Hunter's Moon

head to toe. I was definitely going to need a shower when I got back.

“Once I find your sister, I won’t need to play with you anymore. They’re offering me a pretty price for your head on a platter. Then I can take baby sister and retire.”

“Bastard!” I shoved him, plowing my shoulder into his abdomen with all I had.

Fonthill tumbled backward to the ground just as Bright Smile rounded the corner. Her beaming grin faltered for a moment. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Not a problem.” I gave Fonthill a kick on my way out. “Next time I see you, you’re dead.”

I turned to go, but his growl cut through the melee of the restaurant noise. “You’re mine, bitch, and you’re gonna wish you were dead.”

I didn’t reply. I just got the hell out of there.

…

Aren met me at his front door. “Sebastian found out who Severino hired, and he is a Green Beret.”

I moved past him to set the barbeque on his kitchen counter before I dropped it. My pulse pounded in my ears. “I ran into him at Tom’s Grill.”

“What?” His gaze moved over my body. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” I started unpacking the Styrofoam boxes but finally stopped and shook my head. It was all I could do to keep my hands from shaking. “No. I’m not all right.”

“Oh, Sash.” He stepped up beside me and took my hand. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been there to back you up.”

“That’s not the problem.” I stared into his eyes, his gorgeous, intense green eyes, full of color and spirit. So different from Fonthill’s cold, soulless, silver eyes. “I know this guy. When I was a rookie cop, he started coming on to my roommate. She kept refusing him, and finally one night he stopped taking no for an answer.”

Aren held my hand a little tighter, but he didn’t interrupt.

“He beat the crap out of her, but she got away. I testified against him for her complaint, and he lost his badge. He was lucky she didn’t press criminal charges. She just wanted him gone.” I blew out a breath, trying to keep myself from allowing panic to cloud my head. “He’s like a force of nature. I don’t know if he was a werewolf back then. While I was on the force, I didn’t realize werewolves and jaguar shifters even existed. I guess it doesn’t really matter. He’s a werewolf now, and he’s a sick son of a bitch. He threatened that after he kills me he’ll collect the bounty and take off with my sister.”

I pulled my hand free and started pacing the kitchen. I couldn’t help it.

“Nadya’s safe.” Aren leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms. “He doesn’t know where she is.”

“Not yet.” I stopped for a second. “He knows who you are, and when Adam ran out with you this afternoon, he also learned you have a twin brother. It won’t take him long to put the pieces together.” Running my hand down my face, I started pacing again. “God, I’m still reeling thinking of him working for the government. Give that kind of guy Green Beret training, and well, shit.”

“We can’t stay here.” Aren put the containers of barbeque back in the bag. “He found the cabin, and he probably already knows my home address, too. He’ll come here for you.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’ll get a hotel room for now, and I’ll let Adam know you ran into this Darrien Fonthill.”

I nodded and added quietly, “He won’t stop, Aren.”

He grabbed my arms and stared right into my eyes. “The Pack is ready. They’ll keep Nadya safe. It’s our job now to get this bastard, and we will.”

I almost believed him. He bent to kiss my lips, slow and soft. His kiss was a refuge from the danger. I sank into the warmth of his mouth, the safety of his arms, and then reality smacked me upside the head.

I pushed away from him. “We should go.”

“Why do you do that?”

I grabbed the bag of food. “Do what?”

“Shut me out.”

I stared at him for a minute, and part of me wished I could let him in, if only it could be so simple. But the reality was that life would never be simple for me again. When he held me in his arms, shielded me with his body, I felt ready to surrender. Just imagining giving myself to another person like that terrified me. Although it felt better to love him than to fight with him, fighting was safe. I understood it.

Trust and kindness scared the hell out of me.

“Because even though you claim to have some sort of wolfy matchmaker gene, I don’t. I like to think I’ve learned from my mistakes. I know better than to lean on someone. It just makes you an easy target, weak and vulnerable when they’re gone.”

“Bullshit,” Aren growled, snatching his car keys off the counter. “You know damn good and well I’m not Sebastian. I’ll always be there when you need me.”

“Thanks.” I headed toward the door and glanced back at him. “But I don’t need anyone.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Aren

We spent the cab ride in silence. It wasn’t worth chancing that Fonthill had seen Sasha driving my Infiniti to pick up the barbeque, but every turn the driver made still had us checking behind for any sign the bastard was following.

Even inside the hotel, we didn’t speak until we were behind the closed and locked door of our room. I watched her move through the space, hooking up her laptop, charging her phone, anything to keep from making eye contact with me.

When she made another pass by, I caught her hand and pulled her into my arms. At first her entire body tensed, but gradually she relaxed into my embrace and her hands slid around my waist.

“I’m damaged goods,” she whispered against my chest. “I can’t be what you need. I’m terrified of making another mistake. The last time I thought someone cared, he stole my life from me.”

She lifted her head, staring right into my eyes, and the sorrow in her gaze weighed on me. This was the same fearless woman who carried two loaded pistols on her body at all times, ready to draw at any moment. But here in my arms, where she should be safe, vulnerability and fear haunted her beautiful eyes.

If it was possible, I hated Sebastian even more now than before.

“All I want from you is a chance, Sasha. That’s all I’m asking for.”

Her mouth tightened, and all at once her expression changed. Her tough-girl shell was firmly back in place. It was enough to make my head spin.

“Even if I could give you that chance, after everything I’ve done, I don’t deserve you, or any of your family. Not that they’d want me anyway.”

I sighed and took a step back. “Will you at least hear me out?” She tipped her head with a shrug, and I went on. “I’m going to be painfully honest, but I need to know you’re not going to get pissed and run out on me before I finish.”

The corner of her mouth curved up. “We didn’t bring a car.”

She was so sexy it made it tough for me to say what I’d planned. It’d be much more fun to kiss her smile and carry her off to bed. But the sorrow I’d seen in her eyes haunted me, reminding me that in spite of her tough exterior, on the inside, she needed to believe in me and my motives. I resisted the urge to make a PowerPoint presentation.

This wasn’t my usual business meeting.

“I know you don’t have the mating instinct hardwired like I do, and I admit that without it, I may have never gotten past being pissed at you for shooting my ankle and trying to kill my family.” She raised a brow, and I shook my head with a smirk. “All right, all right. We both know I wouldn’t have gotten past it in a million years. Fine.” I took a deep breath. “The thing is, when my wolf instincts kicked in that you were my mate, I wasn’t happy about it.