"I'm tired of running,” Wade said with a growl.
"We all are, Cougar, but we've got to get while the getting is good.” Rogan patted him on the back a few times, but it didn't make Wade feel any better.
"What about Mac, Jet, and Trevor?” Wade asked. “We have to let them know there's a good possibility that Covington is going to send more men out here to look for us."
Noah sighed. “We'll just have to call them and let them know. Maybe they can keep a low enough profile so that they don't draw attention to themselves."
"We can only hope,” Rogan said under his breath.
"We should leave in the morning,” Noah said. “And we'll need to have a full night's sleep if we're going to hit the road."
* * * *
Rogan's phone rang a few minutes later, making him jump. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at the Caller I.D. and saw that the call was from Noah, so it must be one of the others who'd left with Mac. Rogan flipped open the phone and answered it.
"Rogan here."
"Hey, Rogan. It's Jet."
"Jet! Where the hell are you guys?"
"In the wilderness somewhere. But you are not going to believe what we've found."
Rogan's skin began to crawl. Holy shit, had they found the second B*E*A*S*T* compound? He was almost too afraid to ask.
"What's that?"
"A woman."
"A woman?"
"Yeah, and not just any woman. A shifter."
"What are you talking about?"
"It took us about a day to get out to where Lucian's map is drawn, but once we were in the forest, we smelled something and heard someone crying. It was an odd smell, like one of us. You know, that combined scent of a person and the animal they can become. Well, when we found the source of the scent, we found a woman. She tried to shift and get away from us, but her arm is broken, so she couldn't fly."
"Couldn't fly? What is she?"
"A snowy owl."
Every hair on Rogan's body stood on end. The B*E*A*S*T* compound in the Rockies hadn't had a single woman in their entourage, so that meant Lucian had been telling the truth about the second compound. And that also meant there were two other compounds just like it as well—one for each branch of the military.
Rogan had to sit down as he rubbed his eyes. “Christ,” he whispered. “Holy shit."
"Wolfe, what's the matter?” Noah asked, giving him a look of concern.
Rogan couldn't answer him, he merely handed Noah the phone and let him find out for himself.
"Jesus!” he cried out a few moments later.
"What'd I miss?” Wade asked as he emerged from the bathroom.
Rogan looked up and knew his face must be as white as a sheet from Wade's reaction to it. “Jet's on the phone. He and the others have found another shifter."
"No shit?"
Rogan nodded. “A woman."
Wade's eyes went wide, and he fell back onto the couch. “Oh, my God. Then it's true. It's all true!"
Rogan felt a hand on his arm and looked down to find Marlie right next to him with tears in her eyes. He didn't say a word, he merely wrapped his arms around his mate and hugged her close. If anyone could soothe away his fear and uncertainty, it would be Marlie.
Rogan had no idea how long he held her, and he didn't care. B*E*A*S*T* was indeed bigger than anyone had ever imagined. Now he had no friggin’ clue what the hell they were going to do.
Thirty Nine
That night, Rogan and Marlie sat down by the river and watched it rush by as a bright moon hung overhead. She was in his lap, leaning back against his strong chest with her fingers threaded through his on her belly. The night was so peaceful that she didn't want to break the silence with talking. She merely laid her head on her husband's shoulder and sighed with contentment.
"What are you thinking about?” Rogan whispered in her ear, kissing the side of her neck.
She shivered. “About how happy I am being with you again. What about you?"
"I'm thinking about where we're going to go and what we're going to do. Noah says we can tag along with him and Lanie wherever they go, but I don't want to burden them for too long. We've got our own lives to lead and so do they. But I don't know how we're going to do that with B*E*A*S*T* breathing down our necks."
"We'll make our own way,” she said, caressing the backs of his hands with her palms.
"I sure hope so, sweetheart."
"It'll be hard, but even B*E*A*S*T* with all their resources can't be everywhere."
Rogan nodded. “That's true enough. But with three remaining compounds around the country, we might have to leave the States. Are you prepared for that?"
Marlie bit her bottom lip and gazed up at the stars. She had no idea when she might see her family or friends again, and that scared her half to death. But leaving Rogan now was not an option. She would die before she left him.
Looking over her shoulder, she gazed into Rogan's eyes and said, “Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."
"What?” he asked with a chuckle.
He was so handsome when his eyes crinkled at the corners, and Marlie's heart suddenly leapt inside of her.
"Oh, just something I remembered from Sunday School. It's from the Bible—the Book of Ruth. I thought it was fitting.” She smiled and caressed his cheek. “Rogan, I don't care where we go as long as we go together."
"What about your family?"
Marlie shrugged. “I'm not too close to my parents, but I can call them on your phone for short periods of time, just to let them know I'm all right. I'll tell them I have a new man in my life. They'll be overjoyed."
Rogan stole a quick kiss. “They'll be pretty shocked to see me when they meet me for the first time."
Marlie giggled at the thought. “That they will."
Taking a deep breath, Rogan hugged her and looked up at the sky. He closed his eyes. “We haven't made love outside yet."
Marlie giggled once more. “No, we haven't."
"You do know my only memory of my life before is of you and me making love under a bright, full moon..."
His words faded away as he began nuzzling her neck. Marlie swooned and lifted up her hand to hold on to the back of Rogan's head in order to anchor herself in his arms. He began to gently nip at her skin, and she couldn't contain the moan that ripped from her throat.
"Yes,” she said, “but in that memory, we were in Fiji. It was a lot warmer there."
"I'll keep you warm,” he said with a growl, his hands slipping underneath her sweater. He groaned with satisfaction when he found she wasn't wearing a bra. “Your nipples are already hard,” he whispered as he lightly pinched them, igniting a fire between her legs.
"It's cold out here,” Marlie managed to say.
"Mmm,” he said, suddenly licking her neck. “Do you want me to suck on them?"
His hand slipped into her jeans and panties, searching for her moist center. She hadn't even felt him unfasten her pants for all the attention he was giving to her breasts. Her sharp intake of breath echoed across the river as she opened her legs to allow his hand better access to her slick skin. Once his fingers began their erotic caress, Marlie couldn't help but grab a handful of his hair, pulling his mouth up to hers.
She kissed him for all she was worth while he worked her with both of his hands. Within moments, she fell over the edge, crying out into his mouth, desperate to feel him inside of her. Once her orgasm had passed, Rogan quickly unfastened his own pants and turned her in his arms. She had to wrestle out of her jeans, and once her bare skin hit the cold air, she shivered, but whether it was from the cold or her own excitement, she couldn't be sure. Rogan lifted her backside until she straddled him, and he brought her down into his lap, firmly rooting himself within her.
"I love you, Marlie Wolfe,” he whispered, making sure she gazed into his eyes. They flashed gold at her while his hands guided her in his rhythm.
/> "I love you too, Rogan Wolfe,” she whispered right back, leaning into his lips and giving him a kiss meant to tell him there would never be another man in her heart. And she knew by the way he made love to her, slowly and adoringly, that he would never love another woman.
Yes, Marlie's Wolfe was her mate. For life.
Epilogue
Wade didn't think twice about his actions before he grabbed the Hummer's keys off the kitchen counter. He dropped his own cell phone into his pocket along with Sean's phone, then he grabbed one of the rifles propped up against the wall and made sure he had one full magazine of ammo before he quietly walked out the front door.
Rogan and Marlie were down by the river, and Noah and Lanie were upstairs sleeping. It was the perfect time for him to sneak off by himself—undetected. Neither of his friends could clearly see what needed to be done. Clive Covington had to be taken down. Not only for the sins he'd committed against the shifters from Colorado, but for the countless shifters that were scattered elsewhere throughout the country. The atrocities of B*E*A*S*T* had to end. And Covington could NOT be allowed to become the President of the United States. Just the thought alone had Wade's hackles raised.
The Hummer was banged up from Sean's rammings, but it was still drivable. Wade climbed into it and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, and he immediately put it in gear and drove off down the street. He'd printed out the directions he needed from the Internet maps on Noah's computer, so he knew he'd be able to get himself to Texas with no problem.
Killing Covington, however, was another ball of wax.
Opening Sean's phone, he noticed the battery was almost dead. Setting his jaw, Wade found Covington's number and dialed. It rang twice in his ear before he heard a deep voice on the other end.
"Sean, is this you? It's about goddamn time!"
"No, this isn't Sean, you bastard."
There was a short pause before Covington said, “Who is this?"
"What, you don't recognize my voice? You want me alive so badly, I thought you might have already known who I was."
"Wade.” It wasn't a question. Covington knew damn well who he was.
"That's right,” Wade said with a growl. “Sean's dead. And soon, you'll be dead too. I know who you are, Clive Covington, and I know where you live. You'd best watch your back, old man. Because I'm coming to rip out your throat."
With that, Wade snapped the phone shut and tossed it out the driver's side window as a surge of satisfaction coursed through his veins.
It was going to be a long drive to Texas.
About Rebecca
Rebecca Goings's first love is historical romance. But she's also been known to write a few contemporaries as well. Becoming a writer has been her life's goal, and she's finally living her dream. Rebecca resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband Jim, and four rugrats (which she homeschools). She fell in love with Oregon at the age of sixteen, and was able to convince her husband to move there after six LONG years in Los Angeles. She doesn't anticipate ever leaving. Rebecca is never at a loss for book plots, and hopes to be around for a very long time.
Other Titles By Rebecca:
On Eagle's Wings
In Your Arms
The B*E*A*S*T* Within
Underneath The Mistletoe (in Mistletoe Magic)
Visit our website for our growing catalogue of quality books.
www.champagnebooks.com
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