Wolf in Her Bed: Salvation Pack, Book 2

by N. J. Walters

  She kissed him and felt the emotion threading back and forth between them, binding them as surely as their lovemaking had. They were mated.

  Anny pulled back. “I want to get married. I don’t care if it’s a courthouse or a church, but I want to get married.”

  “Whatever makes you happy,” he promised.

  “You make me happy,” she told him.

  They were just about to kiss again when the back door opened and Gator cleared his throat. “The others are getting restless.”

  Anny smothered a laugh against Armand’s shirt when he swore. “We’re coming.”

  “Bro, that’s what we were worried might be happening. Time for that later.” After making that sly sexual reference, Gator winked at her and went back inside.

  Anny couldn’t contain herself any longer and burst into laughter. Armand growled and then reluctantly smiled. “Let’s go inside.” He took her hand and led her to the door. “I’m really sorry about your job and your home.”

  Anny squeezed his fingers. “We’ll figure something out. And my home is with you.” And that was the truth. Wherever the two of them were was home. With every passing minute, Anny’s old life was slipping away from her. The instinct of the wolf went deep and she felt the pull of the pack. The more time she spent with them, the more entrenched those instincts became.

  “I’ll call Sue and talk to her tomorrow. And I’ll call my boss. I don’t think too many people will be surprised if I tell them I want to get away from what happened.”

  All eyes turned toward them when they entered the room. Gwen came toward her, grabbed her by the hands and pulled her forward. “Let’s dance.” Gwen moved her entire body, gyrating to the music. Anny laughed and joined her. The men laughed and circled them, clapping and laughing.

  Armand sprawled on the sofa with Anny tucked safely in his arms. The pack had pulled out all the stops to welcome her. He wished there was something he could do to help ease her transition into his world. She was giving up so much for him.

  Anny and Gwen were chatting about some book they’d both read. Armand was grateful to the other woman and knew Anny and Gwen would become good friends. That would help ease Anny’s loss.

  Jacque and Louis bantered about football. The remains of the huge amount of food they’d consumed was scattered around the room. Empty plates and glasses, bowls and platters covered every surface.

  Gator turned off the stereo. The silence was broken seconds later by the lonely strains of a fiddle. Armand glanced toward the hearth and sure enough, there was Cole drawing the bow over the taut strands. He often wondered how Cole played such a delicate instrument with such big hands. But he was a master and his music was haunting.

  Anny sat up and turned toward Cole with wonder in her eyes. Armand recognized the piece as one Cole had written several years ago. No one spoke. Everyone watched, totally enthralled as the music wrapped around them, weaving a tale of heartbreak and redemption. When it was done, Cole set the fiddle and bow carefully on the edge of the hearth.

  Cole prowled toward Anny and stopped in front of her. He reached out and touched her cheek. “You are my sister now. I will protect you with my life.”

  Anny sniffed and Armand knew she was crying. His chest ached with love for his woman and his family.

  “I’ll protect you too,” Anny promised Cole. The big man grinned, nodded and turned to leave.

  “I’ll take the first watch,” Cole told them as he walked out the front door.

  Gator grabbed some of the plates and started piling them up. “Guess that’s our sign to call it a night.”

  Anny rose and started to gather some glasses, but Louis stopped her. “Not tonight, little sister. Go home with Armand.” Louis smiled at her and touched her shoulder. “Welcome to the pack.”

  Armand stood and gathered Anny close. It was time to go home. They said good night to Jacque and Gwen, and the two women made plans to have coffee tomorrow. That was good for Anny. She needed a female friend she could talk to.

  Gwen kissed him on the cheek and Jacque slapped him on the back. Tonight was a reminder of why they’d all left their former pack. There was solidarity here, respect and a bedrock of love, a good foundation on which to build a pack.

  And now he had a mate of his own.

  They were barely out the door when he scooped Anny into his arms. She laughed and playfully swatted his shoulder. “I can walk, you know.”

  “But I like to carry you.” He nuzzled her neck. “That way I can get you into my bed quicker.” He made good on his word, racing down the pathway that led to their home. He barely paused to shut the door to the cabin behind him before hurrying to their bedroom and dumping her onto the mattress. He pounced on her and rolled her under him, ignoring her shriek of laughter.

  “I love you, Anny. I think I have since the moment I set eyes on you that night in the bar.”

  “Oh, Armand.” Her blue eyes darkened with passion. She licked her lips and his cock jerked. As usual, he was more than ready to claim his mate. “I love you too.”

  He playfully nipped at her neck, drawing another laugh from her. “Now I’ve got you right where I want you.”

  He proceeded to show her just how much he did love her and felt her love in return.

  Travis Dubois knelt in front of his alpha, trying like hell not to sweat. It wasn’t easy. Not with the Louisiana heat surrounding him and the scowl on his alpha’s face, which meant trouble. He’d either end up dead or rising in position in the pack. And Travis had no plans to die. Especially not for an idiot like Remy LaForge.

  “You’re telling me that Remy’s whelp killed him.”

  Travis chose his words carefully. “I’d gone into the town to search for the woman. Remy stayed behind to watch her house.” Travis shrugged. “Either Armand caught him unawares or Remy decided to challenge him. I came across the body and could smell Armand. There’s no doubt who killed him.”

  Travis had already given his alpha the box with some of Remy’s ashes.

  Pierre LaForge threw back his head and howled. Within seconds, wolves poured out of the surrounding homes and filled the clearing. Some came from the swamp, but they all answered the summons. It wasn’t long before the entire pack was assembled.

  “My brother is dead.” Pierre opened the cigarette box with the ashes and tossed them into the wind. “Killed by his only son.”

  Pierre walked off his front step and circled Travis. Sweat trickled down his temple and spine. He hated having another wolf behind him but dared not move. He wasn’t in any position to fight.

  Pierre’s large hand landed on Travis’s shoulder. “Your brother, my friend, Andre Dubois was also killed at the hands of the rogues who left us.”

  Travis nodded but said nothing. All eyes were on them. Travis could sense the growing excitement and fear of the pack. They expected bloodshed. The swamp went quiet as birds stopped twittering and the insects grew still.

  Pierre walked back up the steps to his home and spread his arms wide. “I need a new second and a new assassin.” He pierced Travis with his gaze. “Maybe I will get both with one person. Maybe not. Time will tell.”

  The alpha eyed his pack. “Who will fight for this position?” There was a huge roar from the crowd and several men stepped forward.

  Travis slowly gained his feet. “I will fight.” What went unsaid was he would win. Those bastard rogues had killed his brother. They’d dared to break the covenant of the pack and strike out on their own.

  Pierre smiled at him and Travis knew his alpha could read his thoughts. There would be some trouble to quell in their pack in the days to come. There were rumblings about Pierre’s leadership now that the five who’d left had made a life for themselves and killed off all challengers.

  Travis knew he could make himself indispensable to his alpha. Travis craved power and he would have it. He’d admired his older brother but thought Andre stupid to settle for anything less than the top job.

  No, he knew how to bi
de his time, how to plan. He’d become second in the Louisiana pack and assassin. And when the time was right, he just might become alpha.

  “Let the fight begin,” Pierre yelled. The crowd roared. Travis whirled around to face his opponents and attacked. No quarter. No mercy.

  He could taste victory as the first blood sank into the hot Louisiana dirt.

  About the Author

  Once upon a time, N.J. had the idea to quit her job at a bookstore, sell everything she owned and write romance novels. She gave notice at her job on a Friday morning and received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel, Annabelle Lee, on the following Sunday afternoon. Life would never be the same.

  N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

  N.J. enjoys hearing from readers, and she can be reached at njwalters22@yahoo.ca. You can also check out her website at www.njwalters.com.

  Look for these titles by N.J. Walters

  Now Available:

  Jamesville

  Discovering Dani

  The Way Home

  The Return of Patrick O’Rourke

  The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke

  A Legal Affair

  By the Book

  Past Promises

  Legacy

  Alexandra’s Legacy

  Isaiah’s Haven

  Legacy Found

  Quinn’s Quest

  Finding Chrissten

  Damek’s Redemption

  Craig’s Heart

  Spells, Secrets and Seduction

  A Touch of Magick

  Dreams of Seduction

  Love in Flames

  Hades’ Carnival

  Night of the Tiger

  Mark of the Bear

  Pride of the Lion

  Howl of the Wolf

  Salvation Pack

  Wolf at the Door

  Coming Soon:

  Salvation Pack

  Wolf on the Run

  Hades’ Carnival

  Heart of the Serpent

  Flame of the Phoenix

  Lure of the Jaguar

  When this wolf comes knocking, there’s no turning him away

  Wolf at the Door

  © 2014 N.J. Walters

  Salvation Pack, Book 1

  When Gwendolyn Jones inherits a Tennessee cabin from a great aunt she never knew, she quits her job and follows her dream to write full time. Meeting a stranger in a local cemetery isn’t a risk she normally takes, but she needs the information on his flash drive for an article she’s writing on werewolves. Later that night, when two honest-to-god werewolves come knocking on her cabin door, they’re definitely not Photoshopped.

  Jacque LaForge is on a mission to retrieve a flash drive before it endangers his pack. He never thought he’d find a mate, but the chemistry between him and Gwen is unmistakably off the charts. Now to convince her he’s only trying to protect her from his vengeful former pack—led by his own father.

  Gwen’s first instinct to flee only gets her a smashed car and a concussion. She wakes up in a dangerous new world she never thought existed—and in the arms of the one man who stands between her and certain death.

  Warning: Contains a sexy werewolf and his small pack of friends, a paranormal writer who really didn’t believe such things existed—until now—and completely dysfunctional family who are out to kill them both.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Wolf at the Door:

  “Don’t be afraid, chère.” Louis stepped into her path, stopping her from moving past him.

  Gwen almost snorted at him. Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one being threatened by two gigantic men, or werewolves or whatever the hell they were.

  She took a really good look at them, studying them intently. On the off chance she survived this encounter, she wanted to have a good description to give the police. Jacque was well over six feet tall. Both men were. She estimated around six-three or six-four. They both had incredibly wide shoulders and huge biceps. In spite of the cool weather outside, they were both wearing black T-shirts and no jackets.

  Jacque’s shaggy brown hair fell around his shoulders, while Louis’s hair was cropped short. They both had brown eyes—Louis’s eyes were dark and Jacque’s were golden—and they gave her the shivers with their intensity. Jacque’s lips were slightly thinner than his brother’s, while Louis’s nose wasn’t quite as prominent, even though it was slightly swollen from the whack she’d given it with the back of her head. They certainly looked like brothers.

  They were hot. No other way to put it. If she weren’t scared to death, she’d probably be attracted to both of them. Any red-blooded woman would be. The jeans they wore clung to thick thighs and firm butts and at any other time she might have admired the bulges in the front of their pants.

  She shook her head. Okay, the fear was obviously making her loopy. What did it matter that the LaForge brothers were gorgeous in a dark and deadly way? They were going to kill her. They had to. She’d seen their faces, knew who they were, knew too much about them.

  All the blood drained from her face. Oh God, they were going to kill her.

  Reality sank in and she began to shake. Not with fear, but with anger. She wasn’t done living yet. She had so much she wanted to do. She hadn’t asked for this. Damn Hector Canton and damn Jacque and Louis LaForge.

  Jacque unplugged her laptop and set it aside before he began riffling through her desk.

  “Stop that. There is nothing else.” The order was automatic, but she swallowed the rest of her demands when he glared at her with those scary golden-brown eyes. She was quiet for about thirty seconds. “That’s my stuff. Stop it.” He was pawing through the drawer with the notes for her book.

  He shot her another deadly glare and continued to search. Obviously, he didn’t believe her, which proved he wasn’t stupid. She wouldn’t believe her either. She had Hector’s phone number and some observations in a little notebook in her purse.

  Louis walked over to the desk and began to help his brother rummage through the piles of files and notes she had stacked on her desk. Gwen couldn’t believe her luck. In their search for evidence about their existence, they’d forgotten about her. They probably thought she was too scared to try to run. She inched slowly toward the open front door, desperately trying not to make a sound.

  She barely dared to breathe. Freedom was only feet away. If she could get outside, she could run and hide in the woods and maybe make her way to town. No, she didn’t have to run and hide. Her car keys were still in the front pocket of her jeans.

  She licked her dry lips, keeping one eye on the door and the other on the men in the corner of her dining room. This could work. Had she locked the driver’s door when she’d arrived home? She couldn’t remember, but she didn’t think so. She’d been so scared all she’d wanted to do was get inside.

  That could work to her advantage. With all the other doors locked, if she made it inside her car she should be safe. This had to work.

  She was almost to the door when Jacque’s head came up and started to turn in her direction. Gwen reacted immediately and flung herself through the front door. Her feet flew down the three steps and she raced to her car. Her fingers scrambled for the door handle, grasped its cool metal and popped it open. She threw herself into the front seat, slammed the door shut and hit the lock.

  Her fingers were shaking as she dug out the keys and jammed them into the ignition. It took her two tries before they finally slid home.

  Something heavy hit the car. Gwen cried out and her gaze flew to the front windshield. Jacque was perched in front of her like some giant hood ornament. He was crouched low with one hand resting on the hood. “Unlock the door, Gwen.”

  Like that was going to happen. She turned the key and the engine sprang to li
fe. Louis stood beside the car, shaking his head at her. She prayed they didn’t have any guns, although they could easily use her shotgun against her.

  Gwen slammed the vehicle into reverse and hit the gas. Louis managed to jump out of the way before she ran him over. She flew backward down the narrow driveway with Jacque riding on the hood. She turned the wheel hard to the left and he flew off, landing with a heavy thud on the ground.

  She almost stopped to see if he was hurt then reminded herself that he and his brother were going to kill her. What did it matter if he was hurt? Still, she was glad when she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him climb to his feet.

  “Stop being stupid.” She pressed down on the gas and headed toward town. If she could get to the sheriff’s office she’d be okay. Those guys had guns—lots of them—and they knew how to use them.

  She’d only gone a few yards when something heavy hit the roof of the car with a thump. The metal buckled slightly and Gwen yelped, ducking low in her seat. She jerked the steering wheel and the car skidded to one side and then the other. She prayed she didn’t have a wreck. She wasn’t wearing her seatbelt.

  “Gwen, stop the car.”

  Oh God, Jacque was on the roof. Not that she’d really had any doubt who it was. How the hell had he gotten there?

  “He’s a werewolf, stupid. He probably has all kinds of tricks,” she muttered.

  “More than you know,” came the wry male reply.

  To win the battle for his soul, he may have to sacrifice the woman who set him free.

  Night of the Tiger

  © 2012 N.J .Walters

  Hades’ Carnival, Book 1

  Aimee Horner lives and breathes her career as a graphic novel illustrator, but she never expected it would invade her dreams. In recent months, worsening nightmares have pulled her into the darkest corners of Hell.