his palm to the curve of her belly, and his touch spread warmth from her breastbone to her knees.
The bumping moved to the opposite side of her stomach.
Pain flared in her ribs. One of them must have elbowed her. “Ouch,” she said, wincing.
James’s smile had grown to warm his entire face. “Feisty creatures.”
“You have no idea.” She gazed at him mistrustfully. He had leaned close enough that she could see white stubble on his jaw, the faint imprint of scars on one cheek, and slivers of a darker blue radiating from his pupils. He wasn’t quite so scary up close. The little flaws made him look more human. “Are you really going to be able to fix Gwyn and Scott?”
“If I can’t, nobody can,” he said, moving his hand to the other side of her stomach.
“Not much of answer.”
“I can’t make any promises. I’m sorry.” He laughed when a kick landed solidly in the middle of his palm. “I don’t think they like me.”
The cellar doors rattled.
Rylie started to stand, but he lifted a hand to stop her.
“Who’s there?” James called.
The doors shook again, and a muffled voice came from the other side. “Rylie?”
She was nearly overwhelmed with relief. “It’s Seth,” she said. “It’s okay.”
James passed his hand over the magically locked door, and Seth pulled it open from the other side. “They’re gone,” Seth said, sliding around James to grab her hand.
“What did they want?”
His jaw tightened. “They want the pack.”
E LEVEN
Hometown Visitor
The next time the full moon arrived, Rylie spent the entire day dreading it. It had been too long since she last bled her energy into Abel, so her wolf was aching to go for a run…and not on two legs. It wanted her to shift, flee into the hills with her pack, and howl all of her pain into the night.
She paced outside the back door of the kitchen, gnawing on her thumbnail as the sky darkened. Moonrise came earlier in the winter, so they were already just an hour from the change. She had to be prepared to help them. But the last couple of changes had been harrowing. When she walked among the wolves like she usually did, she had almost lost control.
How was she going to keep a grip on herself when she could barely stay human with the sun in the sky?
“Relax,” Gwyn said. She was sitting on the porch swing while Rylie paced in front of her. “You’re wound tighter than the strings on a fiddle.”
“I am relaxed. I am exactly as relaxed as it’s possible to be right now.”
Gwyn sighed. It rattled in her shredded lungs. According to Scott, the fact that she could sigh at all was part of the same necromantic magic that kept the rest of her body functioning. “Maybe you should sit this one out, babe.”
“I can’t. What if the OPA comes back tonight? Who will protect the pack?”
“He can.”
She turned to see where her aunt was pointing, and saw Abel approaching at a jog. He only wore sweatpants and a sheen of sweat. If he had worn himself out, then he must have been running for quite some time.
“You look like you’re full of sunshine,” Abel said when he drew near.
Rylie flushed and tried not to stare at his chest and abs. “I’m fine,” she said, a little sharper than she probably needed to.
She expected him to tease her, but he only looked sympathetic. “The moon?”
“The moon,” she admitted.
“You can handle the pack on your own, right?” Gwyn asked in that you better say yes kind of tone.
He grinned. “Of course.”
“That’s what I thought.” She gathered the blanket around her body and stood. “Don’t let Rylie wear herself out.”
She ducked around Aden and Trevin as they emerged from the house, and then she disappeared into the kitchen.
“See you soon,” Trevin called to Abel as he ran off.
Everyone was spreading out that night to watch for Union members, although they were under strict instructions to capture, not kill. Rylie wasn’t optimistic in how well she thought that
The bumping moved to the opposite side of her stomach.
Pain flared in her ribs. One of them must have elbowed her. “Ouch,” she said, wincing.
James’s smile had grown to warm his entire face. “Feisty creatures.”
“You have no idea.” She gazed at him mistrustfully. He had leaned close enough that she could see white stubble on his jaw, the faint imprint of scars on one cheek, and slivers of a darker blue radiating from his pupils. He wasn’t quite so scary up close. The little flaws made him look more human. “Are you really going to be able to fix Gwyn and Scott?”
“If I can’t, nobody can,” he said, moving his hand to the other side of her stomach.
“Not much of answer.”
“I can’t make any promises. I’m sorry.” He laughed when a kick landed solidly in the middle of his palm. “I don’t think they like me.”
The cellar doors rattled.
Rylie started to stand, but he lifted a hand to stop her.
“Who’s there?” James called.
The doors shook again, and a muffled voice came from the other side. “Rylie?”
She was nearly overwhelmed with relief. “It’s Seth,” she said. “It’s okay.”
James passed his hand over the magically locked door, and Seth pulled it open from the other side. “They’re gone,” Seth said, sliding around James to grab her hand.
“What did they want?”
His jaw tightened. “They want the pack.”
E LEVEN
Hometown Visitor
The next time the full moon arrived, Rylie spent the entire day dreading it. It had been too long since she last bled her energy into Abel, so her wolf was aching to go for a run…and not on two legs. It wanted her to shift, flee into the hills with her pack, and howl all of her pain into the night.
She paced outside the back door of the kitchen, gnawing on her thumbnail as the sky darkened. Moonrise came earlier in the winter, so they were already just an hour from the change. She had to be prepared to help them. But the last couple of changes had been harrowing. When she walked among the wolves like she usually did, she had almost lost control.
How was she going to keep a grip on herself when she could barely stay human with the sun in the sky?
“Relax,” Gwyn said. She was sitting on the porch swing while Rylie paced in front of her. “You’re wound tighter than the strings on a fiddle.”
“I am relaxed. I am exactly as relaxed as it’s possible to be right now.”
Gwyn sighed. It rattled in her shredded lungs. According to Scott, the fact that she could sigh at all was part of the same necromantic magic that kept the rest of her body functioning. “Maybe you should sit this one out, babe.”
“I can’t. What if the OPA comes back tonight? Who will protect the pack?”
“He can.”
She turned to see where her aunt was pointing, and saw Abel approaching at a jog. He only wore sweatpants and a sheen of sweat. If he had worn himself out, then he must have been running for quite some time.
“You look like you’re full of sunshine,” Abel said when he drew near.
Rylie flushed and tried not to stare at his chest and abs. “I’m fine,” she said, a little sharper than she probably needed to.
She expected him to tease her, but he only looked sympathetic. “The moon?”
“The moon,” she admitted.
“You can handle the pack on your own, right?” Gwyn asked in that you better say yes kind of tone.
He grinned. “Of course.”
“That’s what I thought.” She gathered the blanket around her body and stood. “Don’t let Rylie wear herself out.”
She ducked around Aden and Trevin as they emerged from the house, and then she disappeared into the kitchen.
“See you soon,” Trevin called to Abel as he ran off.
Everyone was spreading out that night to watch for Union members, although they were under strict instructions to capture, not kill. Rylie wasn’t optimistic in how well she thought that
Similar Books
