“We’ll go into town early tomorrow and use the library’s phone.” She withdrew her hand and offered him a sheepish smile. “A cell phone won’t work out here, but I do have a two-way radio to contact my friend Diane. She lives down the road a little ways. We watch each other’s backs.”
When she’d stood earlier to take her plate to the kitchen, he’d noticed she had a really cute butt. So, if she was looking for more volunteers, he’d watch her back anytime. “It’s nice to have someone who looks out for you.”
Ava stared at him for the longest moment. She must have seen something in his expression, because Bo saw desire flicker in her gaze, a sharp need that matched his own. Under any other circumstances, he’d pursue Ava. He couldn’t remember a time he’d been so enamored by a woman. What was it about her that made him want to both ravage and protect her?
“I’ll bring you a blanket.” She rose, carrying Lolly with her. When she returned, she placed a fluffy pillow and a quilt on the couch. She held out a purple dressing robe. “Your clothes are filthy. If you give me your pants and shirt, I’ll put them in the washer.”
He obliged, watching her expression as she studied his naked form from head to toe. He saw her swallow hard, and could practically smell her pheromones ignite. She wanted him with the same desperate longing he felt.
She took his clothes. “Good night, Bo.”
“Good night, Ava.”
He’d tossed and turned most of the night. Between nightmares of not getting to his family in time and wet dreams of a naked Ava, Bo felt groggy as hell when 5 a.m. came around.
After dressing and eating the light breakfast Ava made, they took her Mazda to Wellsford’s small library, which was located downtown across the street from the building that housed the police, court, and mayor’s offices.
Bo used the phone behind the checkout desk to call Ellison and got a very grumpy alpha. He explained where he was and why—and got the reaction he’d expected.
“You’re a fucking moron,” said Ellison. “You should’ve told us that Kendra and the girls were missing before you left for Washington.”
“Eli—”
The alpha cut him off. “Let’s just focus on what you need, kid. I’ll get in touch with the nearest pack to you and have them send enforcers.”
“I can’t wait for them.”
“I know. Just try to stay alive long enough for help to get there.” Eli sighed. “Seriously, man. It’s been twenty years. When will you learn to trust us? We’ll always have your back.”
“I know that,” said Bo.
“Yeah. Sure. I want to know the minute everyone is safe and on their way home. Including you.”
“You will.” Bo hung up, feeling like a stupid teenager, even though he was twenty-eight and knew the hardships of being a man. He looked at Ava. “Help is on the way.”
AVA SMILED REASSURINGLY, or at least hoped she looked like she was reassured. Bo seemed even more tense than he had last night, but that intensity made him even more attractive. He had the sharp good looks of James Dean with eyes as blue as sapphires. His long, dark blond hair fell in waves around his shoulders. Honestly, he looked more like a California surfer than an Alaskan werewolf. He was lean and muscled, and now that she knew he wasn’t a carjacker, she fully admired the fit of his jeans.
This morning, she’d made him breakfast—toast, fruit, and organic coffee. Tiny gestures, but the only thanks she could offer him for saving her life. Though truthfully, if she hadn’t been so scared by him she probably wouldn’t have had an asthma attack. It had been dumb to leave her inhaler at home, but she’d used up her old one, and hadn’t gotten the new one out of the box yet to put in her purse. Lesson learned. Staring at Bo now, she couldn’t imagine being frightened of more than losing her heart.
“Stay here,” he said, his gaze soft as he smiled back at her.
Her pulse stuttered at that delicious look. Maybe when everything had settled down—
Wait a minute. “What do you mean stay here?”
“I’m prey, remember? So is my family. We’re shifters, Ava. We’re tough.”
Her ire rose at the implication. “But I’m human, so I’m weak?”
He raised his hands. “You know that’s not what I mean.”
She tried not to go weak-kneed at his flexing biceps. Instead, she jumped on the opening he gave her. “Good.” She grabbed her car keys. “Let’s go then.”
“No, Ava.” He grasped her shoulders, and she felt the warmth of his fingers through her T-shirt. “I won’t risk your life.”
He stroked her arms, his fingertips gliding to her collarbone and up her neck. Her heart thumped wildly as the sensations he wrought made her lower parts clench.
“Lolly needs you,” he said.
Guilt flooded as she though about the purring ball of fur she’d left on the couch, but shook her head, and stepped closer to him until their bodies were millimeters apart. She tilted her head back to meet the full weight of his gaze. “You need me more.”
“You have no idea,” he breathed, and then gave in to the same impulse that drove her forward to meet his descending mouth. He dragged her into his embrace and her fingers threaded through his soft hair as he drank from her like she was the last sip of water in a vast desert.
She was glad he held her close because her knees buckled as she sank into him, into the hard planes of his chest, and the growing evidence of his desire. The kiss turned fervent and fire race through her veins. Ava had never wanted anyone more than she wanted Bo.
He broke their kiss, and she was startled at his eyes. They had changed—resembling more a wild wolf. A growl rumbled from him. “We will pick this up later,” he said.
“Damn right,” she agreed.
Reluctantly, he let her go. She had to lean against a nearby bookshelf and inhale while she tried to get her equilibrium back. He chucked her under the chin, and said, “I’ll be back. Promise.”
She followed him resolutely out the library’s back door. Last night when she’d cleaned his jeans, she’d found the bullets in his pocket. She’d taken the gun from her coffee table, loaded it, and stuck it in her purse. She had a shotgun in the cabin for protection, but she hadn’t shot a pistol in years—and certainly not one as large as the .357.
“Ava, damn it. You’re putting yourself in danger.”
“So are you.” She unlocked the driver’s side door and slid behind the wheel. To her relief, Bo got in the car.
“This is a bad idea,” he said.
“A supremely bad idea,” she agreed.
Half an hour later, they reached the edge of Ryer’s property. Hiding the Mazda by a copse of trees, she followed Bo through the woods until they reached the edge of a field. Fifty yards away was a rectangular concrete building. It had no windows, but it did have a huge metal door that looked as though the military had installed it. An eight-foot-tall chain link fence topped with coils of barbed wired surrounded the building. An armed guard stood at the gate entrance. He looked imposing—and so did the submachine gun in his hands.
He looked at her. “My best chance is shifting and taking out the guard. He has a pass card that will open the gate and the compound’s door.”
“That’s your plan?” she whispered furiously. “Did you see the size of his gun?”
“Yes,” said Bo. “Mine’s bigger.”
She blanched, knowing he wasn’t talking about the .357 in her purse. He reached for the edge of his T-shirt, presumably to start disrobing so he could turn into a werewolf. Ava had never seen a werewolf shift before, and had to admit she was very interested in seeing how it happened.
“Don’t bother, pretty boy.”
Ava felt a cold metal barrel press against her cheek. Terrified, she glanced at Bo, and saw his hands go up. She couldn’t see the person shoving the gun into her face, but she knew his voice. Rufus—the chief of police.
“Move.”
Ava was pushed roughly into the field. Bo joined her with his hands still ra
ised. She clutched her purse, covertly unzipping it and sticking her hand inside. It was easy enough to find the gun, considering how big the damned thing was.
“Avalina Shepard, what are you doing with that criminal?”
Mayor Morgan walked toward them. He was dressed in camouflage, his silver hair tucked under a brown knit hat. Rufus forced them to walk to the compound’s guard, who now aimed his gun at Bo. The mayor joined them, his smile less than friendly.
“I kidnapped her,” said Bo. “I made her to help me.”
The mayor’s eyes glittered with suspicion. “That true, Ava?”
She knew that Bo was trying to save her, but she couldn’t let him get hurt. She wouldn’t walk away from him or his family, even it meant risking her own hide.
“What are you doing, Cranfield?” she asked. Pity laced her voice, and the mayor’s gaze narrowed. “Do you think your wife would be proud of the man who kills innocents for money?”
“Shut up, girl. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ava refused to be cowed by his anger. “What about Missy? She loved a shifter.”
“And look where that got her,” said Cranfield bitterly. “Dead. Killed by that werewolf son-of-a-bitch.”
“She committed suicide,” said Ava. “That’s not your fault. And that’s not the fault of the werewolves, either.”
For a moment, she thought Cranfield might hit her, but he kept his fists at his sides. His furious expression suddenly turned amiable. It scared her how easily he donned that mask. One that had fooled most of the townsfolk. But his true nature was the closest to evil that she’d ever seen.
“You’re a lying, murdering coward,” hissed Ava. “I hope you burn in hell.”
Bo grabbed her arm and yanked her behind him. “She has nothing to do with this, Morgan.”
“I’ve known her since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, and I’ve see that look in her eyes before. That girl is as stubborn as the day is long. It’s a pity she has to die.” He winked at Rufus. “Where we gonna find another librarian as pretty as our little Ava?”
Rufus’ laugh was ugly.
Ava felt sick to her very core. What have I done?
Bo growled then suddenly side-kicked the guard. Ava heard the man’s knee crack as he dropped to the ground screaming. Bo stomped his head. Ava heard another sharp, awful crack—and the guard went utterly still.
Rufus and the mayor froze, unable to comprehend the fast, vicious movements of the pissed-off werewolf. Bo punched the mayor, and he went down like a sack of rocks.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rufus aim his gun at Bo. Ava grabbed the Magnum in her purse and yanked it up. Unfortunately, she hadn’t unzipped it fully, and the gun, unable to fit through the hole, caught inside.
Shit! Ava lifted her purse and pulled the trigger. The gun jerked upward and the bullet blew a hole through the side of her purse before it slammed into Rufus. He yowled as he stumbled back, sinking to his knees as blood spurted from his stomach wound.
“Avalina!”
“I’m fine!” she huffed, trying to find her inhaler in the damaged purse. She waved him on. “Get your family.”
Bo ripped a lanyard off the dead guard’s neck and used it to access the gate. Then he used the same card to open the massive metal door. He ducked inside, and within a minute he was striding back toward her, relief all over his expression. Behind him, wolves began to emerge.
Bo wrapped her in his arms and hugged her hard. He let her go and looked down at her. “Are you all right?”
She laughed shakily, gripping her inhaler with her right hand. “Yeah. I’m—watch out!” She shoved Bo hard as she could just as the mayor squeezed the trigger on the .38 pistol aimed at them.
An explosion of pain stalled the breath in her lungs worse than any asthma attack she’d ever had. She stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Her inhaler knocked loose from her hand, and incomprehensively, she tried to reach for it. Her hands lacked the strength. She lay on her back—the warmth of her own blood flowed across her chest.
Bo’s scream of denial turned into a vicious deep-throated growl. Ava didn’t see his shift, but she knew the golden-furred wolf padding past her was Bo. He was as beautiful as a wolf as he was a man.
Ava tried to get up, but blood loss made her weak, and her shoulder felt like someone had set it on fire. Despite the pain making her vision blur, she saw the four huge felines slinked down toward the mayor. She realized they were lynxes, their ears tipped with tufts of black fur, and their coats white with gray markings. From reading, she knew the species of cats were mainly found in Alaska and Canada.
One of the lynxes broke off from the pack and came to her. Ava stared at the cat with a mixture of awe and trepidation. The lynx put its paw on Ava, a gesture of comfort. It’s golden eyes offered comfort, too. Ava focused on that beautiful gaze even as her mind clouded, and she descended into darkness.
AVA WOKE UP in a hospital bed. The first thing she noted was that her shoulder was bound up like a mummy. The second thing she noticed was Bo. He stood next to her bed, and next to him were three gorgeous women. They wore shirts that were varying shades of pink and jeans that fit them like second skins. Each had long silvery blonde hair that they pulled into ponytails. Something about them seemed familiar.
“Hi,” she croaked.
“Hey,” said Bo. He stroked her cheek. “How do you feel?”
“Not bad.” Her thoughts were jumbled. “A little confused.”
“That’s the morphine on both counts” said one of the blonde pixies. “I’m Arise.”
“I’m Rinne.”
“Sarlie,” said the third.
“Your Bo’s family.”
“My sisters,” Bo confirmed. “My mom is Kendra. She went to the cafeteria to get everyone sandwiches.” He took her hand. “I can’t thank you enough. You helped me save my family—and about a hundred other shifters, too.”
“That’s great,” she said with a groggy smile. She looked at him. “It was nice of you to visit me.”
“Visit? Are you kidding?” Arise slung an arm around her brother. “He hasn’t left your side for the last three days.”
Ava’s mouth dropped open. “I’ve been out for three days?”
“The doctors kept you doped up so that you would sleep,” said Bo. “You’ll probably need physical therapy for that shoulder.”
“Ah. The patient is awake.” A lithe woman, a little older than the sisters but just as graceful, came to the bedside.
Ava recognized the woman’s eyes...the last ones she’d seen before passing out. “You’re the lynx.”
“Mom, this is Ava.”
“You are lovely and brave. A perfect mate for my son.”
“He’s a wolf,” said Ava. Then she processed Kendra’s words. “Wait. His mate?”
“He’s adopted,” said Rinne. Or maybe it was Sarlie.
They looked so much alike, and with the morphine dripping in her veins, Ava couldn’t really figure out who was who. “Sounds like a long story,” said Ava. “I love long stories.”
“I’ll be here to tell you,” said Bo.
Kendra shared a look with her daughters, and they left the room.
“I’m sticking around Wellsford for a while,” said Bo. “You know somewhere I can stay?”
“I might,” said Ava. “As long as you like cats.”
Bo grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. And Ava knew then that her heart had been captured by the werewolf.
The End
Her Billionaire Werewolf
KADE STONEWELL CLUTCHED the Styrofoam cup filled with his too hot Sumatra blend coffee and studied the brown lid with an undeserved intensity.
Then he sneaked another look at the beauty two tables away from his own.
The floral scent of the female’s perfume mixed with her pheromones. He felt a stirring within—dark sensuality, unquiet need. His nostrils flared, and inwardly, his wolf
’s snout rose, sniffing the air, breathing her in, growling in approval.
As the alpha of the Moon Pack, he had the right to choose his own mate. However, if he failed to make that choice—or the woman declined the privilege—he would then be subject to pack rule. Accepting a mate chosen by pack vote wasn’t quite as barbaric as the bride lottery favored by some packs, especially those in the Western United States. In fact, his cousin was a current participant in the Choosing ceremony being held in Bleed City, Nevada—a Shadow Pack protectorate. Unfortunately, there was only one eligible female: Nicole Mills.
Plenty of successful alpha unions had come about from arranged marriages. But Kade knew from experience that Nicole would not be a good mate. After all, he’d tried to develop a relationship with her. Last year, when he became alpha of the Moon Pack, he began dating Nicole in the hopes they would bond—and mate.
It took less than a month for his hopes to be dashed.
Nicole was a pampered and spoiled only child of her parents, and she expected the princess treatment from everyone, especially him. She was shallow and self-centered, caring far too much about spa treatments, shopping trips, and expensive jewelry. He realized quickly that Nicole’s self-centeredness would never allow her to put anyone else’s needs above her own. So he’d ended it and immersed himself into running the Pack.
But pack law was clear.
The alpha had a priority to mate and breed, and if he didn’t find a bride on his own—then the pack would find one for him. From the moment he’d gained the honor of becoming alpha, the countdown clock started ticking. One year to find a mate of his own choosing or he forfeited choice to pack vote. And that left only Nicole, who was not only a werewolf, but she was also willing to marry him and have his pups. Her personality flaws were irrelevant so long as she remained loyal to him and to the pack.
And that’s why he was here.
For her.
Lilly Addison.
Fifteen minutes until midnight, on a Friday night no less, so the bookstore coffee shop was mostly empty. Tired clerks enjoined customers to bring their purchases to the front registers, but last-minute browsers still scurried among the shelves.
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