Matthew's Return [Wolves of Climax 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever - Serialized)

Wolves of Climax 3

Matthew’s Return

Life in Climax is anything but ordinary. Cassidy does things with her four men she only ever dreamed of, but as the days pass, she craves more than just sex. She wants the whole happily ever after with the men who quickly capture her heart.

Cassidy slowly feels like she belongs in Climax, but something is still missing. Her lovers continually remind her she'll have to accept Matthew in her bed if he returns. She's ready to include him, anxious to experience five men, but what if he wants nothing to do with her?

When she goes in search of her half brother, the Rockford miners lead her into a trap. It's too late to follow Garret's warnings about leaving the mine alone. Now she's faced with madmen and surrounded by wolves. Will her men be able to rescue her before it's too late?

NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest serialized imprint, the LoveXtreme Forever Series. This is Book 3 of 7 in the Wolves of Climax collection. These books are not stand alone. Each is a continuation of the previous book and must be read in the numbered order. Each book may end on a cliffhanger but usually with a happy-for-now for the heroine and one or more men. The final book contains a happily forever after for the heroine and all her men.

Genre:
Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length:
24,875 words

Wolves of Climax 3

Stacey Espino

LOVEXTREME FOREVER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: LoveXtreme Forever

MATTHEW’S RETURN

E-book ISBN:
1-61926-689-X

First E-book Publication: April 2012

Cover design by Les Byerley

All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of
Matthew’s Return
by Stacey Espino from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This is Stacey Espino’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Espino’s right to earn a living from her work.

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www.SirenPublishing.com

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I’m dedicating this book to Susan Foulkes. My dedicated readers mean the world to me. Thank you for all your support!

MATTHEW’S RETURN

Wolves of Climax 3

STACEY ESPINO

Copyright © 2012

It was a race against the setting sun. The sense of urgency gripped Cassidy’s heart as she drove along the desolate dirt roads. She wasn’t even sure what she was looking for, but knew she needed to find Scott. Would she even recognize him if she saw him? What kind of car did he drive? The mere thought of finding a blood relative spurred her to search for him in the unfamiliar town of Climax as the sun set. Garret’s warnings and her recent run-in with Ryder and the wolves weren’t enough of a deterrent. She was sure to be back at the mine before Evan or Garret noticed her missing.

She’d been trying to contact her half brother for too many years to remember. She’d promised Garret not to run off without telling him, but he’d also kept a secret from her. He knew about Scott’s arrival but decided not to tell her. Why? He knew how desperately she wanted a link to her past. She thought things were cementing between her and Garret after their time alone in the woods, but maybe she’d been too hasty.

Without streetlights, she could see nothing past the tree line to her right and little through the occasional gaps to the left. Nights were bitterly cold at this time of year. Cassidy had to find her brother before sundown or he could freeze to death. There were no hotels in town, and the rough miners and loggers living on the periphery didn’t do handouts or take kindly to newcomers. Business was competitive, so if a strange man suddenly showed up in Climax, people would talk and grow suspicious.

She was curious how Scott had found her at all. Without credit cards or a visible web presence, she didn’t think she would be easy to find. God knew she’d unsuccessfully tried to find her half brother with the meager amount of information she had about him—with no luck.

A deer suddenly appeared in the bright cones of light, cutting across the road in front of her. She slammed on the brakes so fast that the car fishtailed on the loose gravel, swerving violently until it came to an abrupt halt. Cassidy’s heart pounded in her ears, her body tense, and chest tight. She gripped the steering wheel in a death grip, her foot heavy on the brake pedal. It took a few minutes before she felt calm enough to back up and continue driving. Even out in the middle of nowhere, it was foolish to drive while her thoughts were elsewhere. Maybe it was her frazzled nerves, her fears and insecurities about her brother, or the foreboding darkness closing in around her—but she could only think about Garret and the security she felt when he was near. She was still pissed off at him for not telling her about Scott, but she needed him, wanted him. It had been days since she had quality time with her other three lovers, and that distance was manifesting inside her as a deep-seated longing.

Cassidy decided she’d never be able to find Scott at this hour. Her only hope was that he was smart enough to visit the local diner rather than brave the elements. It stayed open until midnight most nights, so she still had plenty of time. As she drove toward the heart of Climax, she wanted to run into Patrick or Travis almost as much as her brother. She still hadn’t seen them since arriving back from the forest, and part of her yearned to connect with them, to win them over. The last time she’d been with them they’d been fighting, soiling any hope she had that the four men could actually share her. Their frequent talk of sharing a woman, the one Garret would choose, was ridiculous on so many levels. Even if she secretly hoped she’d be the one for the miners, she wasn’t deluded enough to put all her faith in the idea.

She parked in front of the diner, the lights from the plate glass windows like a beacon in the dark, sleepy town. As she stepped out of her car, the silence set in immediately, burning her ears. It amazed her how the nature around her could be so magnificent during the day, yet sinister at night. When the sun warmed the land, she could look out for miles and enjoy snow-peaked mountains covered by a heavy blanket of green woodlands and lush, moss-covered trees along the sides of nearly every road. But now those fairy-tale forests were a breeding ground for all her fears, and a bitter chill crept along her skin. It was the reason she didn’t use the parking lot at the side of the diner which bordered a sizable forest.

The small bells hit the glass as she entered the diner. Immediately, the savory scent of bacon and country chili struck her, reminding her she hadn’t eaten for hours. There were a few men along the counter wearing hunter’s orange and yellow vests. They all turned when she entered as if marionettes pulled by the same string. She coiled into herself as she entered. Cassidy knew these men didn’t like Garret or care for Gregor Mining. They blamed him for the missing hikers, even Matthew’s disappearance. But she knew the foreman better than most, and he would never do such a thing. He could have hurt her on more than one occasion but never did anything she didn’t welcome.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you again. The dispatchers don’t seem to last ’round here.” The waitress leaned on her hip, pointing to the door. “You just missed two of your boys from Gregor.” Cassidy hadn’t seen a truck drive by when coming into town.

“Who?”

“Patrick and Travis were in for a drink. I heard talk of you staying on permanently. Congratulations.”

They’d spoken about her? She felt warm inside knowing they weren’t ready to cast her completely out of their lives. As long as there was hope of getting through to the men, she wouldn’t give up. How could she return to the lower mainland now that she’d know what she was missing? Even with the numerous threats surfacing since she arrived, it wasn’t enough for her to give up on love, and a life in Climax.

“Was anyone else in today? A stranger to town?” She had to remember why she’d come into town at all. Her half brother was somewhere in Climax, likely freezing and alone. She was so close to meeting a blood relative. It drove her to keep looking, to take chances.

“Can’t say I have. Not as many tourists come up this way with all the wolf attacks on the radio. Word travels fast in these parts.”

A couple of the hunters from the other end of the diner crowded Cassidy as she leaned over the counter talking with the waitress. “I don’t think it’s a wolf we have to worry about. We’ve trapped and skinned dozens of wolf and bear in the last couple months. None of them were man-eaters.”

“George, that’s fool’s talk. Them hikers were torn to shreds. I spoke with the police who passed through after the last attack.” The blonde waitress shook her head as she poured a cup of coffee for Cassidy. “They had no doubt it was wolves.”

“I suppose it sounds better than having a serial killer on the loose.”

The way the men looked at her sent a chill up the length of her body as if a draft had swept through the diner. They associated her with Garret because of Gregor Mining. And for some reason they believed Garret had something to do with the deaths in the forest north of town. He may own it, and he may like to hang out in the woods in the dead of night—but that didn’t make him a murderer. He was just at one with nature, enjoying the simple pleasures in life. When they’d camped together, he’d taken care of her, so at peace with the nature around him. Cassidy couldn’t picture Garret harming anyone.