Wolf Quest (28 page)

Jason Moore is an Alpha on a mission to make Sally his own. His very public seduction doesn’t sit well with the pack’s available females, but instinct tells him that Sally can handle anything, including any werewolf bitch dumb enough to challenge her.

Romance gives way to a call to arms when the pack’s children come under attack. Their rescue mission turns into a mating dance and the hunt is on in more ways than one. Their attraction is mind-bendingly hot, though startling revelations about his magic and her origins could drive a wedge between them forever. Can love help them bridge the chasm between their worlds?

Warning: This book contains bombs, bullets, bare-knuckled and bare-naked lust, and some serious ass kicking. Please do not feed the frisky furballs, unless you’re willing to risk drawing back a bloody nub.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Wolf Hills:

“Who is that?” Sally asked as Seth deposited the frosty glass full of frozen drink in her hand.

At her side, Seth visibly gulped. “That’s the Alpha.”

The man’s strong chin rose as he seemed to test the very air of the room. His gaze slid over everyone present before landing on Sally. Leaving a bemused Carly at the door, he strode forward.

“The what?” Sally’s attention was focused on the man striding across the room toward her. His gaze was locked on hers like a heat-seeking missile and the rest of the room faded into the background. His grace, his gaze, his utterly devastating presence mesmerized her.

Seth melted away, as did everyone else. This man commanded authority. He looked only a little older than the others, but he was miles distant from their callow youth. He’d seen things. Done things. Some things he probably wasn’t too proud of and some things that had changed him on a fundamental level. Sally didn’t know how she knew it, but her instincts were something she’d learned to trust in her years as a cop.

“You’re Sally.” His gravelly voice touched something deep inside her and made it hum as he stopped in front of her.

“And you are?” Challenge seemed to be the best way to handle this man who reeked of authority. She’d learned not to back down while working the streets, and the strategy had kept her alive and made her the most effective officer in her division.

Some kind of fire lit behind his eyes and a crooked grin forced one corner of his mouth upward. He seemed both amused and enticed by her challenge. He held out one hand, a dare of his own. As if he were daring her to touch him.

He’d soon learn she wouldn’t back down. Especially not from something as simple as a handshake. She reached out and took his hand in hers, giving him a firm grip, noting how he tempered his obvious strength so as not to hurt her. He was firm, but not hurtful. A coiled spring respectful of her more delicate flesh.

“Jason Moore, leader of this little Pack of wolves.” She liked the humor in his words, even as she wondered at their meaning.

“Sally Decker,” she returned his greeting automatically, enjoying the warm strength of his big hand enveloping hers.

“I know.” His smile deepened. Drat. Of course he’d known who she was. And now he knew just how off-balance she was too. All thoughts of embarrassment fled as she noted the slight dimple on the left side of his face. Wow. She hadn’t thought it was possible for him to get any more attractive. “Carly has talked about little else since she found out you were coming for a visit. You’re the fuzz.”

She laughed outright at one of the cutest of the nicknames for police officers. She’d always liked that one.

“Good thing you didn’t say I was a pig. I’ve shot men for less.” She was proud of her attempt at flirting. She didn’t often get a chance to try out her rusty interpersonal skills.

“Pigs are prey. That nickname would never work for you.” His words were oddly serious, his gaze intense, but the smile that hovered around his gorgeous lips made her heart beat faster.

“Glad you understand that.” She felt like she was playing with fire, verbally sparring with this man. She’d never wanted more to feel the burn. “Of course, I’ve never really understood where ‘fuzz’ came from. It makes me sound like dryer lint.”

He laughed at her small attempt at humor and she was glad she’d made the effort. His masculine chuckle sent shivers down her spine.

“Fuzz sounds furry and cute. Like a puppy. Small, but armed with sharp teeth and wild instincts.”

“Small?” She raised one eyebrow.

“I suppose you’re tall for a woman, but you’re definitely small compared to me.” He looked her up and down with a gaze that felt like a caress.

“Okay, I’ll give you that.” She glanced around the room, only just noticing that everyone was giving them a wide berth. There was an electricity in the air that hadn’t been there before Jason had arrived. Of course, it could just be her perception. It wasn’t often she was chatted up by an amazingly attractive man. And she still couldn’t figure out why everyone she’d met here was so fit and good looking.

“The same could be said for all the men in this room,” she observed. “Even the young, pimply ones. Are there steroids in the water here or something?”

“Or something.” He took the hand he was still holding and turned it over so that her hand rested on top of his. Tugging lightly, he pulled her toward a padded barstool that stood only a few feet away.

She sat at his urging, still holding his hand. The space was a little awkward. He hadn’t moved the stool far enough away from the bar’s edge and she had to move her knees apart a bit to catch her balance. The next thing she knew, he had moved to stand a bit closer, his muscular thighs touching the inside of her knee. It wasn’t completely improper. Not really. But he was a little too close for comfort. At least in a room full of strangers.

Make that a room full of strangers except for one close friend. Who was on her way over with a worried look on her face.

“Don’t look now, but the cavalry is on its way,” she whispered as she turned her gaze back to Jason. Man. He took her breath away every time she looked at him. She couldn’t ever remember having such an extreme reaction to a guy.

Surprisingly, Jason straightened and moved a few millimeters away, apparently waiting for Carly to arrive. The smile on his face was polite but the set of his jaw was predatory. An interesting, enticing combination.

“Mistress Belakov,” he began politely as Carly reached them. “It was good of you to invite us to your party.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d come, Alpha. Thanks for taking the time. It’s always nice to see you.”

Carly’s words were strange but polite. Still, there was an edge to her voice and a look in her eyes as she shot a glance toward Sally. Something was up. Then again, Sally had felt something was a little off from the moment she arrived. Carly was too much on edge.

“Okay, you two.” Sally tugged her hand free from Jason’s, hoping to clear her head a bit. He backed off, thankfully. “What’s going on here? You’ve been acting strange since the moment I got here, Carl. And why do you call him Alpha? What is that, a title or something? And why are people calling you Mistress? Has your new hubby gotten you into a BDSM community or something? What gives?”

“And what exactly do you know about BDSM, Sally?” Jason posed the question with a definite devilish gleam in his eye.

“I’m a cop, Jason. Not a nun.” She tapped him on the shoulder, pushing him another few millimeters away. She needed the space if she was going to think clearly. “Nice attempt at distraction, by the way, but I’m not giving up. I want answers.”

“And I have a lot to tell you,” Carly inserted, drawing her attention. “This isn’t the best time for it, however. A lot has happened since I last saw you. Some of it, you’re going to have a hard time accepting.”

“Dude! You can’t say something like that and then tell me I have to wait to hear your big, mysterious explanation.”

“She’s got you there, Mistress.” Jason tipped his drink to Carly with a saucy grin.

“You’re not helping, Jason,” Carly shot back.

“Perhaps I can assist.” Dmitri had arrived soundlessly, putting one brawny arm around his wife’s shoulders from behind, pulling her back to his front lovingly.

Carly rolled her eyes. “I wanted to talk to her alone. You know that.”

“I know, my love.” He bent his head to place a kiss on the crown of Carly’s head. “But the more I think about it, the more I believe it would be better if she were presented with proof of your claims right away rather than spend unnecessary time thinking you had lost your mind.”

“It’s like pulling off a Band-Aid. All at once is better than a little at a time,” Jason agreed.

“Figures you men would stick together,” Carly sighed. “How do you want to do this?”

“I could always strip and shift for her.” Jason’s hands went to his belt buckle as his smile went up another notch.

“Don’t you dare.” Carly stopped him with her tone.

“Just trying to be helpful.” Jason held up his hands, palms outward. His innocent act was almost humorous. Sally would have laughed if she wasn’t so ticked by the idea that Carly and this new crowd of hers were hiding things from her.

“The Alpha is right about one thing. Quick is better,” Dmitri agreed. “Sally, I am a vampire, as is Carly, now. I had to change her in order to save her life, but I knew she was my mate from the moment we made love. It is our way.” He shrugged his elegant shoulders. “I can see you don’t believe me, but you will.” He closed his mouth then opened it again. Where before he’d had normal teeth, he now had fangs. Sharp, dangerous looking fangs.

“Holy crap,” Sally whispered into the sudden silence around them.

He can give her anything and everything she needs—except a future.

Quinn’s Quest

© 2012 N.J. Walters

Legacy, Book 4

Kidnapped and held in a crazy doctor’s underground laboratory, Bethany Morris only manages to escape because Chrissten, one of her fellow abductees, creates an opportunity—by shifting into a werewolf.

Bethany’s desperate for help, but who’ll believe her story? The police? That’ll just buy her a one-way ticket to a padded room—because here’s the kicker: she’s discovered she’s a half-breed werewolf. Her only hope is to find Chrissten’s brother.

Quinn Lawton’s long, grinding search for his missing twin has turned up nothing…until Bethany rekindles his hope. Something else catches flame too—her heat cycle and a searing attraction branded with the word
mate
. Yet with so much blood on his hands, any future he might offer is already tainted beyond redemption.

Desperate for Quinn’s touch alone, Bethany has no choice but to take Quinn up on his offer to quell her terrifying need, no strings attached. And hope that as the search for Chrissten intensifies, the battle with their personal demons doesn’t destroy their razor-thin chance at forever.

Warning: This book contains heartbreak and love found, a crazy scientist and his werewolf flunky and a tortured werewolf hero. Plus lots and lots of steamy hot sex!

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Quinn’s Quest:

The phone rang twice before it occurred to Bethany that the middle of the night might not be the best time to call anyone asking for help, especially not with the crazy story she had to tell. “Damn.” She thought about hanging up but she was committed now. She tightened her hand around the receiver.

“Yeah.” The voice was male and hoarse with sleep.

She cleared her throat. “Is this Quinn Lawton?” She prayed she’d remembered the number right. She didn’t know what she’d do next if this wasn’t Chrissten’s brother.

There was some rustling in the background and the voice was more alert this time. “No.” Bethany’s heart sunk. Maybe she’d dialed the number wrong. Before she could apologize and hang up, the man was speaking again. “Just give me a second and I’ll get him.”

Hope surged inside her. She hadn’t failed. The phone number was the right one. Her knees threatened to buckle so she sank into the chair that Margaret had vacated. Her stomach felt queasy and she was still very weak. She could still hang up the phone and let the police handle this. All she’d have to do is tell them she was kidnapped. No need to tell them about the rest of it. Quinn Lawton would never be able to find her. There was no way to trace the call back to the shelter.

She clutched the receiver in her hand and took a deep breath, knowing she could never do that. She was committed now. No turning back. Footsteps sounded through the receiver and she knew the man who’d answered was taking the phone to Chrissten’s brother, who was a half-breed werewolf just like Chrissten. Just like she was.

Bethany still couldn’t quite wrap her head around that one, but she was trying to understand it. She hoped Quinn had answers for her.

“Yeah.” The voice was low and gruff and masculine. Every cell in Bethany’s body reacted to the sound. The fine hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her nipples contracted. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Who is this?” The voice was more demanding now, all trace of sleepiness gone.

Bethany forced herself to speak. “Is this Quinn Lawton?”

“Who wants to know?” She almost hung up on him. His impatience and arrogance bled through the phone line. But she’d promised her friend.