by Kele Moon
The jerk went for Katie’s mouth and tried to kiss her. Her sister shoved at him, turning her head to avoid his seeking lips, and Amber moved without giving it any thought. That man refused to let her sister go, so she grabbed the pool stick from a table.
She distantly heard someone call out, but she hit the guy before his friends could warn him. It broke across his broad back. He cursed loudly, dropped her sister and spun to face his attacker—Amber.
She sprayed him in the face with mace.
He roared out so loudly that it hurt Amber’s ears. She’d never heard someone make that sound. She dropped the mace in shock as the big man frantically clawed at his face and spun away, crashing into one of the four pool tables. He hit it, bent over and roared out in pain again.
“Oh my God! Run!” Katie shouted and grabbed her arm. “You don’t know what you just did!”
Amber stumbled as her sister jerked on her, but her legs were suddenly frozen when a snarl tore from the man and he pushed up to confront her. Amber couldn’t look away from his face. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Hair sprouted from his cheeks, chin and arms. His mouth opened and he roared; an animalistic, terrifying sound as his watery, enraged gaze fixed on her.
He flashed deadly canine teeth that had grown long in a way she’d seen before. Then he came at her—fast.
Amber couldn’t move to protect herself. He wasn’t human, but she could wager a good guess what he was. He started to change before her eyes, confirming it for her, as someone leapt in his path.
Katie threw out her arms to protect her. “Please don’t, Merl! She didn’t know.”
Merl backhanded Katie in the shoulder, shoving her away rather than attack, but then he reached for Amber, making it obvious she wouldn’t be so lucky.
One second Amber stood there in horror, and the next she’d landed flat on her back. The pain shocked her. It had been a long time since she’d been beaten. She wasn’t sure if she was struggling to breathe through the memories of her childhood, or because Merl knocked all the air out of her. Then a weight crushed down on her chest when he landed on top of her, making it even more impossible to catch her breath.
She fought to get air into her lungs and her eyes opened wide to stare up in pure terror at the thing on top of her. His arm rose, and her gaze flew to it on instinct. Sharp claws were out, a few inches longer than his fingertips, and then he swiped at her.
Katie threw herself onto his back, grabbing his arm. He missed Amber’s cheek by inches as his hand slammed against the floor next to her.
“Please!” Katie screamed. “She’s my sister!”
Katie straddled the guy’s back, draping herself over him. Amber’s gaze locked with her sister’s. She saw how terrified Katie was; moreover, she knew she probably had that exact same expression.
“Please, baby,” Katie sobbed. “For me? Don’t hurt her. She didn’t know. She thought she was protecting me.”
He snarled, glaring at Amber. “I won’t kill her.”
“Thank you.” Katie released his arm and wrapped her own around his chest, hugging him. “Thank you, Merl. I owe you, and I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
He didn’t look away from Amber once as he studied her with those watery, primal-looking eyes, making her feel like prey. “No. She owes me, and she’s going to pay for what she did.”
“No, no, no,” Katie begged. “Not that, baby. She’s too old and you don’t want her.”
He softly snarled. “I won’t kill her, but I could change my mind. Off me now. Don’t interfere.”
“I’ll do anything, Merl.” Katie rubbed his chest. “She wouldn’t be any fun. She would just scream and cry. I’ll love anything you want to do to me.”
He shook his head. “Her.”
“No!”
He turned his head, breaking eye contact with Amber and put his sharp teeth a breath away from Katie’s face as he roared, “Get off now!”
Katie released him, slid off his back and stood. Tears streamed down her face. “Please, Merl? I’ll beg! I’ll get on my knees right here.”
Wolf howls filled the room, and Amber’s heart nearly stopped as she turned her head enough to see the room from her position on the floor. At least thirty men and the handful of women had surrounding them. All of them were standing there watching and making those loud noises.
If pure fear could have killed her, she knew in that second she’d be dead. It isn’t just Merl who’s a werewolf.
Like a scene out of a horror movie, the entire bar seemed to be full of them.
“Her,” Merl demanded in a low, inhuman voice.
A sob filled the room as Katie backed away. “Please don’t kill her.”
Amber glanced back at her sister, who kept slowly retreating. Their gazes locked.
“Don’t fight. He’ll hurt you.” Katie sniffed, hugging her chest. “I’m so sorry. I can’t do anything.”
Katie spun around, faced the wall and didn’t move.
Amber looked to the creature crouched on all fours, pinning her to the floor with his heavy body. His eyes were still more animal than human when he snarled at her, showing off his deadly teeth. Merl lifted his hand as he lowered his focus to her chest.
A whimper came from Amber when his claws lightly raked the front of her shirt between her breasts. She glanced down right as the material separated, and he used the sharp points to cut open her shirt.
“You wanted to play with me? Now it’s my turn to play with you.” He bent forward, his teeth coming closer to her face, and drool dripped from his open mouth to splatter on the skin between her breasts that he’d bared. “You attacked me so I wouldn’t fuck your sister. The good news is, I don’t want her right now.” He paused, a claw sliding between her ribs and the front bra clasp that held the cups together. He gave it a tug and sliced it open. “The bad news is, I’m going to fuck you—and you are going to enjoy it as much as I did that mace.”
Howls echoed off the walls again.
A sudden loud crash sounded throughout the room, and Merl jerked his head up. His pupils dilated more, but it looked different somehow, like a dog who was suddenly scared.
“What the hell is going on?” a man snarled in a deep, truly scary voice.
Katie spun around and dropped to her knees. “I beg you, Alpha! My sister was only trying to protect me. I don’t have my phone, or I would’ve called you. Please don’t let Merl hurt her!”
“Bea is here? Merl? What the hell?” A roar tore through the room that was twice as intimidating as Merl’s fury. “Get off that little girl!” Another snarl sounded as the voice grew closer. “Why did you bring her here, Katie? Only you’re allowed, damn it, and I don’t even think you should be here!”
“It’s not Bea,” Merl grunted but didn’t budge. “She’s still seventeen, and I don’t touch them underage.”
“Katie only has the one sister.” The voice grew deeper, angrier.
“I have an older one.” Katie sniffed. “She just got to town yesterday because of my mom being sick. I forgot my phone in Merl’s truck, and she must’ve driven down here when she couldn’t get ahold of me. Please, Alpha, I’m pleading with you. She attacked Merl thinking she was saving me.”
“I didn’t know you had an older sister.” The voice became less deep, easier to understand as some of the anger left his tone. “Release her now.”
Merl softly growled as he stared at Amber petulantly. “I have your scent, bitch. I’ll be seeing you soon. You owe me some pain.”
“I said release her!”
Movement drew Amber’s attention, and she caught a glimpse of the other man’s boots when he walked up behind Merl. A second later, Merl ended up torn away from her. His large body sailed a good six feet before he crashed onto the floor hard.
Amber lay there motionless, staring at the back of the man who had just saved her. He had long black hair that fell past his broad shoulders. His arms were muscular, thick and bulky as they stretched the material of his blue t-shirt
. His bare feet showed under his jeans, as if he’d stormed out of the house without shoes, and his hands remained fisted at his sides. He growled at Merl when the man sat up.
“You don’t hurt women, especially not…fragile ones like this!”
Amber got the impression he’d stopped short of saying “human ones.”
“I’m sorry, Alpha.” Merl lowered his head, staring at the floor submissively. “I’m just pissed.”
Some of the other men in the bar laughed, and one mimicked in a high girly voice, “I’m sorry, Alpha.”
Another man said, “Nightwind are all bitches, not just the women.”
The long-haired man growled. His voice was low and dangerous when he asked, “What was that? I’d love a dominance fight with a Goodwin right now. Give me a reason, Buck. Please.”
“Nothing.” The two men mocking them looked away, as though they were afraid to make eye contact.
“She sprayed me with mace,” Merl explained when the attention focused back on him. “It was instinct to protect myself from the human, Alpha.”
The long-haired man snorted. “I’m sure you deserved it.”
The alpha turned then, facing Amber—and she got a look at a pair of hauntingly beautiful blue eyes set against the backdrop of the same handsome face she’d dreamed about for most of her life.
She was grateful she was still lying on the floor because her entire body went lax from shock, though she wasn’t sure why.
She should’ve expected him the second bikers started sprouting fur.
His eyes widened with the same recognition, and he stumbled back a step, his gaze never leaving hers.
Amber jerked, startled, when he suddenly leapt at her without warning in a way a human would never be able to do. He landed on all fours on top of her, not touching, but very close. His body was inches above hers, and he lowered his face until they were nearly nose to nose. Desmon stared into her eyes, and she couldn’t look away from him. The blue was much brighter than she remembered, and she swallowed hard against the lump that formed in her throat when the emotion overwhelmed her.
“Hi, Des.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He closed his eyes and turned his head, inhaling slowly, as if savoring whatever he was smelling.
Then a deep, angry growl tore from his throat as his eyes opened. He didn’t look at her face but instead at her sliced-open shirt and the exposed bra cups that barely contained her breasts since the clasp had been cut. His gaze rose to lock with hers.
“Don’t move,” he snarled.
In the blink of an eye, he was off her, on his feet, and he had Merl by his throat. The other man screamed as he was thrown. He hit the wall hard enough to break the plaster where he impacted a good ten feet away.
Desmon snarled and then turned back, pure rage in his gaze as he stared down at Amber again. He turned his head, glaring at Merl.
“If you’d hurt her, I would’ve killed you. Slowly. She’s off limits.” He looked around the room, his piercing-blue stare pausing on each of the people standing there, now shuffling uncomfortably. “Is that understood? One drop of her blood or the scent of her terror and you will die. She’s under my protection.”
“Thank you, Alpha.” Katie got to her feet. “We owe you a debt.”
“Go home to your mother,” Desmon ordered like he expected her to obey.
Katie nodded and walked toward Amber. “We’re leaving. Thank you.”
“Don’t,” Desmon demanded softly. “You go. She stays. She’s safe.”
Katie opened her mouth, looking genuinely shocked, but Desmon growled low at her. Katie nodded and backed away, shooting a fearful glance in Amber’s direction.
In seconds, her sister fled the bar, and Amber’s full focus fixed on Desmon.
He stepped toward her and then bent, reaching out his hand to Amber. “Hold your shirt together and let me help you up.”
She still trembled from the aftermath of being attacked, but she knew Desmon wasn’t going to hurt her. It had been nearly fifteen years since they’d seen each other, but she was still fairly confident she was safe, at least physically. She wasn’t sure about the rest of it.
She fisted her shirt together and reached for Desmon.
His hand was large and very warm as he gently pulled her up. Her legs shook, and her knees were weak, but she managed to stand. The second she did, she had to tilt her head all the way back to take in Desmon, and she quickly realized a few things.
He was taller and more muscular than she remembered.
Werewolves apparently aged very well.
Desmon was still tanned and clean-shaven, but the strong, masculine angles to his face gave him a harder edge.
Amber backed away. If she thought she’d hardened her heart or believed she was over him, she realized now she’d been fooling herself for years. The pain remained as fresh as if the wound had just occurred.
“My mother is dying.” It was the first excuse that popped into her head, and it was a true one. “I have to go, Des.”
She took another step backward but before she could put more distance between them, Desmon grabbed her. He gripped her arms with his big calloused hands, holding her in place. Their gazes locked, and she couldn’t miss the anger she saw there. He lifted his head, breaking eye contact to look at the people behind her.
“I want everyone to get out. Clear the bar.” He glanced over to the bartender. “Close it down, Jake.”
“Most of the wolves here are from Goodwin. The bar is neutral territory. It’s truce land. I can’t make them leave because you say so.”
Desmon snarled.
Jake nodded, like that was all that needed to be said. “Everybody out, now. You heard the alpha. If you feel like fighting him to stay, be my guest!” He paused and looked back to Desmon hesitantly. “Can I at least go to my apartment upstairs?”
“Get out!” Desmon shouted in that low, inhuman voice.
Curiosity had Amber looking behind her, astonished as everyone in the bar grabbed their belongings and quickly dashed for the exits. In less than a minute, the last person rushed out the door. Desmon’s grip on her arms tightened, drawing her attention back to him. She looked up at him with a strange combination of fear and longing.
Desmon had matured while she’d been gone.
She studied his strong cheekbones, one of which had a faint scar that wasn’t there before. His lips were still full and sensual, but his black eyelashes appeared thicker than she remembered, and his eyes still haunted her. She could see the pain of the past mirrored in them, as if his soul had been ripped open right along with hers.
“I looked for you,” he whispered. “I couldn’t find you. Where have you been? Where did you go?”
Amber swallowed past the emotion still choking her. “Los Angeles. I went to live with my biological father.”
Desmon closed his eyes. His hold on her eased but he didn’t let go. He took a deep breath, then another, before he opened those amazing eyes, locking gazes with her once more.
“I thought your kind didn’t mingle with humans.” She forced herself to look away and glance around the bar. Then she turned back to him and sighed in defeat. “I figured as long as I stayed in town, we’d never run into each other.”
“Things changed.” A muscle in his jaw jumped, making it obvious he was clenching his teeth. Then he asked, “Why did you come back if you didn’t want to see me?”
“My mother really is dying. The booze, drugs and chain-smoking finally caught up to her. Katie is my half-sister, and so is Bea. They called to tell me Mom only had a few days left to live. I drove here yesterday morning. As soon as she passes, we’ll bury her, and I’ll be gone again. I swore to never return, but I had no choice.”
“Why did you leave me?”
His voice was still low and scratchy, rather than smooth and refined the way she remembered. Again, it sounded like something else had stolen it and was speaking for him. Amber realized it was his animal side talking, and
something about that wrapped around her heart, making the pain almost physical because she couldn’t ignore the raw agony she heard. It was too much, and everything in her wanted to run away from it.
“You know why.” Amber tried to step back, but he tightened his hold on her. “I need to go.” She felt tears sting her eyes “You look good, Des. I hope the years have been kind to you. I was hurt, but I always wished you a happy life.” She tugged more firmly to pull out of his hold. “You have to let me go now.”
His nose flared as he sniffed at her, making it obvious he really was more animal than man right then. “No.”
“Yes.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “Please release me. Right now.”
“No.”
“Excuse me? You can’t keep me here. There are human police who would have a very big issues with you kidnapping me. And I don’t even know why you’d care, anyway,” she snapped when anger quickly made its way past the shock and pain. “Let’s be honest. We were stupid kids. We barely got to spend time with each other—and you made your choice.”
“I had no choice.” Anger tensed his handsome features. “They would have killed you. I did the only thing I could. I protected you. You promised to be my mate, and I kept you safe. That was my job. I did it and you left!”
Her heart broke a little more, because he sounded like he meant it.
Desmon really thought he’d done the right thing…so she’d have to remind him. “You gave me to someone else, and you walked off into the woods with another woman to have sex.”
“I pretended to give you to my best friend, knowing he’d never touch you. He made sure you weren’t injured, and he got you away from Albert.” Desmon’s hold on her arm loosened, but he didn’t fully let go. “Were you hurt? Did he do anything but take you to safety?”
“He got me out of there, but no, he didn’t touch me.” She jerked hard on her arm, pulling it free from his grasped, and backed up. “You got two out of three right.”
“Amber―”
“I can’t forget or forgive. I’m not even sure I know how. It’s not like I grew up with a lot of love and understanding. This is where we are now, Des. There’s no going back, no fixing what happened. Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to look at you? You were the only good thing in my life.” She spun around and forced tears back as she walked for the door. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t all your fault, but I can’t do this.”