by Donna Grant
“Promise.”
Desire flared in his bright blue eyes. “Fuck, yes.”
“Stop talking and kiss me,” Ava demanded as she yanked his head back down.
No sooner had their lips met than Kane began to growl and snap his huge jaws. Ava had forgotten about Kane and the threat to her life in those few precious moments in Lincoln’s arms.
Lincoln chuckled as he backed away from her. “I don’t think my dear cousin is at all happy with what we were doing.”
Ava looked down at herself to see the sweat and grime. She couldn’t let Lincoln have sex with her looking like this. It wasn’t just the dirt, she was pretty sure she smelled.
“What did I just promise you?” Lincoln threatened.
Ava motioned at herself with her hands. “Look at me! I’m disgusting. We’ll have to wait.”
“Wait?” Lincoln asked with a raised brow. “Because of a little dirt.”
“I smell.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “In case you haven’t noticed, I do, too.”
“I can’t smell you, and you look good covered in sweat.” Too damn good, actually. It should be against the law for a man to look that hot while she felt so repulsive.
That seductive grin of his was back. “I look good, huh?”
“You know you do.”
“Our lives could end tonight. Do you really want to wait?” he asked as he closed the distance between them again.
Ava pushed his long, dark hair out of his face. “We’re not in danger as long as we’re on holy ground, right?”
“I’m going to make you pay for reminding me of that,” he said as he nipped her ear.
“Promise.”
He put her hand on his thick cock. “Fuck yes.”
CHAPTER NINE
Lincoln couldn’t stop looking at Ava. She had devoured two of the roast beef sandwiches, three snack size bags of chips, a bottle of water and a soda Olivia had packed.
“What?” she asked as she reached for some chocolate chip cookies. “I like to eat.”
“I’m not complaining.”
“Ah,” she said after swallowing a bite. “You’re used to the women who eat like birds. That’s never been me. I like food. A lot.”
Lincoln wasn’t sure how he was going to keep his hands off of her for another two nights. She was temptation and enticement, persuasion and fascination. She aroused him to the point of no return only to infuriate him in the next second. She kept him on his toes and in a constant state of arousal.
Ave was a seductress, an enchantress.
A siren.
And he prayed she never left his life.
“Christian’s back,” she said.
Lincoln looked over his shoulder to see Christian in the canoe, but he had someone else with him. Lincoln jumped to his feet when he recognized Solomon.
“Who is that?” Ava whispered when she came to stand beside him.
“The eldest LaRue, Solomon.”
Ava dusted off her hands. “I thought you said it would be difficult to get him here.”
“I thought it would be since he also turns during the full moon.”
She leaned closer. “Please tell me this Voodoo bitchress hasn’t sent another after me.”
Lincoln grinned at her. “I doubt it.” His grin faded when his gaze met Solomon’s. “But it can’t be good that he’s here.”
Kane, who had generally ignored Beau and Christian when they came, began to growl in warning, his fur standing on end as he stared at Solomon.
“He recognizes another werewolf,” Lincoln explained.
“Great. I’m all giddy,” she said sarcastically.
Solomon looked at Kane with the same blue eyes that Lincoln and his brothers had. That was the only similarity between their families. The LaRues had varying shades of blond hair. Solomon’s was a dark blond with strands of brown.
“He looks intimidating,” Ava said.
“We hunt in the bayous. They hunt in New Orleans. It’s a different beast all together.”
Lincoln nodded in greeting to Solomon. “Kane isn’t thrilled you’re here.”
“I’m not happy to be here,” Solomon stated flatly. “I had to come. For Kane. And for you.”
Lincoln glanced at Christian who merely shrugged in response. It wasn’t good news they brought then. Lincoln jerked his head to Ava. “This is Ava Ledet, who your brother is trying to kill.”
“Ledet,” Solomon repeated.
Lincoln took a step closer to the water. He didn’t like the way Solomon was looking at Ava as if she were a morsel he wanted to sample.
“Are you any kin to Jack Ledet?” Solomon asked.
Lincoln held Ava back when she leaned forward. She glanced at him but quickly answered Solomon. “Yes. Do you know him?”
“It all makes sense now,” Solomon said more to himself than the rest of them.
Lincoln inhaled deeply and gathered his control. “It might be helpful if you shared it with the rest of us.”
“Year’s ago Delphine’s niece became a vampire and wandered into the parish. Jack killed her.”
“Who is Delphine?” Ava asked.
Solomon looked at his brother again. “The Voodoo priestess. She discovered that Jack killed her niece, and she sent her people after him.”
Lincoln wrapped an arm around Ava as she sagged against him. “Delphine had Jack brought to her for revenge, didn’t she?”
“Yes,” Solomon said.
Lincoln tightened his hold on Ava and asked, “Is Jack still alive?”
Solomon suddenly smiled. “He is. He’s been helping us.”
“That’s where he’s been? Locked away by this madwoman and then with you?” Ava asked, her voice breaking with emotion.
Solomon looked at Ava before shifting his eyes to Lincoln. “Delphine is a cunning bitch. She must have learned Jack had a daughter. That’s why she used Kane. She isn’t finished with her revenge.”
“You came all the way here to tell us that?” Lincoln wasn’t buying that for an instant.
“I came for Kane. The only one who can go up against him is another werewolf. You need me.”
Lincoln knew it was true. Now that they understood why Ava was targeted they could focus on fixing it. “What’s the plan?”
Solomon’s smile was cold and calculating. “We wait for the moon. I’ll...occupy...Kane. Your brothers will get you and Ava to the house.”
“Won’t Kane still come after me?” Ava asked.
Lincoln faced Ava and turned her to look at him. “Solomon will ensure that Kane is fighting him all night.”
“Even if Kane tracks you to the house, he won’t be able to get to you,” Christian said. “It’s also holy ground.”
Ava’s shoulder relaxed instantly. “And how soon can we do this?”
“It’s not going to be as easy as it sounds,” Lincoln warned her. “It’s going to take a lot for Kane to be distracted from you. Solomon is putting his own life in danger. He might be a werewolf, but they can still be killed, just like any other supernatural creature.”
“I understand,” Ava replied.
Lincoln looked at Christian in time to catch a stuffed backpack that was thrown his way. He grunted as he caught the bag and glared at Christian.
His brother merely smiled. “Ava, Olivia packed a change of clothes for you. There is also some aspirin and other things for you.”
“What did she pack me?” Lincoln asked.
Christian’s smile grew mischievous. “She didn’t mention you.”
“I’m wounded,” Lincoln teased to help lighten the mood for Ava. “I’m going to be her favorite brother-in-law.”
Christian rolled his eyes. “As if.”
“It’s time Vin found someone to carry on the Chiasson name,” Solomon said, instantly bringing down the mood.
Lincoln tossed the backpack aside.
“When are you going to take that step?” Christian asked Solomon.
“Not for
a long while yet. I’m hoping one of my other brothers does it for me. Women are a hindrance.”
Christian shook his head and put his paddle back in the bayou. “Look for us when the moon rises. Remember, Linc, you’re not completely alone out here.”
“What did he mean by that?” Ava asked as they watched them drift away.
Lincoln looked around, wondering who was watching them, Vincent or Beau. “My brothers are taking shifts keeping an eye on us, but staying far enough away so they don’t draw Kane’s attention.”
“In other words, we’re being watched?” she asked, her eyes wide with mortification.
“We kissed. You could wear that expression if I’d actually taken you as I long to do.”
“Is that so?” she asked saucily.
Damn, but Lincoln couldn’t wait to get her alone to show her just how she tied him in knots.
And what he proposed to do about it.
~ ~ ~
Ava was grateful that Olivia packed a pair of cargo pants in the backpack. That, along with the aspirin, the cream for her bruises, and the ponytail holder to get her hair off of her neck had gone a long way to improving her mood.
If the morning had gone slowly, it was nothing compared to the time dragging through the rest of the afternoon. She didn’t think the sun would ever set. It was worse than when she was a little kid waiting anxiously for Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought her.
“Will the canoe come on shore? Or will we need to swim out?” she asked.
He shrugged as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest staring at Kane. “Won’t know until they get here and we see how Kane reacts to Solomon.”
“Right, right.” Was she ever nervous. It was worse than running from Kane that first night. “What happens if Kane doesn’t go after Solomon?”
“Then we don’t leave.”
She hated how calm Lincoln was being. She was being eaten alive by the mosquitoes, and Kane had scared years off of her life.
Ava wished she hadn’t eaten that last fig tart. Her nerves were so shaken that her stomach rolled. If she could fight off five men, she could keep her food down.
“My God, will the sun never go down?” she said in exasperation.
“Look at the sunset, Ava.”
“I have been.”
“No. Really look at it,” Lincoln said. He was beside her in an instant, turning her toward the setting sun. “Look at the colors. Tell me if you’ve ever seen anything so beautiful.”
She had to admit the colors were breathtaking. Deep red to orange to pale pink, all with a hint of gold added in. She had been so anxious about the coming night that she had forgotten to enjoy the life in front of her.
Lincoln hadn’t though. Was that because there were few nights he wasn’t out risking his life?
“I can’t remember the last sunset I saw. I’m normally so busy with work that I don’t pay attention.”
“Perhaps you work too much.”
She snorted. “That’s the understatement of the year.”
“Do you like your job?”
“I like helping people as I did Olivia. The money is a bonus.”
“Do you always see yourself in Dallas?”
Ava knew what he was asking. She couldn’t give him the answer he was looking for, but she wasn’t sure she could return to Dallas as if nothing had happened either. “It’s where my life is.”
“Of course.”
They watched in silence as the sun dipped below the horizon, and the vibrant colors in the sky faded to gray and then black.
Ava jumped when Kane let out a howl. The full moon shed its bright light upon the ground, and Kane was responding to it. In the distance, another howl sounded. Solomon. Ava wasn’t sure she wanted to be anywhere near two werewolves.
“Solomon will know who you are,” Lincoln said. “He won’t attack you.”
“Are you so sure of that?” Ava couldn’t shake the way he had stared at her when he discovered who she was. She didn’t know why she was more frightened than ever, she just was. “Are you so sure he wouldn’t come out here to help his brother kill me if it meant the curse would be lifted from Kane? You would do it for your brothers.”
Lincoln started to deny her claim. Then he closed his mouth and let out a long sigh. “Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. He’s family.”
“And that’s his brother,” she said and pointed to Kane. “What wouldn’t you do for your brothers?”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them.”
“And Solomon? Don’t you think he feels the same way?”
Lincoln ran a hand down his face and turned away to pace a few steps before he faced her once more. “We’re taught at an early age that family means everything. We hunt to protect the people of this parish, but family comes first. Solomon was taught the same.”
She really hated being right. “We won’t know if Solomon is helping Kane or not until I start to go for the canoe.”
“Then we don’t go. We stay right here.”
Ava took his hand. “Do you trust your brothers to help get us to the house?”
“I trust them with my life.”
“Then let’s give it a go.”
“Ava,” he began.
She held up a finger to his lips. “You know these bayous, Lincoln. I trust you with my life.”
A low growl came from the darkness opposite Kane. Ava watched as Kane’s fur stood on end again. Her head swiveled in time to see another wolf, this one silver, step from the shadows.
It had begun.
CHAPTER TEN
Lincoln wanted to call the entire thing off. He was no longer sure of Solomon’s intentions. There was a chance Ava would never make it to the house. It was a long way to Chiasson land.
Solomon walked around the oak along the barrier in werewolf form, his silver coat almost glowing in the moonlight. The closer he got, the louder Kane’s growls. Solomon’s big silver head turned to Lincoln. He met the werewolf’s yellow eyes before Solomon issued his own warning growl to Kane.
What would he do for his brothers? Everything. And Lincoln knew damn well Solomon felt the same.
Lincoln took Ava’s hand. The tension between Solomon and Kane was escalating at a rapid rate. Any minute now they would begin to fight, and holy ground or not, Lincoln wanted Ava far from them.
There was a flash of light in the darkness over the bayou. Lincoln’s gaze jerked to it and found Christian in the canoe hiding behind a crop of cypress trees. Lincoln backed Ava to the edge of the water. They had barely taken two steps when Kane launched himself at Solomon. The growls and general sounds of fighting filled the night like an explosion.
“Go,” Lincoln softly urged Ava.
Ava stepped into the water, and Christian paddled furiously to them. To their left another form came out of the shadows. Lincoln let out a sigh when he recognized Vincent. His brother moved to Ava’s other side, and the three of them walked deeper into the water.
As soon as Christian was near enough, Lincoln lifted Ava into the canoe and got in behind her at the rear. They both picked up paddles and helped Christian turn the canoe around.
“Hurry,” Vin whispered and gave them a push.
The water was like glass, and they glided over it effortlessly. As they rounded the crop of trees, Lincoln looked back to see the wolves still fighting.
“Beau is waiting up ahead,” Christian whispered over his shoulder. “Vin will also go around and set up in case Kane gives chase.”
“And Solomon.”
Christian’s silence told Lincoln they too had doubts about Solomon. Lincoln put his energy into getting home. He put his oar in the water and steered them around submerged trees and shallow water while Christian and Ava paddled.
The oars barely made a sound as they sliced through the water. None of them spoke. Until the howl of a wolf cut through the night.
Lincoln set his jaw. If he had to, he would kill both Kane and Solomon. He had vowed to keep A
va safe, and that’s what he would do.
A second howl, this one longer and deeper, sounded near them. Solomon and Kane were no longer fighting. The question was, who was closer to them?
“Faster,” Christian urged in a whisper.
A shrill cry of pain sounded from one of the wolves. Lincoln paid it little heed. His gaze was ahead of them, looking for the bend in the bayou that would signal Chiasson land. It wasn’t that much farther. Just another half mile or so.
The waters of the bayou were deeper in this end. Too deep for a werewolf to try and take them, but there was one place they could. It was called the Bridge, although it wasn’t man-made. The waters created it in the bayou long ago. There was a slim area of water between two outcroppings of land where only one canoe could fit.
If even one werewolf were there, it spelled doom for Ava. It was a death trap. Lincoln’s only other choice was to pull over and try their luck on land. With as fast as the wolves ran, they stood a better chance on the water.
Thanks to the light of the moon and its reflection off the water, Lincoln spotted the Bridge ahead. The crashing through the brush on either side of them said the weres had caught them. As they drifted closer to the Bridge, Lincoln pulled his oar from the water. Christian did the same and raised his crossbow.
“They’re your family,” Ava said softly to Christian.
“And they’re trying to kill you,” he replied.
Lincoln hated how torn he was. He didn’t want to kill them, but he refused to allow them to end Ava’s life.
Ava shifted to look at him over her shoulder. “You’ll never forgive yourself if you kill your family. I’m an outsider here, Lincoln. A nobody. That’s your family.”
Lincoln’s attention was pulled away when he saw Solomon’s silver fur out of the corner of his eye. He ground his teeth together when Solomon calmly walked out onto one side of the Bridge and looked across to the other.
“Son of a bitch,” Christian murmured angrily.
Ava shook her head at Lincoln. “No.”
To the right, Lincoln spotted a dark mass moving through the trees. Kane. He would bunch them in. Which of the LaRue brothers would attack first? Lincoln could already guess their plan. While one attacked and he and Christian fended them off, the other would claim Ava.