He’ll help her, but for a price—a night in his bed. But Deacon has a secret and when Cici is suddenly mortal again, his deception might be the only way restore her immortality. Can love bridge the gap between a heartbeat and forever?
Deceiving the Witch Next Door
by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
Down-on-her-luck witch Storie Bell never thought the biggest threat to her future would be Reid Malone, the very man she’d run from years before. Reid knows there’s much more to Storie than meets the eye, but right now he has only one mission: to infiltrate her shop so he can snatch the elusive secret ingredient to his father’s million-dollar moonshine recipe. But as the days go by, he can’t help falling for Storie in every way…and every encounter brings him closer to finding out what happens when you try to deceive a witch.
Love and Other Cosmic Nonsense
by A.D. Marrow
Breaking it off with her long-time non-magical boyfriend, Evan, was for his own good. At least that’s what Maggie Owen tells herself. After all, a witch and a human can have no future together. But the universe has a different idea and now it’s going to take more than her special talents and a wink to get the hard-hearted bad-boy to see that love is really more than just cosmic nonsense and set the universe back into balance.
Trusting an Angel
by Missy Jane
Isadora secretly longs for her boss Zerach’s attention, but her scarred body and his playboy ways keep her from acting on her feelings. When Zerach helps her fend off an unwanted advance, she sees him in a new light and can’t help but wonder if he shares her feelings. When a demon starts stalking Isadora, Zerach, an archangel with a mission to protect humans from demons, will stop at nothing to protect her. Now he risks not only losing the woman
Four Weddings and a Werewolf
by Kristin Miller
Logan Black, former Marine and bodyguard for the Seattle Wolf Pack, hates weddings and has no plans to enter into matrimonial misery. But when he’s hired to protect a hot-to-trot wedding planner with a werewolf stalker, he’s forced to put his feelings aside. Not such an easy task when the damsel can turn him on with a single smoldering glance. The chemistry between them seems fated, but with his playboy attitude, her hatred for werewolves, and a stalker lurking in the shadows, will passion be enough to keep them together?
Demon’s Song
by Kendra Leigh Castle
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. At least, that’s how it seems to Sofia Rivera when her attempt to help a friend ends in a blood-soaked confrontation with creatures that aren’t even supposed to exist and she finds herself saddled with an immortal bodyguard—Phenex, the fallen Angel of Song. As Sofia and Phenex give in to the strange attraction neither can deny, darkness closes in around them and Phenex begins to wonder whether even the wickedest Fallen might find his own happy ending...and his heart.
