Those at the other end of the table nodded.
“Everything here but pepperoni, sausage, and hamburger.” He sighed. “Did you guys run out?”
Skye spoke up beside Aspen. “Shrouds are strict vegetarians.”
“Does that mean we have to be vegetarians, too?” Grubbs asked.
“It does if you want to be part of Alpha Genesis.”
“Cool name,” Lattimore said.
“Catchy,” Steiner agreed.
“Soon they’ll be asking for their own T-shirts with our logo,” Hank said.
“We have a logo?” Mrs. B asked.
“We do now.” Liam swept his blue hair aside. “I finished it this morning.”
Grubbs raised his hand. “I’d like a T-shirt.”
“You’ve got some nerve.” Hank winked. “But lucky for you, I haven’t placed the order yet.”
Chocolate milk in hand, Sarge stood from the table. “To Alpha Genesis,” he said.
Everyone raised their glass.
“Thanks to all of you—but especially Tony—these men and I will live to see another day. I vow to stand by you in battle for however long it takes to win this war and free your people.”
“And stop eating meat,” Skye added. “You forgot that part.”
With a long sigh, Sarge’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “Right. That, too.”
Aspen smiled. It looked like these particular humans were going to fit into their group just fine.
* * *
Aspen stepped out of the shower, dried off, and dressed in her pajamas. It felt good to be back in her old room. Even though she’d only slept here for two nights, she realized it already felt like home. Having access to the tunnels whenever she wanted made her feel less confined and gave her the sense of freedom she needed while living underground. She would always miss her life on the surface, but she knew this was where she belonged.
Skye had tidied up and changed the fur-ridden sheets before returning to her own bedroom next door. Everything was perfect. The only thing missing was Tora. Looked like they were back to the thirty-yard rule after all.
Tora had kept her distance throughout dinner and then ducked out after dessert. Aspen suspected she was obsessing over the sanctuary’s air filtration system and already at work on decontaminating the tunnels for safe passage. Something told her Tora would always find a project to keep herself occupied. She shook her head, wondering how long her chosen mate would stay just out of reach.
Aspen opened the bathroom door, teeth brushed and ready for bed. She smelled Tora’s perfume at once. Subtly intoxicating, it reminded her of marigolds and summer rain. Dozens of tea light candles cast flickering shadows on the rock walls. A beautiful piano melody sounded from the speakers. Tora stood from the bed.
“What’s all this?” Aspen asked.
“I promised to give you whatever you wanted if you got back safely.” Dressed in a red silk nightgown that ended just above her knees, Tora stepped over, took her by the hand, and led her to the bed. “I always keep my promises.”
“Wow,” she said, looking around the bedroom. “And all I was going to ask for was new Spidey earmuffs.”
Tora laughed. It was the carefree laugh Aspen had been longing to hear from her since they’d met. She smiled and brought a hand under Tora’s chin as she leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. When Tora opened her mouth and invited her inside, she accepted.
They kissed slowly at first, with all the tenderness of two people falling in love. As the passion ignited between them, their tongues danced with more urgency. She unbuttoned Tora’s nightgown and slipped her hands over Tora’s breasts, down her stomach, over her hips, looking for the panties that weren’t where they were supposed to be.
“I made things easy for you,” Tora whispered in her ear as she slipped her nightgown off the rest of the way. “Your turn,” she said, easing back onto the bed.
Aspen stood in place and let her eyes roam over Tora’s body. She lifted her white tank top over her head, kicked off her pajama bottoms, and eased her body over Tora’s.
They kissed and ground against one another for long minutes. Feeling Tora on the edge, she pulled away.
“Wait. Come back,” Tora pleaded.
Aspen ignored the request and teased her way down Tora’s body with her tongue. At last, she settled between Tora’s thighs to sample the slippery sweetness that awaited her, instantly rewarded with cries of pleasure as Tora writhed beneath her.
“You better not have made me pregnant,” Tora said, breathless as Aspen lay beside her.
She laughed as Tora climbed on top and returned the favor with a skill and ferocity that left her gasping.
About the Author
Michelle Larkin lives in the Boston area with her two young sons. She garnered material for her stories while working as an EMT, dog trainer, inventor, entrepreneur, and business owner. Her days now consist of hiking and biking, kissing boo-boos, building forts, and writing in the wee hours when the kids are asleep—a life she couldn’t have dreamed was even possible and wouldn’t trade for anything.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden. With love on the line, can Devyn Winters find it in her heart to stay in the small town of Dreamer’s Bay, the one place she swore she’d never remain? (978-1-63555-305-5)
Create a Life to Love by Erin Zak. When sixteen-year-old Beth shows up at her birth mother’s door, three lives will change forever. (978-1-63555-425-0)
Deadeye by Meredith Doench. Stranded while hunting the serial predator Deadeye, Special Agent Luce Hansen fights for survival while her lover, forensic pathologist Harper Bennett, hunts for clues to Hansen’s disappearance along the killer’s trail. (978-1-63555-253-9)
Death Takes a Bow by David S. Pederson. Alan Keys takes part in a local stage production, but when the leading man is murdered, his partner Detective Heath Barrington is thrust into the limelight to find the killer. (978-1-63555-472-4)
Endangered by Michelle Larkin. Shapeshifters Officer Aspen Wolfe and Dr. Tora Madigan fight their growing attraction as they work together to destroy a secret government agency that exterminates their kind. (978-1-63555-377-2)
Incognito by VK Powell. The only thing Evan Spears is focused on is capturing a fleeing murder suspect until wild card Frankie Strong is added to her team and causes chaos on and off the job. (978-1-63555-389-5)
Insult to Injury by Gun Brooke. After losing everything, Gail Owen withdraws to her old farmhouse and finds a destitute young woman, Romi Shepherd, living in a secret room. (978-1-63555-323-9)
Just One Moment by Dena Blake. If you were given the chance to have the love of your life back, could you ignore everything that went wrong and start over again? (978-1-63555-387-1)
Scene of the Crime by MJ Williamz. Cullen Mathew finds herself caught between the woman she thinks she loves but can no longer trust and a beautiful detective she can’t stop thinking about who will stop at nothing to find the truth. (978-1-63555-405-2)
Accidental Prophet by Bud Gundy. Days after his grandmother dies, Drew Morten learns his true identity and finds himself racing against time to save civilization from the apocalypse. (978-1-63555-452-6)
Daughter of No One by Sam Ledel. When their worlds are threatened, a princess and a village outcast must overcome their differences and embrace a budding attraction if they want to survive. (978-1-63555-427-4)
Fear of Falling by Georgia Beers. Singer Sophie James is ready to shake up her career, but her new manager, the gorgeous Dana Landon, has other ideas. (978-1-63555-443-4)
In Case You Forgot by Fredrick Smith and Chaz Lamar. Zaire and Kenny, two newly single, Black, queer, and socially aware men, start again—in love, career, and life—in the West Hollywood neighborhood of LA. (978-1-63555-493-9)
Playing with Fire by Lesley Davis. When Takira Lathan and Dante Groves meet at Takira’s restaurant, love may find its way onto the menu. (978-1-63555-433-5)
Practice Make
s Perfect by Carsen Taite. Meet law school friends Campbell, Abby, and Grace, law partners at Austin’s premier boutique legal firm for young, hip entrepreneurs. Legal Affairs: one law firm, three best friends, three chances to fall in love. (978-1-63555-357-4)
The Last Seduction by Ronica Black. When you allow true love to elude you once and you desperately regret it, are you brave enough to grab it when it comes around again? (978-1-63555-211-9)
Wavering Convictions by Erin Dutton. After a traumatic event, Maggie has vowed to regain her strength and independence. So how can Ally be both the woman who makes her feel safe and a constant reminder of the person who took her security away? (978-1-63555-403-8)
A Bird of Sorrow by Shea Godfrey. As Darrius and her lover, Princess Jessa, gather their strength for the coming war, a mysterious spell will reveal the truth of an ancient love. (978-1-63555-009-2)
All the Worlds Between Us by Morgan Lee Miller. High school senior Quinn Hughes discovers that a broken friendship is actually a door propped open for an unexpected romance. (978-1-63555-457-1)
An Intimate Deception by CJ Birch. Flynn County Sheriff Elle Ashley has spent her adult life atoning for her wild youth, but when she finds her ex, Jessie, murdered two weeks before the small town’s biggest social event, she comes face-to-face with her past and all her well-kept secrets. (978-1-63555-417-5)
Cash and the Sorority Girl by Ashley Bartlett. Cash Braddock doesn’t want to deal with morality, drugs, or people. Unfortunately, she’s going to have to. (978-1-63555-310-9)
Counting for Thunder by Phillip Irwin Cooper. A struggling actor returns to the Deep South to manage a family crisis, finds love, and ultimately his own voice as his mother is regaining hers for possibly the last time. (978-1-63555-450-2)
Falling by Kris Bryant. Falling in love isn’t part of the plan, but will Shaylie Beck put her heart first and stick around, or tell the damaging truth? (978-1-63555-373-4)
Secrets in a Small Town by Nicole Stiling. Deputy Chief Mackenzie Blake has one mission: find the person harassing Savannah Castillo and her daughter before they cause real harm. (978-1-63555-436-6)
Stormy Seas by Ali Vali. The high-octane follow-up to the best-selling action-romance, Blue Skies. (978-1-63555-299-7)
The Road to Madison by Elle Spencer. Can two women who fell in love as girls overcome the hurt caused by the father who tore them apart? (978-1-63555-421-2)
Dangerous Curves by Larkin Rose. When love waits at the finish line, dangerous curves are a risk worth taking. (978-1-63555-353-6)
Love to the Rescue by Radclyffe. Can two people who share a past really be strangers? (978-1-62639-973-0)
Love’s Portrait by Anna Larner. When museum curator Molly Goode and benefactor Georgina Wright uncover a portrait’s secret, public and private truths are exposed, and their deepening love hangs in the balance. (978-1-63555-057-3)
Model Behavior by MJ Williamz. Can one woman’s instability shatter a new couple’s dreams of happiness? (978-1-63555-379-6)
Pretending in Paradise by M. Ullrich. When travelwisdom.com assigns PR specialist Caroline Beckett and travel blogger Emma Morgan to cover a hot new couples retreat, they’re forced to fake a relationship to secure a reservation. (978-1-63555-399-4)
Recipe for Love by Aurora Rey. Hannah Little doesn’t have much use for fancy chefs or fancy restaurants, but when New York City chef Drew Davis comes to town, their attraction just might be a recipe for love. (978-1-63555-367-3)
Survivor’s Guilt and Other Stories by Greg Herren. Award-winning author Greg Herren’s short stories are finally pulled together into a single collection, including the Macavity Award nominated title story and the first-ever Chanse MacLeod short story. (978-1-63555-413-7)
The House by Eden Darry. After a vicious assault, Sadie, Fin, and their family retreat to a house they think is the perfect place to start over, until they realize not all is as it seems. (978-1-63555-395-6)
Uninvited by Jane C. Esther. When Aerin McLeary’s body becomes host for an alien intent on invading Earth, she must work with researcher Olivia Ando to uncover the truth and save humankind. (978-1-63555-282-9)
Comrade Cowgirl by Yolanda Wallace. When cattle rancher Laramie Bowman accepts a lucrative job offer far from home, will her heart end up getting lost in translation? (978-1-63555-375-8)
Double Vision by Ellie Hart. When her cell phone rings, Giselle Cutler answers it—and finds herself speaking to a dead woman. (978-1-63555-385-7)
Inheritors of Chaos by Barbara Ann Wright. As factions splinter and reunite, will anyone survive the final showdown between gods and mortals on an alien world? (978-1-63555-294-2)
Love on Lavender Lane by Karis Walsh. Accompanied by the buzz of honeybees and the scent of lavender, Paige and Kassidy must find a way to compromise on their approach to business if they want to save Lavender Lane Farm—and find a way to make room for love along the way. (978-1-63555-286-7)
Spinning Tales by Brey Willows. When the fairy tale begins to unravel and villains are on the loose, will Maggie and Kody be able to spin a new tale? (978-1-63555-314-7)
The Do-Over by Georgia Beers. Bella Hunt has made a good life for herself and put the past behind her. But when the bane of her high school existence shows up for Bella’s class on conflict resolution, the last thing they expect is to fall in love. (978-1-63555-393-2)
What Happens When by Samantha Boyette. For Molly Kennan, senior year is already an epic disaster, and falling for mysterious waitress Zia is about to make life a whole lot worse. (978-1-63555-408-3)
Wooing the Farmer by Jenny Frame. When fiercely independent modern socialite Penelope Huntingdon-Stewart and traditional country farmer Sam McQuade meet, trusting their hearts is harder than it looks. (978-1-63555-381-9)
BOLDSTROKESBOOKS.COM
Looking for your next great read?
Visit BOLDSTROKESBOOKS.COM
to browse our entire catalog of paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks.
Want the first word on what’s new?
Visit our website for event info,
author interviews, and blogs.
Subscribe to our free newsletter for sneak peeks,
new releases, plus first notice of promos
and daily bargains
SIGN UP AT
BOLDSTROKESBOOKS.COM/signup
Endangered Page 26