Was this a trick? Was she a spy sent by Pierre LaForge?
As soon as he thought it, he dismissed it. Those wolves had been hunting her. No doubt about it. And there was no faking her obvious exhaustion and fear.
She licked her lips and Cole swore under his breath. He was filled with a sudden urge to lick her lips for her. He let his claws extend, digging them into the flesh of his palms, using the pain to distract him. Definitely not an appropriate reaction in this situation. She already feared him.
“I—” She paused and tried again. “I don’t know. Bad luck. Good luck. Instinct. I really don’t know.”
Cole knew Jacque would want to question her. “They’ll have breakfast on by now. Why don’t you come back with me and have something to eat. We can talk out your situation. Maybe we can help.”
She looked at him as though he had ten heads, as though he was some strange creature she’d never seen the like of before. It was more than a bit disconcerting.
He kept his distance when what he really wanted to do was scoop her into his arms and carry her back to his home. That gave him pause, but only for a moment. He’d do the same for any woman in her position. Okay, maybe he wouldn’t want to carry her off in his arms, maybe he wouldn’t be fighting a hard-on while he talked with her—and at his age that was embarrassing as hell—but he’d certainly help her.
“What do you say, Cherise?”
What did she say? Wasn’t that the one-million dollar question? Cherise’s head was spinning, both figuratively and literally. She couldn’t quite come to grips with the fact that this male wolf standing in front of her had killed her stalkers as easily as she’d swat a fly. She was free, at least until they sent someone else after her. Her stomach was empty and her head ached. She’d been running for a week now with her trackers hot on her heels.
She hadn’t realized they’d seen her get onto the bus in St. Louis and had followed her across the country, waiting for her to leave the relative safety of the crowds and the bus stations. They’d been right behind her when she’d left the last bus and hitched a ride with a trucker to the small town of Salvation. It hadn’t taken them long to come after her the minute she was on her own.
Why had she run here?
That was a question she’d been asking herself too. What could she tell him? She’d dreamed it. Had a vision. He’d never believe her even though it was the unvarnished truth.
Cherise swallowed and tried not to look too closely at the intimidating male standing in front of her. She’d grown up around big, powerful men—male werewolves were much stronger than human males—but she’d never seen one quite as large or impressive as Cole Blanchard.
If there was one word to describe him it was massive. His shoulders were impossibly wide, his biceps huge. His abs were totally ripped and his legs were as sturdy as tree trunks.
And if his body wasn’t intimidating enough, there was his face. Shaggy dark-blond hair framed ruggedly handsome features. He had a high forehead, prominent cheekbones and a stubborn jaw. But it was his eyes that dominated his face. Green as grass, they were intelligent and perceptive.
Strength and smarts. A deadly combination.
“Cherise?”
The way he said her name sent a shiver running down her spine, and it wasn’t all due to fear. His low voice stroked over her skin like a physical caress. She had no idea what was wrong with her. She’d never had this kind of reaction to a male—wolf or human—before in her life. She wasn’t sure she liked it.
Cole made her feel off-balance and uncertain. Not good things when she was running for her life.
“Come home with me,” he coaxed her as though she was a wild creature that needed to be tamed.
And maybe she was. She’d been on the run since before her sixteenth birthday, just over twelve years. With her daddy dead, there’d been no one to trust but her mama, and now she was gone. They’d lived in isolation by necessity even as they’d been surrounded by people in almost every major city in the country. They’d survived by living among humans, never able to trust any of them with their secret.
She was wavering. What would it be like to spend a few hours with others like her? No, not like her. They could shift at will while she wasn’t much different from a human. But they were her kind, her people.
And Cole already knew she couldn’t shift, and he’d protected her instead of trying to kill her. That had to mean they were a more progressive pack. At least she hoped so.
“What will your alpha say?” She didn’t want to get Cole into trouble. An alpha’s word was law, and if he didn’t like the fact Cole brought her to their home, Cole might find himself being disciplined or worse, exiled.
There was nothing worse for a wolf than to have no pack. She should know. She’d spent all her adult life and part of her childhood without one.
One corner of Cole’s mouth tipped upward. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was close enough to have her core temperature shooting up. The man was lethally handsome in a quiet way. How would her body react if he actually smiled?
“My alpha would have my head if I didn’t invite you back. Not to mention what his mate would do to me.”
Cherise bit her bottom lip while she considered her options. She was really tired and hungry and this seemed like a friendly pack. Maybe she was making a big mistake, but she trusted Cole. The man had saved her life. Killed three werewolves to protect her. She didn’t think he’d done that just so his own pack could kill her.
She was going on instinct. Taking a huge risk.
“Okay.” She gripped the strap on her backpack, knowing there was no going back. It was only a simple invitation to breakfast, but it felt like so much more. Cherise knew if she took one step toward Cole her life would change forever.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Heart of the Serpent
Copyright © 2015 by N.J. Walters
ISBN: 978-1-61922-389-9
Edited by Heidi Moore
Cover by Kanaxa
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First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: January 2015
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Heart of the Serpent: Hades' Carnival, Book 5 Page 10