by ML Michaels
Contents
Copyright
Title Page
Protecting Emma: A Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance
Publisher's Library of Bonus Books
Serving the Order: A Paranormal Romance Series
Julia’s Daddy: A Secret Baby Brother’s Best Friend Sports Romance
The Best Revenge: A Bad Boy College Athlete First Time Romance
The Perfect Rebound: A BBW Contemporary Western Cowboy Pregnancy Billionaire Romance
Reluctant Patient: A Military Navy Seal Romance
Resisting the Boss: A Billionaire BBW Office Alpha Male Romance
Hometown Heartbreak: A Sweet Hometown Second Chance at First Love Romance
Guarding Bella: An Italian Mafia Bad Boy Alpha Male Bodyguard Law Enforcement Romance
Like a Movie: Secret Baby BBW Bad Boy Best Friend’s Brother Romance
Through Hayden's Eyes: A BBW Military Bodyguard Romance
Secret Protector: A Historical Suspense Older Man Younger Woman First Time Romance
Afraid to Tell: A Sports Hometown Pregnancy Romance
Murder at Harlan Lake: A Cozy Mystery Romance
Scandal and Murder: A Billionaire Hometown Law Enforcement Cozy Mystery Romance
Crickets and Murders: A Best Friend’s Brother MMA Fighter Cozy Mystery Romance
Night Serenade: Cade—A Vampire Rock Band Book
Night Serenade: Lancer—A Vampire Rock Band Book
Protecting Hope: A Vampire BBW Military Bodyguard Romance
The Soldier’s Doctor: A Military Medical Biker Bad Boy Romance
Phantom Billionaire: A Vampire BBW Protector Romance
Cherished for Centuries: Historical and Contemporary Vampire Romance
Secrets Beyond the Spotlight: A Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance
Gorilla Protector: A BBW Billionaire Shifter Romance
About the Authors—Book Club Writers
(C) Copyright 2016 by ML Michaels - All rights reserved
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors of bonus material own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Protecting Emma: A Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance
By ML Michaels
Emma Kincaide had missed her train, broken the zipper on her favorite boots and forgotten her umbrella. So when she finally stepped out of the cab in front of her parents’ house cabin and dropped her cell phone in the mud, it was everything she had not to scream.
“You need help, Miss?” the cab driver, a kind man in his late sixties, asked over his shoulder.
“No, I’m fine,” Emma said, forcing a smile as she reached through the window and handed him some cash. She was sure the looked anything but fine. The rain had flattened her hair against her head and ran her mascara down her cheeks. She thought, somehow, that if she told herself she was fine over and over, somehow it would come true.
I’m fine. I’m fine.
The cab pulled away, leaving Emma at the base of the steep staircase that led up to the large cabin that had once given her so much comfort as a child. That’s why she was here, in the middle of the fall. It’s why she had taken a semester-long break from law school. It’s why she’d taken the engagement ring off her finger and fixed it in the coin pouch of her wallet. She was looking for some comfort. She just needed the world to stop, for a minute.
But as Emma stood there, drenched, her purse and messenger bag slung over her shoulders and her giant suitcase threatening to tip over, she realized she was anything but. This was a stupid idea, she thought, but swallowed the words down as she looked up and down the tree-lined street. She was deep in the woods, far from NYU Law School. Far from Derek, far from scholarships and job offers she wasn’t sure she was ready for, and from her parents in Connecticut.
Emma took a deep breath and lugged the suitcase up the stairs, trying to ignore the rain that now fell in sheets, drenching her thoroughly. It took her a moment to find they key in her purse, and for a second she was convinced that she lost it. That would be perfect, she thought. But it was there, and it was the first thing that had worked out all day.
She opened the door, taking a deep breath as she stared into the dark house. She hadn’t been there since the summer she turned twenty-one, when her parents threw her a lakeside party with string lights and sparklers and Derek pulled her in the dark to sneak kisses under the trees…
She shook her head as she stepped inside. Not now. That was the whole point of this place. To leave everything else behind.
It took less than an hour to bring the house to life. Emma turned on all the lights and lit the pilot light on the water heater. She showered and turned on a kettle for tea and started a fire in the fireplace, and the hectic buzz of the morning melted away. The house was just as she remembered it – dense rugs, high ceilings, all cream and emerald and firelight. She sat in her father’s chair near the window and watched the rain splatter against the glass as steam rose from her mug. This was the sanctuary she remembered. Less than a mile away, she watched the lake rise and crash, its white caps whipped up by the wind.
Then, she heard it.
A shout.
She stopped, wondering if she’d let her mind run away with her, again.
But there it was.
It was an older man, from the gruff sound of it.
“Help!”
Emma set the mug down and pulled the window open, ignoring how the rain splashed in through the screen.
“Help!” it was coming from the house next door, the one slightly down the hill from hers. It was Mr. Blackthorn’s house. She realized, with horror, that she hadn’t even considered that the sweet old man might still be alive. From the sound of it, however, he was – and he was in trouble.
Without pausing to think of a better plan, Emma ran to the kitchen and pulled a butcher knife out of a drawer and then ran out the back door, down the steep wooden steps that led to the footpath that would take her to Mr. Blackthorn’s house.
“Mr. Blackthorn?” she called when she got to his back door.
He didn’t answer, but she could hear scuffling inside, almost like a struggle.
Emma knew it was stupid. She’d seen enough mystery shows to know that she should probably back away slowly and call the police.
They might be too late, she knew.
She yanked the door open and stepped inside the house.
“Mr. Blackthorn?” she called, hating how her voice quivered with fear.
“Help!” his voice came again, this time from the basement. Emma shot through the kitchen and pulled open the think oak door. Mr. Blackthorn sat at the bottom of the stairs, holding his ankle. He craned his neck upwards to get a look at her.
“Evelyn? You shouldn’t be here,” he said. Emma set the knife down on the counter behind her before hurrying down the stairs.
“It’s not Evelyn, Mr. Blackthorn. It’s me, Emma.”
He’s got to be almost ninety-five, now. He’s losing his mind. She reached the bottom of the stairs and kneeled down to check his ankle.
“What are you doing walking down here by yourself?” she asked, looking at the old man’s face. He looked at her, his eyes wide. He looked the same, with his piercing blue eyes and grizzled beard.
“I wanted to get some firewood,” he said, looking over Emma’s shoulder. It gave her an uneasy feeling, like he was looking for something. Or someone.
Above her, something blocked the light from the cellar door. Emma looked up, i
mmediately regretting that she left the knife on the kitchen counter. A voice cut through her panic.
“Uncle Edward?” a man called from the top of the stairs. As he descended, recognition filled Emma’s chest. He still had jet-black hair, though it was longer, now, and tucked behind his ears. The ice-blue eyes were the same, and they searched her with the same intensity she used to see when they were both kids, passing each other in the woods. He’d scared her then, a bit. Not just because he was quiet, or because he was part of the mysterious Blackthorn family. There was something different, about him. Something that always made her want to stop and talk to them, even though her mother and father were always more than clear about what they thought of the Blackthorns. You stay away from them, her mother used to say. She heard her mother’s voice in her head as Jake moved down the stairs, his eyes fixed on hers. It was like he was surprised to see her, but not, at the same time.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. It almost sounded accusing, like he thought that Emma had something to do with his uncle being hurt.
“Easy, Jake. I just slipped as I was heading down to get some firewood,” Edward said, his voice pulling Emma from her stare. Emma told herself to smile, to do something other than stare. But all she could do keep her mouth from falling open. She clenched her jaw and locked her eyes on Jake’s gaze. Jake looked away to lean down and help his uncle to his feet. Outside, the thunder clapped, and Emma jumped.
“How did you get inside?” Jake asked.
“The back door was unlocked,” Emma said, meeting Jake’s eyes.
“And you just come inside people’s houses when their doors are unlocked?” he snapped.
Emma doubled back and put her hands on her hips. She laughed, a humorless sound as it slipped through her lips.
“When I hear someone crying for help, yes. That’s what I do.”
Jake narrowed his eyes at her and she met them. This had already been a hard enough day. It had taken everything she had to muster up the courage to come into this house. She wasn’t about to apologize for helping someone.
“Stop being rude,” Edward muttered as he reached for the railing of the stairs. Jake helped his uncle up the stairs, and Emma followed behind, her anger mounting with every step.
You’re welcome, jackass, she thought, grinding her teeth together. This day had gone from back to worse in a matter of hours, and she hated how small he’d made her feel under his gaze, like he could see straight through her.
“You couldn’t have waited to try and walk down there until I got back?” Jake said lowly, and Edward made a dismissive noise.
“I was going to, but you were gone longer than I thought.”
“Well things were a little more complicated than I thought they’d be,” Jake replied, his voice tight.
When they reached the kitchen, Jake set Edward on a bench next to the counter and then walked to the freezer and pulled ice from the door. He handed the ice pack to his uncle, who reached down and balanced the ice on his ankle like he’d done it several times before.
What am I still doing here, Emma thought. As though Jake could read her mind, he turned to look at her. His eyes asked the same question. He opened his mouth to say something, but Edward leaned forward.
“Thank you, um…” Edward said, his voice cutting Jake off.
“Emma,” Emma repeated, and Edward wrinkled face broke into a smile.
“Right. It has been a few years since I’ve seen you. You and your sister do look so much alike. Is she with you?”
Emma shook her head.
“No. It’s just me, this time. Just some… um… a vacation,” she replied, and then fought the urge to slap her forehead with the heel of her hand. She’d broken the cardinal rule of being a young woman and staying somewhere alone. You’re never supposed to admit that you’re alone. Stupid, she thought.
This whole trip was looking more and more like an impulsive mistake.
“You just came up here alone?” Edward asked as he straightened. Emma felt a heat in her chest that always flared up when she was challenged.
Emma had survived a childhood in Evelyn’s shadow by building an iron spine and a sharp tongue. It is what got her on to the varsity debate team in undergrad and onto her law school’s Trial Competition Team. When someone pushed her, she pushed back.
She might not know how to keep a fiancé interested, and she might not know how to walk in the rain without dropping everything, but she knew how to stand up for herself.
“Yes. Is that a problem?” she asked, loving how sharp her words sounded.
She’d been warned about the Blackthorn family, but it had been an easy warning to heed when Jake had been a gangly teen unwilling to even utter a word her way. This man standing in front of her, with his cut jaw and level eyes, was something that was hard to ignore. Still – she was thankful for his challenge. She’d needed to find her voice, and he’d pushed her just far enough into anger to find it.
He raised his eyebrows. “It doesn’t seem like the smartest thing,” Jake replied. Edward rolled his eyes.
“Well, next time I’m considering a trip, I’ll make sure to consult you.” She turned to Edward. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Emma turned, pulled the door handle, and stepped out into the rain, loving how the sound of the droplets drowned out her thoughts. She was halfway up the stairs when a voice behind her stopped her.
“Emma?”
The way her name sounded on his gruff voice made her stop, even though her rain was drenching her hair and soaking her shirt.
Jake Blackthorn. His name was a heartbeat in her thoughts.
He couldn’t know how much he’d haunted the summers they’d spent at the cabin. He couldn’t know how often she’d see him sitting at a library table and spend an hour hidden in the shelves, trying to work up the courage to talk to him. It was those summers when she’d wished she were more like Evelyn. Her tall, blonde sister never hesitated in taking what she really wanted. Though she never would have wanted a Blackthorn. It was beneath her. A family with that many skeletons in their closet wasn’t worth the trouble.
Emma tightened her grip on the wooden railing and looked up at the cabin. The lights were bright against the growing dark. Slowly, she turned around and looked down at Jake. The anger was gone from his face, replaced by something else. His blue eyes were wide and searching.
“I’m sorry,” he called over the rain. “I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk. It’s just been a long day,” he said.
Emma nodded. “I know what you mean,” she said coldly.
Jake stepped up on the first steps of the stairs.
“I was worried about my uncle, and I shouldn’t have taken that out on you. I just…”
He looked down, and Emma hated how she was leaning forward, wanting to hear his voice again. She wondered, for a brief moment, if he was going to bring up that summer night from all those years ago.
“I should’ve been there. He wouldn’t have fallen had I been there. It could’ve been a lot worse,” he said.
Emma nodded, and then shivered. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. Of course he wasn’t going to bring it up.
Jake squinted against the rain, and then his eyes drifted up to the lights of the cabin.
“Are you really staying there alone? Your family didn’t come up?” he asked.
Emma nodded.
Jake stepped up on the next step and reached in his pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Quickly, he wrote on the paper and handed her the scrap.
“That’s my phone number. If you hear anything, anything at all, anything strange – call me.”
Emma raised her eyebrows. “Do you want to come check my closet for monsters, too?” she asked, trying not to laugh. This was too weird. And surreal. She’d spent every summer of her teenage years hoping she’d get to talk to Jake Blackthorn. Now, here she was, standing in the rain, finally talking to him.
Jake let a smile
slink up his lips, as he looked down at the paper in his outstretched hand. “I know it sounds weird. Just… trust me, okay? You’re always up here in the summer. The winter is a little different. It’s not as safe. Just, take it, okay?” he asked.
She took the paper, jumping slightly as her fingers brushed against his. They were warm and rough – just as she’d always imagined them.
“Just please. Stay inside, especially when it’s dark. And don’t…” he looked down, like he knew how strange the words were as they came out of his mouth.
“Don’t go into the woods,” he finished, looking up at her.
“Excuse me?” Emma shot back, her tone revealing her irritation. She didn’t like being ordered around, especially by someone who barely knew her. Someone who had pretended she hadn’t existed for the entirety of her teenage years.
“It’s… it’s not safe,” he said, squinting up to meet her eyes in the rain.
“It’s not safe?” she repeated, and his shoulders dropped. He must know how crazy he sounded.
“Please, Emma.”
“You think you’re in the position to be asking favors?” she shot back.
The rain had soaked him, drenching his t-shirt. The fabric clung to him, outlining every inch of his chiseled torso. She felt herself staring, and forced herself to look back up and meet his eyes. His gaze widened as her words hit him. Realization spread over his features, and that was as quick as it took for her to be completely mortified.
“Emma. I–” he started, but Emma shook her head.
She snatched the paper away from him, feeling a strange anger spring up in her gut. Jake Blackthorn had more or less ignored that she even existed for years. He didn’t get to come into her life, now, and act like he had any say on anything she did.
“It was good to see you again, Jake,” Emma said, her tone more biting than she meant it to be. His eyes narrowed in confusion as she turned and ran back up the steps, stopping only once she’d made it back inside the house. She leaned back against the door, closing her eyes as white-hot mortification spread through her chest.