by Camryn Rhys
The first lines of concern on his face were the biggest letdown she’d known since he walked out the door of the little cabin on the south range.
“They didn’t stop looking, no.” Will pulled her toward the bed and they sat down on the edge together. “Eddie and I have been listening in on your aunt’s house for years now, hoping to learn if they had any leads on you.”
The same old fear crawled up the inside of her throat, like it might choke her all over again. That fear would never go away.
The fear for Brady’s life.
Will looked down at their entwined hands, feeling as much comfort as he could just from touching Mattie again. She needed to know the truth. “When I left here, I went up the Rockies, stopping a few places in case they were still tracking me, then I made my way back to Boston to my brother’s.”
“Did they know you were here?” Mattie asked, her tone full of urgency.
He squeezed her hands, shaking his head. “No. They never suspected anything. I don’t think they were paying particularly close attention at the time, although Eddie said they do cast Location Spells on you almost every day. But it doesn’t appear that they’re following me anymore.”
The memory of listening to those tapes was still painful for Will and he swallowed hard. The vehemence in their voice when they talked about finding Lianne. He’d never understood, before meeting Brady, what they meant when they said the abomination, in reference to the escaped Lianne. He always assumed it was the out-of-wedlock-born-daughter that he’d had with the woman he loved but hadn’t married.
Now, he knew.
The male witch.
The abomination.
My son.
The Banfields believed male witches to be the most dangerous things on earth. More dangerous than being discovered by humans. More dangerous than being enslaved to the werewolves—which was a constant fear of theirs, for some reason.
He’d always assumed that Lianne herself was the abomination. They’d meant Brady. His strong, powerful, fearsome son.
The son he’d protect with his life, until his last breath.
“Can they find Brady?” she asked.
“I don’t think so.” Will took a long breath, trying to tamp down the protective dad side of the conversation. He didn’t want to worry Mattie. “But your protection necklaces are working. And this white woods spell is working. They have no idea where you are.”
“And you’re one hundred percent certain they’re not tracking you?”
“Yes.” He took her face in his hands again. Just the feel of her skin against his was enough to make the last six months of disappearing worth it. “Eddie has a disposable phone, and so do I. If he hears anything, he’ll call me. But they’ve given up on me, after so many years of not being able to find you. They don’t even have tracking on me anymore, according to your aunt.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“I showed up at your cousin’s house one day. Anna. Who lived across the street from you all those years ago.”
A nostalgic, faraway look crossed Mattie’s face and something sad struck Will hard in the chest. Someday, that’s the look he’d have when they talked about his brother. The I-haven’t-seen-him-in-forever look.
But his son was worth it. Mattie was worth it. Eddie understood. A man had to be with his family.
“It worked just like I thought it would. Anna told your aunt, and they talked about me for a good half-a-day after that. Wondering if they should start tracking me again.”
“But they decided not to?”
He nodded, emotion burning behind his eyes. “I knew if I could get off-the-grid, financially and personally, they wouldn’t be looking for me magickally. But if they ever start again…” Will paused, feeling the relief deep in his bones. “At least I’m in the white woods. Now, you can protect me.”
Mattie launched into his arms, holding him so tight, he thought she might come apart. She began to sob into his neck and he held her for a long time while she let the emotion out.
Tears streamed down his own face. This moment had been so long in coming, it almost didn’t feel real to him. As long as he stayed inside the white woods, he’d be safe from the magick of the Boston witches. Of Mattie’s family. And if they ever did start looking for him again, Eddie would hear it.
They were finally safe.
Her lips on his neck made him forget everything he’d been about to say, and Will brought her face to his, reveling in the taste of her mouth. His desire had been awakened again, in that little cabin in the woods, and he hadn’t been able to think about anything but Mattie, almost every second since he’d seen her.
He laid her on the bed and she pulled his shirt over his head. Will returned the favor, reveling in the feel of her skin against his. He unhooked her bra and freed her breasts, then worked his way down her body until he had a hard nipple in his mouth and she was screaming his name.
Mattie pulled at the buttons on his pants, and he was so hard, he almost came in her hand when she touched him. She undressed herself so fast, it felt like magick, and he wouldn’t have cared if it was.
He’d been waiting so long.
Will moved over her naked body, pressing her down into the bed and catching her wrists together. He pulled her hands over her head so that her breasts stood at high attention.
She laughed and smiled up at him. “I guess turnabout is fair play.”
“You’re damn right it is,” he said with a grunt, nudging her legs apart with his thigh. “I’ve been dreaming about having you like this for… dammit… forever.”
Mattie settled her legs around him and he reached down to guide himself inside her. The way she fit him was so perfect, he had to stay seated inside her for a moment to settle his heartbeat.
He’d always known they were soul mates, but he’d never been so certain before. Will was more certain with each thrust, and by the time he’d crested his orgasm, he was groaning into her shoulder like it was his first time all over again.
He’d moved so fast, he hadn’t been able to think about anything but making her his.Forever. That was all he wanted.
Just Mattie.
When he pulled back, with one hand still holding her wrists above her, she had tears on her cheeks again and Will frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just happy.” Mattie sniffled and cocked her head to one side. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been this happy before.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Will smiled and released her hands. “I didn’t think I could love you any more than I did this summer, but all this time away from you again…”
She put her finger to his lips. “Okay, but I promise you, I love you enough right now, we don’t ever need to be apart again.”
“You said it.” He dropped his head to kiss her and she moaned against him, moving her hips in a distinctly seductive way. “Although, if you keep doing that, I might just be able to love you a little bit more.”
Mattie laughed and moved her hips again. “Like that?”
“Shit, woman.” Will nuzzled his nose against her neck, feeling his blood rise. He was still half-hard, but given how long they had been apart, he could easily imagine being able to go another round very quickly, here. “You’re going to be the death of me if you keep doing that.”
She locked her legs behind him and rolled him over until he was on his back. Her breasts bounced above him, just out of reach of his mouth. She gave him a wicked smile. “Turnabout’s fair play.”
Mattie pulled his hands over his head and Will couldn’t help just staring up at her, in all her cascading blonde beauty. She was just as breathtaking as she had been the day he first met her, when he’d known they would never be apart.
Of course, that had been the teenage hormones talking. Even given the hand Fate had dealt them, he wouldn’t trade Brady and Mattie for all the last twenty-eight years. They were perfect, and he was going to spend every minute of the rest of his life making up for the tim
e they’d been apart.
Other Moonbound World Books
ENFORCER SERIES (Moonbound Series)
Book 1: The Werewolf Cowboy
Book 2: The Werewolf Bodyguard
Book 3: The Werewolf Ranger
Book 4: Chasing a Wolf
Book 5: Seducing a Wolf
Book 6: Saving a Wolf
Book 7: Broken Wolf
Book 8: Hunted Wolf
Box One (Enforcers, Books 1-4)
Box Two (Enforcers, Books 5-8)
VONBRANDT PACK SERIES
Book 1: To Save a Mate
Book 2: To Love a Mate
Book 3: To Win a Mate
Book 4: To Find a Mate
WITCHES OF WHITEWOOD
Book 1: Heart of Stone
Book 2: Heart of Fire
Book 3: Heart of a Hero (releasing April 2017)
Book 4: Daunted Hearts (releasing June 2017)
THE COURTS OF DRAIOCHTA
New Epic Fantasy Paranormal Romance series coming in 2017 from Krystal Shannan and Camryn Rhys.
Book 1: Of Spells and Shadows
Book 2: Of Trial and Torment (releasing autumn 2017)
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Who’s Your Alpha?
The Moonbound books introduce the alpha council, as they search for the origins of the mysterious un-bonded wolf now mated to Jared VonBrandt of Somewhere, TX.
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About the Author
Author of hot historical romance with paranormal elements and co-author of the Moonbound world—a spinoff of the VonBrandt Werewolves from Somewhere, TX.
Loves Florentines and lightbulbs. Writes about cowboys who cook and demons who captain airships and werewolves who save the world. Once met Queen Elizabeth. Can swallow a sword. Eats ghost peppers by the handful. Former chef, turned writer. Currently living in Canada. Owns a falcon. Not all parts of this bio are equally true.
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Copyright ©2017 by Camryn Rhys. All Rights Reserved. Published by Moonbound Books.
No part or parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, in any language, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental.
Edited by C.A. Szarek
Logo Design by Erin Dameron-Hill
Cover Design by Najla Qamber Designs
Digital Format by Moonbound Books
Somewhere, TX town, concept, and characters created by Chick Tales, LLC and used with permission.