STORY EXCERPT

Alexi sighed as he turned his attention to his friend. “Rieka and Eli are investigating the disappearance of young female shifters.” He paused, squeezing Bria’s hand when he felt her stiffen at the mention of the missing females, “And they found some things at a deserted barn.”

Ethan turned his body more toward him with a frown. “What did they find?”

He broke eye contact with his friend. “Your ring,” he said, voice low. “The one you got for graduation.”

Ethan removed his hands from Sarah and clamped them together. His elbows rested on his knees as he leaned forward. His frown deepened in thought. “Yeah, I lost it right before my internship at Walter Reed.”

Alexi glanced at Sarah for a moment before he said, “Do you think Connie took it?”

His friend sat back, putting an arm over his mate’s shoulders. “She could have. I wouldn’t put it past her,” he said with a shrug. “She was pissed when I finally broke it off with her and she knew how much that ring meant to me.”

Sarah crossed her arms. “You think Connie’s involved with the disappearance of the girls?”

“Yeah, we do. Rieka and Eli found a piece of cloth with the same perfume scent she uses too.”

Bria’s eyebrows squished together. “Wait. Connie? Your ex Connie?” she asked.

“Yeah, one and the same,” Alexi answered her while Ethan nodded.

Alexi told them about Julien and Eli. Julien had come here to investigate the deaths of two young felines. They had found the bodies after they rescued Elise, the Lycan Alpha’s mate, from the human male who had kidnapped her. Here Julien had found the girl he had searched years for, Dawn. Now he was the liaison between the feline council, the wolf and lycanthrope packs.

He explained how Eli took over the investigation for him when Julien and Dawn mated. Lucien assigned his cousin Rieka to help him. It surprised everyone that they were mates even then.

Bria had slumped against him as he told them not just about the abduction but the killing of shifter females. While telling the story Alexi had let go of her hand and put an arm around her, his hand rubbing her shoulders.

“Do you really think Connie would be involved with something so heinous?” Bria asked the room in general.

The other three looked at each other before Ethan spoke. “After what she tried to do to Sarah, yeah, I think she is more than capable of being involved with that.” Sarah nodded, agreeing with her mate.

“I must agree with them. Connie is a vindictive and bitter woman because Ethan mated Sarah,” Alexi told her.

“What is Lucien going to do about her?” his friend asked.

Alexi shrugged. “Investigate her and the people she’s involved with.”

Ethan nodded. Alexi knew Ethan would understand that he wasn’t saying what the pack would do to her if she was involved with the deaths of the young females. They had been friends since they were young pups and knew what each other were thinking without saying it out loud.

Even though his attention was on Bria, he noticed the not-so-subtle jab Sarah gave to Ethan with her elbow. Alexi’s lips pursed at the blank look his friend gave to his mate before her head gestured toward the couple on the opposite sofa. His mouth formed an O before he glanced at his watch.

“Uh, oh, I nearly forgot about us going to the clinic,” he said as he helped Sarah to stand.

“Oh yeah, just a routine checkup,” Sarah said, backing up her mate’s statement, Ethan’s hand going around her waist as they walked to the door. Alexi stood, bringing Bria with him. His friend’s head turned, glancing over his shoulder.

“We will be back in a couple of hours,” Ethan tossed out before leaving them standing in the living room.

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

They both spoke at the same time. Bria broke eye contact with him, her gaze going down to the floor. He let out a small chuckle to cover his nervousness.

Her eyes jumped up to his. “Uh, we should ….” His voice trailed off as he gazed into her light brown eyes.

He saw her lips curl up. “Talk to get to know each other better,” she finished his sentence.

“Uh, yeah, talk,” he said, running a hand through his hair.

She giggled as she took a step back, still connected by their hands.

“Brianna, but everyone calls me Bria.”

“Alexi.”

“So, you’re Lycan like Ethan.”

He suppressed the jolt of heat coursing through his body as the lyrical tone of her voice surged over him.

“Uh, yeah, since the day I was born,” he stammered out in a whoosh. Alexi did a mental face palm. He was an elite Lycan enforcer, trained pack trackers, fought in the desert but he stuttered with a human female. Lucien and the other enforcers would razz him for the rest of his life if they knew.

“Uh, so how is this going to work?” she asked.

Alexi’s brows arched at her question.

“I mean I know how it works. Sarah told me about it. But I…uh, live across the country. My transfer here is temporarily,” she murmured in a subdued voice, her eyes lowered to the floor.

Her hand went around his wrist. Heat seared through him at her touch. The Lycan wrestled against his control to take her, make her his. His hand released hers to entangle in her hair. His fingers went under her chin, tilting her head up as he gazed into her eyes. Bria’s eyes closed on a sigh when his thumb caressed her chin.

“Leave that to me. I’ll take care of everything,” he told her.

She nodded, biting her lip.

“I need to see your eyes, hear the words,” Alexi confessed to her.

Bria’s eyes opened, peering into his. “I trust you to take care of everything, mate.”

His beast purred when she called him mate.

Bria glanced away from him. “So, uh…” She shrugged. “Do you have to tell this Lucien about what Ethan told you about Connie?” she asked him.

He moved closer to her. She could feel his breath on her face. Bria’s teeth scraped her bottom lip as her eyes came back to him.

“Lucien is my Alpha and what Ethan told me about Connie we already knew about. The only thing I want to think about right now is you.”

Her mouth formed an O, but no sound came out.

He tsked, an amusing smirk on his mouth. “It’s a good thing we are at Ethan’s home instead of mine.”

Bria swallowed. “Uh... why?”

ADULT EXCERPT

Alexi opened the door to his bedroom—well, their bedroom now.

Bria walked in front of him into the bedroom. He leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets as she moved through the room.

Her hands roamed over the wood walls as she tilted her head, taking in the ceiling. She stared at the overhead branch chandelier. Bria’s hands smoothed over the log frame bed, forest green comforter and the dark green pillowcases. She smiled at him from the other side of the bed.

“Do you like?” he asked, taking his hands out of his pockets, standing straight.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said, coming back to him.

Alexi’s chest tightened when she came to stand in front of him, placing her hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes, savoring her touch. Her lips brushed against his. Alexi’s hands went behind her back to draw her closer as his mouth took hers in a relaxed, sensual kiss.

He pushed her back until her legs hit the mattress. Alexi eased her down until she was seated on the bed. He nudged her legs open and stepped between them. He explored her mouth and let her explore his. She broke the kiss and nibbled on his lower lip. His mouth claimed hers again, his tongue thrusting in and out in breathtaking abandonment. Her hands fisted in his hair, her nails over his scalp. Alexi pushed his hands through her hair at the nape of her neck.

Her hands moved down to his shoulders then curled around to explore his back. She let out a moan when his hands caressed her back. Bria pulled back, breaking the kiss to tug the shirt over his head. Bria tossed the shirt behind her. He grabbed the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up. Her arms entangled in her shirt as he pulled it off her. When she was free, he dove back in, claiming her mouth.

Alexi’s body gave a slight tremor when her bare skin touched his. She whimpered when he ran his fingers up her spine then down her sides. Bria clutched his shoulders and traced the lines of his muscles. His hands moved up on her back, his thumbs caressing the sides of her breasts. Her hands made it down to the small of his back and the waistband of his jeans.

Bria pulled back from the kiss.

“Please.”

He knew what she needed as he moved to her chest and unclasped her bra. Alexi slid the straps off her shoulders, down her arms, tossing it away. Striking, passionate jade eyes stared down at her, radiating desire and wonder. Bria didn’t cover herself as he gazed at her with raw emotion.

He jerked when her hands trailed over his bare chest. Her fingers ran through a small volume of hair, traced his pecs before fingernails scraped over his nipples. Alexi cupped her breasts, brushed his thumb over her nipples. He smiled when she jerked and moaned.

Alexi leaned down and drew one nipple into his mouth, punishing it with his tongue, biting it gently. “Oh Lexi,” she moaned.

He shifted sides, his fingers tugging at the now-wet nipple his mouth had abandoned. Her fingers dipped into his waistband, moving to unbutton and unzip him. She kissed along his jaw then grabbed his earlobe with her teeth. He shuddered as she sucked it into her mouth, his hands going back to her breasts. Alexi pulled his head out of her reach, his hands on hers as she started to push his jeans the rest of the way down.

He removed his jeans in two seconds flat, fell to his knees, kissing her while working on her jeans. He released her lips, mouth trailing over her breasts, kissing each nipple before moving down. His hands worked fast, his mouth slow. By the time his tongue reached her bellybutton, he had taken off her jeans and panties.

His hands, meanwhile, were learning the shape of her ass, then running down her thighs.

“Alexi,” she moaned raggedly. “I need…” She trailed off, her hands roaming his sleek muscles.

He grabbed her wrists, holding them over her head, pushing her down on the bed. He climbed up next to her, straddling her thighs, his face looking intently into hers.

“You cannot touch me like that.” He repositioned her, lifting her arms to wrap her hands around the bedpost. “Hold on. I need to see you come before I get in you, because once your tight wet pussy milks my cock, I won’t be able to last.”

She whimpered and frowned, her hands going to his chest. “Alexi,” she started.

“Please, I’m begging you, next time you can touch me all you want, wherever you want. I need to do it this way now.” He said removing her hands from his chest putting them back on the bedposts.

He was genuine, anxious, she had to give in. Alexi felt her acceptance as he kissed the hollow of her neck.

Bria squirmed when he stopped at her breasts, her navel. Leaving a wet trail as he made his way down. His mouth nipped lightly on her thigh. She wriggled underneath him. He kissed her other thigh, used his thumbs to part her pussy. His breath was hot on her.

“You’re exquisite. I waited years for you, I’ll never let you go.”