by Anna Lowe
Ty, Tina, Lana, and several other Twin Moon wolves had rushed over to the saloon, too, and they all hung on the young woman’s words.
“I knew it wasn’t Roy,” Ty growled.
“Shh,” Lana chided. “Let her speak.”
“I was there the day they got word of Victor Whyte’s death,” Summer explained in a shaky voice. “I thought that was it — that they’d finally give up. But instead, they decided to keep up what they called the crusade. They targeted packless couples in remote places.” She buried her face in her hands. “They started talking about going after babies.”
Soren had growled audibly at that, and Sarah shrank back with a look of horror.
“I swear I didn’t want anything to do with any of it.” When Summer looked up, her face was streaked with tears. “I talked them into keeping the twins alive, but that only made them concoct worse plans. Like coming after other couples and other babies.” She looked at Sarah, who turned away, instinctively shielding little Teddy. “They wanted to use Anna to lure you out next.”
“Jesus,” Soren muttered, looking at his mate. His face was red, his fists clenched. Then he swallowed hard and looked Todd in the eye.
I owe you, man. I owe you everything.
Todd sucked in a deep breath. He’d always lived to serve, knowing that the reward would be an ephemeral thing. But that look, that scratchy tone in his cousin’s voice said it all.
You done good, man. You done good.
“Are you sure they were the last ones?” Sarah asked. “Are you sure?”
“I think so.”
“You think so?” Soren roared.
Todd was about to step forward and glare at his cousin, but Anna beat him to it. Anna, who’d fought off half a dozen wolves and taken in two babies unquestioningly, because she was all heart. Anna, who was still on her feet after a hell of a day, because she was that tough.
“She did what she could. Don’t you see that?”
Sarah put a hand on Soren’s arm, and Todd could hear the thoughts passing between the two of them. She’s, what? Twenty-three, twenty-four? What else could she do?
“I’m not sure if there are any others,” Summer sniffled, hugging herself. Then she looked up, shaken to the core but determined to meet the eyes of not one, but two angry alphas — Soren and Ty — to show that she was telling the truth.
God, was she tough, too. Almost as tough as his amazing mate.
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I can’t be sure.”
Todd stepped between her and the others. She’s been through enough.
Ty nodded slowly then looked at the babies. “Bear-cougar cubs, huh? We need to find them a good home.”
Jessica grinned, looking between Todd and Anna. “I think fate already has.”
Todd gulped, looking at the cub who’d fallen into a fitful sleep in his arms. Jessica had tried prying the little guy away from him, but the tiny bear had only snuggled closer to his chest. And though it scared Todd like nothing ever had before — the responsibility, the risks — the choice had been an easy one.
“I don’t think it was fate doing the deciding.” Tina Hawthorne smiled.
He gulped, because what exactly did you say to that? Especially when it was true. Fate had just about shouted into his head that moment he’d first held the cub.
Once again, warrior, I give you my most precious gift. A gift I rarely bestow once, let alone twice. A reward reserved only for the bravest, most loyal heroes. I award you a choice. The chance to steer your own destiny. So choose, and choose well.
He stood perfectly still, though every nerve in his body hummed like a high-tension wire. The first choice, back when he’d lain dying in the animal shelter, had been simpler because it was all about him, and all there was at stake was his body. This time, it was about his heart and about innocent lives that depended on him.
Choose, warrior, fate boomed again.
Fate hadn’t been fucking with him all along. It had offered him a choice, tested him sorely, and then rewarded him with a second choice.
And this time, it was a choice of the heart. Was he ready to risk that, too? To truly live and love and take everything that went along with that?
Then Anna had looked over at him, and the choice was an easy one.
So, yes, he’d made his choice, and Anna had made hers the minute she’d nodded to him in the back of the van. We got this.
“They’re ours,” he said to those gathered in the back of the saloon. Loud and clear, in case fate was wondering if he would change his mind.
As if.
He looked over at Anna. Jesus, she barely knew what she was getting herself into. Was it fair to ask her to decide something so important based on so little? To take such a leap of faith?
Her eyes shone as she looked at him, full of faith and resolve, and she nodded.
“They’re ours,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on his.
So, yeah, it was decided. But boy did he have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.
* * *
The funny thing was, things went pretty smoothly after that. They were so busy getting the hang of taking care of the kids that the shifter part came in little bits, and Sarah and the others helped with that, too. A week passed, and then another, and though little Ben still hadn’t come out of bear form, the fear gradually faded from his eyes, and he was as content as a little cub should be as long as Todd was around.
“Definitely a daddy’s boy.” Anna smiled.
Todd had done a double take when she said that. Daddy. Did she really mean him?
He glanced down at the cub snoozing in his arms and thought about all the diapers he’d changed in the last few days.
Daddy. That did have a nice ring to it.
Fay slept half as much and moved twice as quickly as Ben. She had wispy blond hair and striking, yellow-green eyes that were going to halt dozens of men in their tracks someday. At times, they sparkled with curiosity; at others, with mischief. And even though she was only a tiny little thing, she was already wiggling and turning and doing her damnedest to skip crawling altogether and go right to walking, or better yet, running.
“Gonna have a real firecracker on your hands there, man,” Soren had joked.
When Ty Hawthorne’s old Aunt Jean came over to visit, she’d smiled from ear to ear as she bounced the baby girl on her knee. “A beautiful, healthy little cougar shifter. All energy. All curiosity.”
He’d fully expected Anna to go pale at that comment — because, Jesus, wasn’t it enough to learn about bears for starters? But she’d just taken Fay back and nuzzled her with her nose. “Healthy and happy. A good start. Right, sweetie?”
The four of them had crowded into the little apartment above the garage with the babies in one room and Anna and him in the other. In the few quiet times they got, Anna asked a lot of questions, and what he couldn’t find a way to explain, Sarah, Jessica, and Janna did, thank God. Anna had made him shift back and forth a few times, and slowly, she’d gone from wide-eyed to inquisitive and even delighted. She’d petted his fur, rubbed his ears, and laughed at his tail.
“I can’t believe it,” she chuckled. “I’m in love with a man who has a tail.”
“My bear’s the one with a tail,” he’d growled.
“My bear,” she corrected immediately.
Her bear. He’d been going to sleep each night floating away on those words.
Which made it torture not to give her the mating bite the couple of times they’d had the chance to be alone. The first night back at the apartment over the garage, all they’d done was hang on to each other and stare wordlessly into each other’s eyes. But on the second night, after they’d gotten the kids to bed, they’d stripped and went at it like a couple of animals. A couple of breathlessly quiet animals, hoping the cubs wouldn’t stir. On the third night, they were too exhausted to do anything except nuzzle, but when they’d risen the next morning, the kids had slept long enough to let them take it slow and s
weet.
“What does the bear do when he finds his mate?” she’d whispered to him afterward.
You mean, other than worship her for the rest of his life? he’d nearly said.
He cleared his throat and chose his words carefully. “When she’s ready, he marks her as his. And she marks him the same way.”
“How?”
That was the tricky part, because how could he ever explain the concept of a mating bite in a way that wouldn’t make a human blanch?
Luckily, Anna continued her question before he could speak. Her voice dropped and her eyes fluttered. “With a mating bite?”
Apparently, Sarah and the other women had briefed her on that, too. And dang, they must have really explained it well — the incredible high, the burning burst of passion that came with a bite delivered at the height of sex that all mated shifters raved about — because Anna looked like she wouldn’t mind trying it out for herself.
He’d kissed the curve of her neck, then raked his teeth against her skin, testing her out. Every time he did it, her body rose against his, and the heat between them built to unstoppable levels again. But he’d held back. It had taken everything he had, but he’d managed somehow.
“We have time,” he’d whispered. Much as he’d love to roam in the woods with his gorgeous mate in bear form, he figured that turning into a bear was one adjustment Anna had better put off a little while.
“A lifetime,” she’d whispered back.
So Anna was in. All in. With him, with the kids. It was crazy, the way fate worked.
“So,” she’d said next, looking around the tiny apartment. “We’ll need our own place.”
He nodded. Space. A reliable income. A safe home for the kids. That’s what they needed. But where?
“Montana.” Anna said it before he did. “How about Montana?”
Yes, there were a lot of ghosts in Montana, but there were a lot of good memories, too.
Soren, Sarah, and the others all but begged them to stay and help run the saloon, but Anna was just as excited at the prospect of Montana as he was. She could find work just about anywhere, and there was nothing tying her to Virginia any more.
“You’re really sure?” Soren asked on the day they were all set to leave. Anna’s little hatchback was stuffed with baby gifts and hand-me-downs, and everyone was gathered around to say good-bye. “You’re welcome to stay,” Soren offered for the tenth time in two weeks.
Todd shifted Ben in his arms and looked the cub in the eyes. They were clear and brown — and sleepy, too. The little guy yawned, showing his pink tongue and tiny milk teeth. Todd rubbed him between the ears.
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
Arizona was okay, but Montana was home, and it would be better for the kids, too. More space, more privacy. There was a possibility that Ben might never come out of bear form, and it would be easier to bring him up on a remote mountain property than in the middle of a town.
“You’re really sure?” Sarah looked at Anna.
Anna nodded. “Never been so sure of anything in my life.”
Good thing bears couldn’t explode from joy — or sheer relief.
Soren looked concerned, but he nodded slowly. Safety was his main concern, and Todd’s, too. But a couple of bear cousins from the East Coast were keen to come out and help him get the Black River lumber mill running again, along with a few other shifters who’d contacted Twin Moon Ranch for help after the spate of Blue Blood attacks. They were ready for a new start, too, and that brought their numbers to twenty.
A ragtag group of twenty, led by him.
Him, alpha of a whole new clan.
He took a deep breath and nodded at Soren. They’d never let down their guard, but it was time to go home and live without fear again.
“Can I hold them one more time?” Summer asked. She’d spent the past two weeks helping everywhere and working herself to the bone in a desperate effort to prove her distaste for the Blue Bloods. When Soren offered her work in the café and saloon, she’d jumped at the chance, ready to build a new life among the bears and wolves of the Blue Moon Saloon.
Sliding little Ben into Summer’s arms left his empty, so Todd took a deep breath and turned to Sarah, who was holding Teddy.
“I need to say good-bye, too,” he said.
Sarah bit her lip and nodded slowly. Yeah, they both knew Teddy was going to scream — he always did when Todd came close — but Todd had to hold him one time. Just this one time and then good-bye.
He took little Teddy as carefully as he might handle a crystal vase, tucked him gently up against his shoulder, and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, pulled together all the love he’d ever felt in his life — from his parents, his cousins, his sweet old grandma, and yes, even his grouchy cousin Soren — and pushed them gently into the baby’s mind.
All that love, Teddy. It’s all yours. You might not be mine, but a big part of the love is.
He braced himself for the baby’s wail. But surprise, surprise — it didn’t come. Little Teddy just looked up with big, trusting eyes, tightened his tiny little fingers around Todd’s pinkie, and hung on.
Todd held his breath and slowly hugged the child closer. He put his chin on the baby’s head and counted every miraculous second that passed. One. Two. Three. Then he took a deep breath, kissed the baby, and handed him back.
“Here you go. Back to Daddy.” When he whispered the words, his voice cracked, mirroring the scars on his heart. But some scars were good ones. Some scars, you wore with pride.
Soren locked eyes with him — eyes that were hard to meet, they were so full of emotion. Relief. Gratitude.
And respect. Sweet, sweet, bottomless respect.
Anna put a hand on his shoulder, checking if he was okay.
Well, yes and no. Letting Teddy go made his heart ache, but it felt good, too. To wrap up one thing before launching into another.
“Hey,” she whispered. “Someone else needs you.”
He turned just in time for her to pop Fay into his arms.
“Hey, who’s my girl?” he asked, swooping her up high.
Fay squeaked with joy and kicked at thin air, showing off her strength.
Just as quickly as he’d lifted her up, he dipped her down and smothered her with a smooch that made a ridiculous amount of noise. Well, he figured it did, anyway. Some things, you didn’t need to hear to know they were there. Kind of like the I love you in his mate’s eyes, or the You done good, man in his cousin’s squared jaw.
Fay grinned her adorable, toothless smile, and Ben mewed for his attention, which meant that Anna was the one who had to pack the last of their bags into her overstuffed hatchback. Finally, she waved the keys in the air.
“I guess that’s it.”
She hugged everyone in turn — Jessica, Janna, Simon, Cole, Summer, and even Soren, who blushed. Then she stood in front of Sarah and took her cousin by both hands. Both of them looked about to burst out crying, though neither could summon any words. They finally broke into a huge, rocking hug that said it all.
“Promise to visit soon,” Sarah whispered at last.
Anna’s face glittered with tears, and Todd had to swallow away a lump in his throat, too.
“We will. But you have to visit us, too.”
Todd looked at Soren, who nodded solemnly. You bet we will, man. You bet we will.
He looked at Anna. Time to go before he started shedding tears — or worse, before Soren did, because he’d never seen his cousin come that close. They maneuvered the kids into their car seats, took one last look around, and got in, ready to drive.
“Bye!” Everyone waved, turning the view outside the windshield into a blur.
Anna tooted the horn, and he stuck a hand out the window to wave back.
They both looked in the rearview mirror as the car swung around a corner and the saloon disappeared from view.
He took a deep breath and squeezed Anna’s hand as they navigated out of town, heading for the northbound h
ighway. “Whoa.”
She nodded and wiped her glistening cheek with the back of one hand. “Whoa. You know what I’m thinking?”
Her voice was shaky, but hopeful, too.
“What?”
“Mountain meadows in the spring.”
He broke into a grin so wide, it hurt and filled in the next part. “Cool, clear summer creeks.”
“Berries growing thick in the fall.”
He pulled her hand closer and kissed her knuckles.
“Home,” he finished.
She nodded and glanced back at the kids. “The funny thing is, I already feel like I’m home.”
He turned and looked in the baby mirrors they’d set up. Ben had snoozed off, and Fay was babbling at her toes. Then he reached over and gently twirled a finger in his mate’s silky hair.
“I know what you mean. I know what you mean.”
* * *
Want to know a secret? SALVATION was supposed to be the last book in the series, but Summer was such a compelling character and so many people wanted to know more about her, that I wrote her story, too. Turn the page for DECEPTION, where’ll you get to see Summer and a very hunky bear take on the last of the Blue Bloods!
Deception
Book 5 in the Blue Moon Saloon series
by Anna Lowe
Deception
Nothing is more dangerous than forbidden love.
She-wolf Summer Smith is desperate to make up for a past she can’t deny — and the best way to accomplish that is to take on a deadly mission for her new pack. She’ll sacrifice anything to clear her name and protect the people she loves. With the future of shifters across the Southwest resting in her hands, it’s the worst possible time to fall in love — with a bear, no less.
Burly bear shifter Drew Kovacs hasn’t traveled to the Southwest to look for trouble, and he sure isn’t looking for love. But the second he meets the she-wolf with a mesmerizing smile and haunted eyes, he knows she’s the one. There’s just one problem — Summer is about to plunge headfirst into danger, and he sure as hell won’t let her go alone. But he can’t show up and blow her undercover mission, either. Unless…