Living Extinct (5 page)

A single bed on one side with a sink and small refrigerator and stove on the other were the basic amenities. A card table stood in the middle of the room. She stared at the new-looking black suitcase. A laptop, hopefully charged, had been left for her compliments of GWAR.

“Okay, let’s find out who you are and if you’re the reason I’m here.” Moira flipped the laptop open.

At the same time the smell of a male werewolf attacked her. Rich and spicy—and so damned strong a cub would pick up his scent.

She froze. Any human would have heard her heartbeat. It pounded so loud.

Gritting her teeth, she fumbled with the disc, working to slide it into the computer after booting it up. The urge to pounce, yank open the door to the cabin and attack whatever was out there sent her thoughts into a whirlwind that took some effort to control. She tapped at the keys, waiting for the file to open.

Damn GWAR for not giving her time or information to prepare for this mission.

The male neared the cabin, his scent growing, filling her, creeping over her skin and sinking into her pores. Her breath caught in her throat. She smelled his determination.

The werewolf in the woods had closed in on her. And he’d moved silently and quickly.

All the power she’d sensed, his raw, intense energy, didn’t add up as to why he tried so hard to sneak up on her. He had to know she was alone. He would know she was a female. Most male werewolves would come storming in, making demands before they bothered with introductions.

A menu finally appeared on the screen.

“I’m here to chase down common thieves? Three of them?” she mouthed, not daring to speak out loud.

There was no way the werewolf who’d haunted her dreams and filled her lusty imagination was nothing more than a common thief. Sniffing the air and inhaling his scent so deeply she swore he stood right next to her, she glanced around the dark room.

It glowed an eerie pale blue from the light of the monitor. She turned her attention back to the screen, reading quickly while every inch of her throbbed with anticipation.

23

Lorie O’Clare

Two GWAR agents were stationed on the mountain—her and one other a mile from her. Their assignment was to track and capture three criminal werewolves who’d managed to slip through Werewolf Affairs’ fingers.

A trickle of sweat dripped between her breasts. Exhaling, she fought nervous excitement that washed over her body. Every nerve ending heightened, her pulse taking off in a rapid beat. Raw power, barely tamed, seeped through the cabin walls. It excited and scared the hell out of her.

A crack of wood popped like a spark from a fire. That was her only warning before the door to the cabin swung open. Even in the dark, his pale eyes glowed, capturing her attention before she was able to take in his large physique.

“We meet again,” he said in a disturbingly familiar tone.

“Do we?” she asked without thinking, taking in his scent before dwelling on his physical appearance.

He was a large man, well-built, with shiny black hair and creamy white skin. In a simple black shirt and jeans, he hadn’t dressed to impress. His large physique called for caution. As a werewolf, he would be huge and quite possibly deadly. Those eyes though. They were so pale and captivating that she was sure she would have remembered if she’d seen them before.

Of course, she’d never seen his eyes before. Silver reflective sunglasses had hidden how incredibly distracting they were.

“I know you, Moira Tangaree. And I’ve waited a long time to bring you home.” He shut the door behind him, encasing them in the glow from the monitor.

No matter that he’d been incredible masturbation material over the years, she didn’t know shit about this werewolf—except that five years ago he claimed she would be his mate. She’d been damned naïve back then. Today, his incredible sex appeal, muscles bulging everywhere and the domination that glowed in his eyes wouldn’t make her belly-up.

He moved in on her.

“I don’t think so,” she cried out, lunging at him. It wasn’t the first time she’d acted first and asked questions later.

The first time they’d met, she’d never seen him stand, only sit with powerful-looking legs straddling his motorcycle. He stood head and shoulders taller than she, easily six-and-a-half-feet tall if she had to guess.

Allowing the change to rush through her enough to add a fair amount of muscle, she plowed into him. And hit a fucking brick wall.

He sent her flying across the small cabin. The wooden panels on the wall cracked against her weight and she slid to the floor.

Moira had spent years fighting to survive. Getting the wind knocked out of her only outraged her. Not to mention there was something incredibly enticing in his gaze.

Towering over her, his arms spread and hands fisted, he looked more deadly than some 24

Living Extinct

of the worst criminals she’d seen working with GWAR. Lust pooled between her legs, adding to the excitement of the fight. His reasons for being here were a mystery, one she would solve later. Right now, taking him on, proving he couldn’t burst in and give her orders mattered more to her than learning why he was there at all.

The change roared through her body. She didn’t bother with her clothes. Her bones popped, reshaping. Muscles contorted and veins stretched. The sweet pain of transformation took over, a more primal instinct guiding her now.

All dark shadows in the room faded. No longer did human vision hinder her. The chill in the night air disappeared, her long, thick black coat growing quickly as her human flesh became harder, tougher. Hands turned into paws while her muscles reshaped, her body contorting into her purer form.

A growl ripped through her and she leapt into the air, using her gift along with her animalistic traits to take on her intruder.

He changed just as quickly, falling to all fours and lunging on her before she could hit the ground.

You don’t know who you’re messing with, wolf man.

She twisted under his impact, turning tooth and claw on him as she attacked.

His body was solid steel, even more developed than she remembered him being years ago, if that were possible. And as a werewolf, his black coat, which was not longhaired like the purebred Malta werewolf, covered muscles that rippled like an angry tide. Silver eyes sparked with pleasure when she managed to get out from underneath him. He opened his mouth, showing off a deadly row of long, spiked teeth that glowed as much as his eyes did. The smile he gave her was enough to know he would enjoy taking her down and claiming her as his prize. Fire ignited quickly inside her when she pictured him mounting her. His hair didn’t cover his thick, dark cock that even unaroused was larger than anything she’d ever seen before. What would it feel like to be impaled by that?

He lowered his head, growling an invitation, letting her know he’d love for her to find out. She gave herself a quick shake. As though he could read her mind, or something.

Very few female werewolves could win in a fight against a male. Moira gave thanks to her sire, as she did daily, when her gift pumped inside her.

If she relied solely on her werewolf abilities, she would lose this fight. And the last thing she would ever do was go belly-up for any werewolf. Not now or ever.

His mouth soaked her fur as he worked to grip her neck. Not many things could kill a werewolf, but breaking her neck would be an injury she wouldn’t recover from.

Instinct called out the gift in full force. The heat that rushed through her veins was so intense that she screamed—not out of fear but from how quickly it worked through her.

You will not take me down!

25

Lorie O’Clare

The room seemed to turn sideways. He’d lifted her off the ground, holding on to her by the flesh at the back of her neck. His teeth pinched her hide, the pain only adding to the intense quickness of her reaction.

You can’t defeat what you can’t see.

The Powers that Be carry me. Let me use the elements so that he can’t see.

Moira knew the instant she’d faded, using the element of air and becoming one with it, twisting into his thoughts and making him believe her invisible. The werewolf could no longer see her. At the same time she twisted furiously against his grip on her neck. Heat rushed inside her hard and so fast she could barely breathe. Her vision blurred briefly. But she fought the strength of her powers, knowing they would consume her, make her pass out, if she didn’t control them.

Not too surprisingly, the shock of her disappearing before his eyes was enough for him to let her go, the moisture of his mouth leaving the coat on the back of her neck damp, but he didn’t move off her. He could no longer see her, but he could smell her, feel her, find her body if she didn’t move quickly. And so she did just that, jumping out of his reach and turning to stare at him.

What the fuck?

She watched him change, his body taking human form. At the same time, he moved forward, falling on top of her while he contorted and stretched over her. What made even less sense was the stunning fact that he remained as strong as a werewolf.

He was human again, yet still strong enough to hold her down. Confusion made it impossible to keep the power rushing through her. He shouldn’t be able to see her to find her. Yet he’d changed, mutated back into the shape of a man and managed to hold her in place. Fucking unbelievable. Who the hell was this man? This werewolf who’d claimed so long ago to know her sire, to have worked with him and to have exchanged promises—one of which entailed her.

“Once again, I hold your life in my hands,” he said quietly.

Well, fuck me!
That moment on his motorcycle so long ago, where he’d crushed her to him, saved her life and then confused her with words that had never left her, returned with enough clarity that it was as if it happened moments ago.
No one holds my
life in their hands but me.

His body was more solid, more filled out, and if possible, even sexier than she remembered. For a second she couldn’t breathe, his voice chilling her yet making her blood boil at the same time. Lust filled the air, and when she finally inhaled, it fogged her senses until she couldn’t think.

What would it be like to turn and fuck this man? This deadly and impressive werewolf who saw right through the gift?

It would probably bring her more trouble than she could get out of.

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Living Extinct

Roaring as she reached for all of her strength, she turned on him, sending him flying. The man fell backward, hitting the door, his head cracking against the wood.

Moira watched as his naked body slumped to the ground. He didn’t move.

Pacing for a minute, she tried to figure out what had just happened. She’d been dropped off on the side of a mountain out here in Bumfuck, Nowhere, and obviously someone other than GWAR had known she would be here. This male had been waiting for her, watching, knowing when to make his move.

The iron smell of blood tickled her nostrils. Lowering her head, she edged closer to him, sniffing the air around him. His heart still pumped strongly in his body. And it was a damn fine-looking body at that. Muscles corded and bulged under his creamy white male flesh. Hair blacker than night fell straight around his face. The same-colored hair sprinkled over his chest, his arms and his legs. And even soft, his cock distracted her, making her think of a predator sleeping that could wake at any moment and pounce.

Her pussy grew damp and began throbbing. He was absolutely beautiful. Every inch of him perfect. And even lying there, his dominating scent made her drunk with need. She could mount him, take him, ride him, making his cock as hard as the rest of his body. He wouldn’t stop her. Hell, he’d probably try and control the act. God. He’d be one hell of a damn good lover. With a body like that, rubbing her breasts against his coarse chest hair, digging her fingers into his flesh, nipping at his neck…shit!

She must be out of her fucking mind.

Drooling over a dangerous alpha was not what she needed to be doing right now.

Using the elements to control his mind, to keep him from seeing her, drained physical strength. The gift had its drawbacks. Altering someone’s vision, using their mind to create images not there, or in this case, create the thought that she’d disappeared, meant entering the man’s mind. Slumped against the wall, his virile body relaxed, it was almost like the illusion was now played on her. Moira wouldn’t believe for a second that he was as helpless as he appeared.

Praying he would remain knocked out long enough for her to figure out what the hell she should do next, she let the change take over. Suddenly naked, her teeth chattered while damp sweat made her even colder.

She hurried to the table, pulling the chair closer to the laptop. Cursing her trembling fingers, she grabbed her bag, fighting with the zipper. Frantically searching for clothes, she kept shifting her gaze to the man on the floor in front of her although he didn’t move. Ripped clothing lay scattered on the floor near him. Worst case scenario, she’d add the destroyed clothes to scraps of wood later to keep warm. If wolf man wanted to share the only roof on this side of the mountain with her, that was his business—if he learned some manners. It was here or finding a cave and curling up in his fur. And she’d kick his tail out in the cold, no matter how fucking sexy he was. No werewolf pushed her around.

27

Lorie O’Clare

The laptop hummed when she opened another file on the disc. Pictures of the three criminal werewolves she was supposed to sniff out appeared on the screen. It didn’t surprise her that the male in front of her wasn’t one of them.

She glanced over the top of the screen at him. He was a hell of a lot more appealing to look at than any of the three criminals. Even relaxed, long corded muscle twisted under his pale skin. Dark curly hair covered his chest, his arms and his legs and pooled around his cock that relaxed against firm, hard-looking abdomen muscles. If only she could use the gift to make herself think that he wasn’t there. Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way. Even if it did, too much perfection sprawled out before her. Clearing her thoughts would be damned near impossible.