The attackers from the previous night! They sure hadn’t gone far after escaping.
Bullets ricocheted off metal. Terrent dropped to his knee, propelling the knife end over end toward the shooter with a flick of his wrist.
The knife embedded itself in the guy’s neck, and he went down.
The other man stood at least seven feet tall with a barrel for a chest. Muscles bulged along his arms, and his hands were the size of hubcaps. He smiled and angled closer to the truck. His blue gaze flicked toward her. “She’s ’ars.” The brogue lay thick and heavy in the quiet morning.
“Wrong.” Terrent angled around to the north.
“Let’s ask ’er,” the wolf said, his head tilted.
“Go ahead.” Terrent slid his feet into a fighting stance.
Maggie swallowed, her gaze on the dangerous scene.
Shards of glass framed the hole in her window. “Who are you?”
“Gregory Newt, a friend of yer betrothed.” Gregory aimed his thumb toward Terrent. “Ye don’t want to be with him. He’s Skene clan.”
Terrent took advantage of the moment and attacked.
Head down, he hammered into Gregory’s gut. The men cata-pulted across the road and hit the ground with the force of a wrecking ball. Gravel, rocks, and dirt exploded from the earth, leaving an indentation. Gregory roared and threw Terrent off him.
Terrent somersaulted and landed on his feet.
Gregory charged.
Maggie screamed and pushed open her door. She dropped to the gravel, clutching the truck to remain standing. Her knees wobbled. Damn panic attacks. She shoved this one down. Time to control herself. Terrent was about six-and-a-half feet, but the other wolf was bigger. She needed to help Terrent.
While Gregory might be bigger, Terrent was faster. Brutally faster.
He jabbed, kicked, and punched faster than she could track. The impacts drove Gregory back a foot. Another foot.
His enormous hands swept out, and he finally connected with Terrent’s jaw. Terrent’s head shot to the side. Slowly, he turned back toward his foe.
Maggie gasped. Dread slid up her esophagus.
Fire lit Terrent’s eyes with the promise of death. Gone was the charming wolf who liked her clumsiness. Gone was the smooth lover. Gone was the fierce fighter.
Here was the killer they’d created.
While her head held no memories, she knew without a doubt she’d never seen him as he truly was. Something she hadn’t known she’d been missing clicked into place.
There. He. Was.
The wolf rippled beneath his human skin. Beast and man combined in a configuration she’d never imagined. The deadliest form of both animals. That wasn’t normal.
He clapped both palms against Gregory’s face.
Bones cracked. The other wolf howled in pain.
Terrent plunged all five claws in his right hand straight into Gregory’s neck, jerking up.
Gregory hit his knees, shock flickering in his eyes.
God. She needed to stop this. Tentative steps toward Terrent made her legs wobble. Fear heated her earlobes. Slowly, she pressed against his vibrating back. “Terrent? Please don’t kill them.”
Sure, they’d wanted to take her to Scotland. But they hadn’t intended to hurt her. Even the bullets hadn’t impacted Terrent and were more of a warning than an actual murder attempt. The wolves were people she’d once known. Maybe.
“Please,” she said softly.
Muscles undulated beneath her palm. His claws retracted.
Gregory fell to the side, his hands clutching his neck.
Terrent pivoted and lifted Maggie. The ground spun away.
Safety and warmth enveloped her. She pressed her face against his heated neck. Good air in. Bad air out. She could control the panic.
Her eyes fluttered shut. The three wolves would survive, but they’d be on the injured list for a while. Although shifters weren’t as indestructible as vampires and could die from natural causes, they would still regenerate unless the wound was absolutely fatal.
Terrent hadn’t killed them. In his moment of rage, he’d listened to her. He’d stopped before killing.
She kissed his neck.
His body shuddered.
She inhaled again. “I think I remember loving you, Terrent Vilks.”
Chapter Six
Maggie snuggled closer to the wolf as he ran through the forest. In what seemed like mere minutes, he kicked open the door to his cabin.
While her mind might not remember the man, her body certainly did. Home lived in his scent, in the feel of his arms around her. She licked her way up his neck.
Salt and man. Male and strong.
Yeah. On some level, she remembered him.
He’d been right. She’d loved him. Hell, maybe she still did. Seeing him taking down three wolves heated the blood in her veins. As an animal, as a shifter, he was all Alpha. The perfect mate to protect the children she wanted to have.
Someday.
Finding a jaw harder than granite, she nipped. His low growl sent flutters right through her abdomen to her sex. Her breasts ached. Heat flushed along her skin, the sensation too demanding to be comfortable. Need and want held nothing on the craving capturing her blood.
Air swept against her as they maneuvered to the rear of the cabin. The scent of Scotch, musk, and male filled her senses. Her butt slapped the hardwood desk in his study.
Then he was on her.
Hands in her hair, mouth taking hers, his jeans barely containing the hard cock pressed against the apex of her legs.
She fell back. Her elbows caught her and sent a stapler spinning off the desk. Papers scattered. Pens rolled away.
He ripped open her shirt, flinging buttons to slam into walls. His mouth went to work tracing her jugular down to her breasts. Hard kisses, firm lips, heated tongue.
His hands palmed her elbows and lowered her to the desk. Flat on her back, her legs hanging over, her body exposed to him, she tangled her fingers into his thick hair. Vul-nerability rushed through her along with lust. The two shouldn’t coincide. Yet, with the powerful hunter, the combination spiraled her need higher.
Sharp fangs split her bra in two, and fire engulfed her nipple as his mouth enclosed it. She cried out, arching against him. With a low growl, he kissed along the underside of her breast until reaching her other nipple. The man did have a fine attention to detail.
Sweat broke out on her brow. She shifted against him, her breath panting out.
Licking down her torso, he reached the button on her jeans. The snap gave, and he slowly pulled them off along with her thong. Dropping to his knees, he settled in, his shoulders pressing her thighs wide.
The hard kiss to her clit almost shot her off the desk. Her elbow smacked the phone, and it rolled away with a ringing clatter. Shards of plastic flew up. Her hands pressed against the wood. The man was too much. “Was it like this with us before?” she ground out.
