by C. E. Black
Before I could finish writing my next question, she answered. “While you guys were swimming in the river, I took a peek at the map that guy was carrying around. The quiet one?”
When I raised an eyebrow, she continued. “I was hiding in the woods when you and those guys found that barn. I've been hanging around ever since.” She sighed again and leaned back against the van. “I thought about coming forward. Sucks being alone, ya know? And there were three of you, which I thought meant there might be room for one more. At first, I stayed back to make sure it was safe. Two guys and one girl. Wasn’t sure if they were holding you against your will. Wasn’t long before I realized that wasn’t the case at all.” A light pink flushed her cheeks. “I promise I’m not a peeping Tom. I didn’t, like, watch or anything.”
Her cheeks turned a bright red and I almost felt bad for her. I was more amused than anything.
“Anyway, it kinda looked like I’d be the fourth wheel, which sounds pretty even if you don't take into account yall's relationship. So, I hung back. Glad I didn’t completely disappear, though. That asshole on the mountain was one nasty piece of work,” she said, biting out the last few words.
I patted her hand then wrote, “thank you.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” she grinned. “Us girls have to stick together, right?” Her smile vanished. “So, I missed a lot of what happened at the cabin, but I did see your friend. I’m sorry he was bitten. What made you leave without ’em?”
Closing my eyes, I hung my head and took a deep breath through my nose. I’d done well to not think about Kaden or Mason since I’d left them, and now that the subject had been brought up, my eyes stung with suppressed tears.
“I’m sorry I brought it up,” she whispered. “How about we get back on the road, and you can tell me about ’em when you’re ready.” Her voice turned uncertain. “That is if you’re okay with me tagging along.”
Snorting, I rubbed at my eyes with one hand as I wrote my answer with the other.
The girl’s hand went to her chest in mock hurt. “I would not follow you anyway, thank ya very much!” Then she laughed. “Well, maybe I would.”
“By the way, my name’s Annabelle Price.”
I shook her outstretched hand, then scribbled down my own name.
Her grin widened. “Nice to meet you, Jane Thornton. I promise not to get ya killed if you promise me the same.”
“Deal,” I wrote. Then I narrowed my eyes. “How old are you?”
Standing, she brushed off the back of her pants and gave me a wink. “Older than ya think.”
All three of us climbed back into the van. This time, I drove. Annabelle and I had both agreed it would be easier for her to give me directions. She chattered the entire time about nothing in particular, jumping from one subject to another while I listened quietly. I didn’t mind. And it was easy to figure out that Annabelle had missed having someone to talk to. I’d also found out that my assessment of her age had been way off. I’d never met a twenty-three-year-old who looked so young before. According to her, that happened all the time. When her nose scrunched up in disapproval, I could see why. It was adorable.
“There!” Annabelle pointed to a small opening in the trees. Hitting the brakes, I took the turn sharply, sending Poco an apologetic look in the rear-view mirror when he whined.
“Sorry,” Annabelle said. “I almost didn’t see it.
We climbed the winding one lane road, up the mountain at a crawl, for more than an hour before our progress was halted by a locked metal gate that took up the entire width of the road. After a quick assessment, we decided to hike the rest of the way, and luckily for us, we didn’t have to go far.
“Wow,” Annabelle whispered.
The breath flew out of my lungs when we first walked into the clearing. The house was remarkable, with its stone façade and white front porch. It was like walking back in time.
“Look!” Annabelle pointed to the overgrown garden. “And there’s pens already built for livestock.”
It was obvious that no one lived here any longer. There were no animals in the pens, the garden was full of weeds, and there was an overall sense of emptiness I picked up from the house. Still, we were careful as we let Poco inside to check the place out first. When he gave a small woof to indicate the all clear, Annabelle squeezed my arm excitedly.
“We could make this a home,” she whispered. Then she gave me a big grin before heading inside the house, her exclamations of wonder followed.
Home. Gripping the porch railing, I looked out over the property, listening to the distant sound of water either from a creek or a river nearby. It was like a piece of heaven sitting smack dab in the middle of hell.
I closed my eyes, my grip on the railing tightening until my injured palm throbbed. How could I make a home here? Without them?
Gritting my teeth, I looked out of over the property once more. This was a gift. Neither Mason nor Kaden were forced to give me this. Yet they had. And I would accept it gratefully. Not only for them, but for me. And Annabelle.
So, how could I make a home here? Without them? I could, and I would, because that’s what I had to do to survive.
Jane’s story continues with STARVED.
Coming Soon
Get your name on the list!
Click Here and keep up- to-date on C.E. Black’s new releases, sales, events, and more by joining her mailing list.
Like sexy military alphas who happen to shift into kick-ass predators?
Meet The Alpha Division
The Alpha Division is a special operations team of shifters that keep the peace of their race using any means necessary. Ten men and one woman work under the US government in secret, solving cases that humans can know nothing about.
As they fight their way to make wrongs right, some find love in the most unlikely places, and have to learn a new way to do their jobs, or lose it all.
About the Author
C.E. Black self-published her first book in 2011 and has since published several novels, novellas, and short stories. Though she began her writing career in the Paranormal Romance genre, she found her niche in erotic PNR/Fantasy with her breakout novel, Shifted Temptations. What started out as a standalone romance, became the Amazon best selling Alpha Division series. Though steamy romance, hunky heroes, and feisty heroines are C.E.’s specialty, she enjoys surprising her readers with action-filled plots and exciting twists that makes for a fast-paced read.
CONNECT ONLINE:
@CEBlackbooks
C.E.Blackbooks
www.ceblack.org
[email protected]
Also by C.E. Black
Jane Thornton Trilogy:
Hunger, Jane Thornton Book 1
Starved, Jane Thornton Book 2 (Coming Soon)
Sated, Jane Thornton Book 3 (Coming Soon)
Alpha Division:
Shifted Temptations, Alpha Division Book 1
Shifted Perceptions, Alpha Division Book 2
A Shifted Wedding, Alpha Division Book 2.5
Shifted Obsessions, Alpha Division Book 3
Shifted Undercover
Shifted Under Construction
Enduring Kiss:
Enduring Kiss, Enduring Kiss Book 1
The Perfect Mate, Enduring Kiss Book 2
Second Chance, Enduring Kiss Book 3
Embraced, Enduring Kiss Book 4
Stand-a-lone:
The Wolf Who Stole Christmas
Cursed Desires
Behind The Mask
A Dragon’s Gift
reVerie
www.ceblack.org
-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
