Dreams of Wolf [Half-breed Shifter Series Book 2] (11 page)

“Knox,” she
rasped his name.

He nuzzled his
face into her hair. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m okay.
We’re all okay.” Her babies were alive, and she’d heal. That was all that
mattered.

After kissing
her temple, he sniffed the air. “More hunters are coming.”

The girls
whimpered and cuddled closer to Jaycee. Dane scooted in toward her as well, but
he lifted his nose to the breeze. “Five more,” he added.

With a nod,
Knox agreed. “We need to move. Now. We need to get you and the cubs to safety.”

“But Riley and
Shaw—” Jaycee started until Dane cut her off.

“They’re
coming.”

“They’re
already here,” Rhea cheered, breaking away from Jaycee, Brynn hot on her heels,
just as Shaw’s Hummer veered into the Griffin’s driveway, nearly screeching on
two wheels as it plowed to a stop in front of them. Both Griffin parents shoved
open the doors and flew out.

Jaycee shook
her head. “How in the world did they know their children were in trouble?”

Behind her,
Knox tightened his grip. “Probably the same way I knew you were in trouble.”

She glanced at
him as he pressed his palm to his chest. “I felt the disturbance deep inside
and heard you screaming.”

“Jaycee,” Shaw
called, pulling her attention from the naked wolf-man holding her. Her own
heart thumping hard in her chest from Knox’s declaration, she turned toward the
Griffins, where Riley had already gathered up her children with both arms.
Hovering behind him, Shaw urgently waved her over.

Releasing Knox,
she jogged their way, thrilled when her lover followed. “How did you—”

Shaw lifted his
cell phone. “The Organization forgot to take me off their call list when I retired.
Most frightening text I ever received. They’ll be here within minutes.” Looking
deep into Jaycee’s eyes, he took her arm. “Riley and I made a contingency plan
years ago in case something like this ever happened. Now that the hunters know
what we are, we have to disappear off the face of the earth. Right now. I know
this is sudden, but…if you want to come with us, we’d love to have you. You’re
family, Jaycee.”

Jaycee bit her
lip.

“Plus you’ll be
in danger if you stay here,” he added with a wince.

Well, that
helped tilt the scales a little more. But as Riley shuffled the children toward
the back door, telling them they had two minutes to grab whatever they wanted
to bring, the severity of the situation rattled Jaycee. The Griffins were ready
to drop everything, all their worldly possessions, and flee for their lives.
And they wanted her with them.

This wonderful
family was her life. Away from them, she had nothing. No one. Except—

Glancing over
her shoulder at the handsome man with the big brown deer eyes, she asked, “What
about Knox?”

Shaw nodded.
“If you want him with you, he’s welcome to come too.”

Knox’s gaze
bore into hers. “Do you want me with you?”

Jaycee grinned.
“More than anything.” Leaping at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and
kissed him fiercely. Knox growled low in his throat as he thrust his tongue
into her mouth, claiming her possessively.

“I’m so sorry I
overreacted this morning when I woke up. I—”

“No,” he cut
her off. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. I shouldn’t have scared you by—”

“Hey, can we
save this for later?” Shaw broke in, waving his arms. “Hunters are coming to
murder my family. Remember? Now, you…” He pointed to Knox. “I have clothes you
can wear. “You.” He motioned to Jaycee. “If you’d like, we’ll swing by your
place on the way out of town. But you’ll only have a minute to grab whatever
you want.”

Jaycee nodded,
growing excited by the new future cropping up before her. Excited, and scared,
yet totally happy. “Okay.”

Clapping his
hands to break up the huddle, Shaw hollered, “All right then. Let’s get to it.”

Epilogue

A sharp cry
brought Knox’s head up as he entered the back door after returning home from
his afternoon frolic in the woods. Since becoming domesticated and moving to
the Northwest with the Griffins, where he and Jaycee had bought a home near
theirs, he’d taken up jogging every day, just to let his animals loose. Today,
he’d been his deer, scaring up a herd of does as he’d dashed through the
forest.

But now that he
was home, his human took over. Following the wails to the second floor and the
doorway of the nursery, he paused in the threshold to watch his two girls a
moment as Jaycee guided the tiny human mouth to her exposed breast. The infant
latched on, and her whining ceased. Jaycee stared down at the dark-headed girl,
a soft smile lighting her features.

He could hardly
believe a year ago he’d despised humans, raiding their kitchens and scavenging
for food. Now he damn near was one. Jaycee claimed he remained plenty wild, but
he had a whole closet and drawer full of clothes to argue his point, plus a
job. He even drove to work.

And he had to
admit, he’d never been happier.

“Are you going
to stand there and watch, or are you going to come in and say hello?” Jaycee
lifted her face and sent him an arch look.

He stepped into
the room to tiptoe closer to the feeding baby and her mother. His fears had nearly
swallowed him whole when Jaycee had gotten pregnant. He’d had no idea what kind
of creature she’d give birth to. But being that little Ari was half-human,
while merely three-eighths wolf and one-eighth deer, she’d come out a healthy,
two-armed and two-legged baby girl. She’d yet to turn into either of her minor
forms. Riley Griffin had assured him she wouldn’t start shifting for a few
years.

Jaycee had been
a trooper through it all, taking everything in stride. The more she learned
about the shifter world and the more she accepted it, the more Knox fell in
love with the human he’d mated and married.

“Have I ever
told you how beautiful you look feeding our young?”

Grinning up at
him, Jaycee winked. “Only about every time I feed her.”

Kneeling next
to the rocking chair, he paused to plant a tender kiss on his wife’s cheek
before pressing his lips to Ari’s thin tuft of dark hair. The child whimpered
in protest but continued suckling.

“Are you sure
she’s a wolf and deer, not a little pig?”

“Oh, stop it,”
Jaycee scolded. “She’s a perfect little angel.”

Knox chuckled.
“Just like her mother.”

Jaycee met his
gaze, and love—strong and powerful—passed between them. “Have I ever thanked
you for invading my dreams?”

“They were
never dreams,” he reminded her.

She just
smiled. “Oh, yes they were. They were a dream come true.”

The
End

Author Bio

Miranda lives
with her wonderful, Brad-Pitt-look-alike husband (hey, they're both blond and
blue-eyed) and adorable still-needs-to-learn-the-meaning-of-NO toddler daughter
on their spacious corn-field-and-cow-pasture-front property in Kansas.
Librarian by day and author by night, she is also published in YA and
contemporary mainstream romance under a different pen name.