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  It wasn’t until Zach asked me a question that I realized I’d completely zoned out again.

  “Hmm? Sorry?”

  He didn’t take it personally, shooting me an understanding grin. “Have you ever been skiing?”

  “Uh, no. I’ve actually never really been a fan of the cold.”

  Zach laughed boisterously and the others joined in. He was the youngest of the group at eighteen and had so much life in him. Always goofing around and teasing his elders, he was obviously the goofball of the Pack. His brown eyes were so bright and expressive, and he had this way about him that just made you feel at ease in his company. I hoped he never lost that. “Well I hope Nick told you what you’re in for,” he teased, taking a sip of his coffee.

  I tried for a smile. It must have worked, because Nick relaxed a little at my side, his hand brushing the side of my thigh and inviting a warm tingle to move beneath my skin. I let it spread, accepting anything but the cold darkness I had been stuck in. “As long as you have indoor heating, I’m pretty easy to please.”

  Nick’s thumb moved up and down the outer edge of my thigh. I didn’t know if this was on purpose, or some kind of weird tick, but I didn’t ask him to stop. Truth was, it was the first time I’d felt anything since we left Scottsdale. At least before we left, there was sadness, then rage, then more sadness. Now there was nothing but a void where several questions swirled around.

  He leaned in close and smirked. “I think you’ll love the manor,” he boasted confidently.

  Our breakfast arrived, and I watched as the guys all dug in. I looked down at my plate to find bacon, eggs, and pancakes. It looked delicious, so I picked up my fork and started pushing it around before taking the first bite. I ate slowly compared to the others, but I finished most of it.

  I picked up scant details of their conversation—most of it having to do with the trip as they tried to navigate the best route from Nick’s phone. There were apparently some storms expected in some of the counties we were supposed to pass through, and they wanted to avoid them if possible. Nick’s first priority was getting us to the manor before the full moon, which he was sure we could accomplish with there still being ten days until that happened.

  Barring any major snowstorms that could lay us up for days. Apparently that was a very real possibility now.

  His worry wasn’t for him and the others; it was for me. Because this would only be my second full moon since I was bitten, there was no way of telling if I could avoid a forced shift. Sure, I’d just shifted a few days ago, but that apparently didn’t mean I could avoid this one altogether.

  After breakfast, we drove through Orem to the Hampton Inn so the guys could rest before braving the roads for the final leg of our journey. We pulled into the lot and headed inside where Nick stepped up to the counter.

  “Good afternoon,” the concierge said cheerfully. He was a slender man, wearing a nicely tailored blue suit. His black hair was slicked back stylishly, and his golden eyes were warm and welcoming. “How can I help you out today?”

  Nick smiled. “We’ll need three rooms for the night.”

  The concierge typed some stuff into his computer, asked for Nick’s credit card, and then typed a few more things. There was an exchange of details for each of the rooms—something that I didn’t pay attention to since I figured it really didn’t concern me; Nick knew what he was doing—and then we were on our way toward the elevator.

  The silver doors swung open, and an older couple, probably somewhere in their sixties, stepped out, eyeing the six of us nervously. I smirked, finding a little humor in it this time. It felt nice to smile again.

  Then it was gone.

  “So, I got one room with two queen beds. Jax and Vince will take that one.” Jackson seemed less than thrilled that he’d be sharing a room with anyone. “Corbin, Zach, and I will take the one with the two queens and the sofa bed, and Brooke will take the other.”

  Shocked that I would be roomed privately, I glanced up at him to say that wasn’t necessary, but he shook his head. “You’re the only female. You need your privacy,” he assured me. “It’s fine.

  We reached the top floor and headed down the hall. The guys’ rooms were next to each other while mine was across the hall. They all went into theirs, save for Nick, who helped me into mine and dropped my overnight duffle onto the chair in the corner. It looked like any other hotel room, big window, neutral colors, desk, armoire, dresser, TV, and bed. This bed was huge, though, and looked really damn inviting. I sat on the end of it, my hands in my lap as I let my head fall back, rolling it around to loosen the tension in it a little.

  “Okay,” Nick said softly. “I’m across the hall if you need anything.”

  When I didn’t respond, he headed for the door. He’d only taken a few steps, but was out of sight down the short corridor between the bed and the door when my chest tightened. I didn’t want to be alone…couldn’t be alone. I heard the click of the knob as it opened, and I shot off the bed, taking an awkward step forward. “Nick?” I said hoarsely. He turned, eyes hopeful. “Don’t…don’t go.” The door closed, but his hand still remained on the brass knob. “I…I don’t want you to go.”

  With that, his hand left the knob and he slid the chain into place.

  Chapter 2 | reprieve

  I couldn’t see anything.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  Something tightened around my throat. Something strong. Why did it feel familiar?

  I tried to cry out for help. Was anybody even there? Only a strangled squeak came out, and this made whatever was around my neck squeeze harder. When I opened my eyes, it took a minute for them to adjust, but when my vision cleared, I saw eyes as black as pitch and long white canine teeth set in a wicked, ruby red smile.

  A growl bubbled up from my belly, and I started to struggle against my attacker, but my limbs wouldn’t respond. They felt like limp noodles. Useless in protecting me.

  I panicked, and my body reacted. My skin burned as the fever ripped through me, and my muscles tightened, feral growls filling my head. They were mine. The smell of blood infused the air, but it was too dark to see where it was coming from. One smell told me it was David’s…but that couldn’t be. Then I saw him, the darkness fading where he lay, like he was bathed in a spotlight. I screamed for him and struggled against my captor—Samantha Turner. While I stared at him, I heard the sound of shattering glass in the distance and the sickening thud of his body hitting the ground. But he didn’t move from where he lay on the floor, a pool of bright red blood growing around him.

  Rage flooded my veins and with a murderous snarl, I rushed forward against her hold…but she was gone, and I was plunged into darkness, breathing heavily.

  I scanned the dark for her, my hands curled at my sides, ready to attack her. I didn’t recognize where I was, but I knew she was there. I could still taste her foulness on my tongue. Movement to my right caught my attention, and I flew around, claws engaged and ready to slash her…

  But something strong caught my wrists, crossing them above my head. It took a minute for me to realize it was just Nick. He was wearing a pair of flannel pants, his chest bare. He’d just woken up. I glanced behind him at the window; it was black outside.

  What time was it? The sun was still up when I’d fallen asleep.

  “Easy,” he soothed quietly, nervous eyes darting around the room as though afraid we were going to be interrupted. “You were dreaming. I need you to take a few deep breaths and calm yourself down.” Slowly, and without releasing my wrists, he brought our arms down. I could see what he meant about my needing to calm down: my fingers were disfigured, and my claws had broken through the ends. I could have changed right in this room.

  I closed my eyes when the trembling in my limbs intensified, willed the tightness in my back to wane, and took a deep breath. I imagined waves of calm washing over me as I told myself it was just a dream. Samantha Turner was dead. Nick killed her for what she did to David—what she planned to do
to me. She couldn’t hurt me again.

  “There you go,” Nick whispered, stroking my hair and cupping my jaw. I opened my eyes. “Good.”

  He moved to step back toward his makeshift bed on the floor, but I snatched his wrist and held him in place. “Will you…?” The words caught in my throat, but I glanced over to the over-sized bed and shrugged lightly. “Please?”

  Looking surprised, Nick nodded, his aqua-colored eyes bright in the darkness of the hotel room. “Y-yeah,” he stammered. “Of course.”

  He waited for me to crawl onto the bed first, and I situated myself in the middle, adjusting my sleep shorts and tank top since they were kind of askew from my episode. Was this wrong? Sharing my bed with him? I couldn’t think about it without guilt creeping in. All I knew was that Nick was the only one who could calm me down right now, and I hoped that maybe he’d be able to keep the dreams at bay, too.

  He was just about to join me when there was a knock at the door.

  “Brooke?” It only took a second to recognize the soft voice as Jackson’s, and one look at Nick told me he was as confused as I was. But also mildly annoyed.

  “I’ll handle it,” Nick growled, stalking toward the door. He disappeared while I stayed put, and I heard the door open a little.

  “Oh,” Jackson said, sounding a little surprised. “Nick.” Silence, but I picked up on some strong emotions between the two of them, and it wasn’t that they were happy to see each other. “Is she okay? It didn’t sound good.”

  “Eavesdropping?” Nick demanded a little too aggressively.

  “We’re right across the hall,” Jackson reminded Nick just as firmly. “I was heading out for a quick run when I heard it… Does she need to go out?”

  Does she need to go out? I wasn’t a dog…okay, well I guess I sort of was, but what the hell?

  “She’s fine. Had a nightmare. It could have gotten out of control, but we’ve got it handled.”

  “Got it,” Jackson said. “I’m headed out then if you’ve got this under control.”

  With that, the door closed, and Nick sauntered back toward the bed, looking red-faced and annoyed. “Sorry. He said he was concerned.” He stopped next to the bed, eyes on me and eyebrows lifted quizzically. “Did you still…?”

  I nodded. “Please.”

  He slid himself onto the bed next to me, laying back on two of the over-stuffed pillows. I don’t think he expected me to sidle up to him or turn my body into his, but he raised his right arm and let me move in as close as possible before bringing it down around me. His hand rested on my waist, and the sound of his heart was hypnotic, but I was no longer tired. My adrenaline was still running high from my dream.

  “Brooke?” Nick whispered, and I tilted my head up to find his eyes on me. The clouds had cleared outside, allowing the moonlight into the room. He looked happy, yet still reserved about this. “I know that you and I aren’t…together, but I think, for your peace of mind, we should play the part when we return to the manor. You’re a new female prospect, and there are only a few of you. Some of the men haven’t chosen a mate, and while I trust them with my life, some of them are a little more wolf than man. If I lay claim to you, then by Pack Law, no one else can.”

  I considered what he was saying, and while my mind was probably exaggerating just how bad he said it was, it frightened me a little. I wasn’t ready for a relationship, and I might never be, but what would be worse? Pretending to be promised to Nick? Or having a complete stranger claim me as his and do—or try to do—whatever he wanted? Chances were they’d only ever get as far as trying.

  “Okay,” I agreed with a slight nod. “If you think it’s best, then yeah.”

  Nick’s arm tightened around me, pulling me closer. Goosebumps rippled up all over my body, and I draped my right leg over his as my hand opened and relaxed on his bare chest. Without thinking about it, my fingers danced on his sternum, but he didn’t try to stop me, he just sighed and rested his cheek against the top of my head. I noticed the upraised scars on his chest and arms—battle wounds, maybe? I’d seen them before and wanted to ask him about them, but didn’t feel now was the time. Instead, I traced them with my fingertips and watched as his skin quivered against the sensation.

  “Tell me about it,” I asked, gaining a questioning grunt from him. “The manor,” I clarified. “Will you tell me about it?”

  Nick hummed contentedly. “The manor is unlike anything you’ve ever seen,” he began. “First of all, the house is huge…I wouldn’t even be able to do it justice. You’ll just have to take my word for it that it’s unbelievable. Some days I can’t believe I live there.” I laughed when he did, and I shivered when his fingers started to roam up and down my side; it took me back to when we were dating and we’d lay like this. “It’s in the foothills of the Rockies, and there’s so much land for us to roam and hunt…and the rabbits…”

  With a light giggle, I shook my head. “Boy, do you ever know what a girl wants in a dream home,” I quipped as the image of me chasing wild rabbits through the snowy forest ran through my head. Suddenly, a little saliva pooled in my mouth, and I recognized the twitch in my fingers and toes for what it was: anticipation. I actually looked forward to the idea of hunting.

  Nick chuckled, his hand moving down until it lay flat on my back. “Mmm… You say that like you’re joking, but this”—his hand pressed down on my tense lower back, sending a mind-numbing tingle through me—“tension in your lower back suggests you want it more than you’re letting on.”

  My eyes fluttered closed as he rubbed up a little higher. The anxiety I was feeling seemed to lessen, and I moaned when he turned his head and his lips brushed my forehead. “I think you look forward to hunting with me,” he breathed into my hair, his voice so low and rough it sent a vibration straight through me. The scent of his desire filled the room unexpectedly, and I was surprised to find myself feeling the same way as my fingers curled against his chest, nails scratching lightly, and my breathing picked up. “Am I right?”

  Something told me to stop. That this was wrong. I should have been grieving—I was grieving—but I didn’t want to be. For just a few minutes, I wanted to forget. I wanted to get lost. I wanted to feel something other than debilitating sadness and loss. Was that so bad?

  Nick shifted next to me, dropping his face and raising his left hand to cup my face. Slowly, hesitantly, he brought his lips to mine, his eyes watching me every inch of the way for any sign to stop.

  I closed the gap with a needy moan. My lips tingled from the ferocity of the kiss, and I shifted my leg over his, hitching it up a little higher and gasping when I brushed his growing arousal. I let my need for a moment’s peace drive me, and I straddled his hips, seeking solace in his embrace.

  The sensation of his hands on my skin as they roamed under the hem of my shirt was like a drug of the very worst kind. It was one that grabbed you and pulled you so far into the darkness you forgot your problems. It felt incredible, and I wanted to forget… Only I couldn’t. Not completely. But I wasn’t going to give up on achieving a little peace.

  My fingertips slid up and down his chest, remembering how his body used to feel versus how it felt now—harder, stronger, safer—and I was just preparing to thread my fingers into his hair when he wrapped his hands around my biceps and stopped me.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I shouldn’t have…”

  Breathing heavily, I pulled back, licking my lips and tasting him still. His eyes wandered over my face and down my body, and he looked conflicted as his hands moved up and down my sides then over my ass. “What is it?” I asked, unable to take the silence. His gaze snapped to mine, and I saw his apology before he could voice it. Horrified that I’d misread him initially, I hid my face in my hands. “Y-you don’t want to.”

  “What?” He sounded incredulous. “Jesus, Brooke, of course I want to.” As if to prove his point, he rolled us over on the bed and wedged himself firmly between my thighs. There was no denying his claim as his fla
nnel bottoms did little to conceal his desire. He stroked the side of my face affectionately. “But you’re not ready, and I won’t do something if there’s even the slightest chance you’re going to regret it afterward. You know how I still feel about you, and while I think a part of you loves me too, it’s just too soon.”

  He was right. Even if his chivalrous behavior only made the flames of desire spark again.

  Wanting him to know how much I appreciated his honesty and to thank him for not taking advantage of me in such a vulnerable state, I placed my hands on either side of his face and kissed him lightly.

  “Thank you,” I whispered before he removed himself from between my legs.

  With a low groan, he lay back in his previous position and pulled me against him again. “Of course.” He kissed the top of my head. “Do you think you can sleep?”

  I tipped my head up from its spot on his chest and looked at him. “Honestly? I’m feeling the need to burn some pent up energy now,” I replied timidly.

  A crooked grin spread across Nick’s face. “Care to go for a run?”

  Chapter 3 | secrets

  The sun was bright, bathing the room entirely through the open hotel curtains. Lying on my stomach, I squinted against it and pushed myself up onto my elbows to rub the sleep from my eyes. I was so exhausted after our outing last night that I crashed almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  My fatigue wasn’t brought on by a shift, unfortunately. I tried, knowing that it would help relieve the growing tension as the moon grew fuller, but I was unable to focus. I tried for about an hour and a half before I grew too exhausted to try again. I could still feel the strain of the change as it lingered, but I would have to wait. Nick forewent his own change when I couldn’t perform, and instead we just walked around in the cold…which, with my naturally elevated temperature, wasn’t so unbearable.

  I was grateful for how tired I was after wasting all my energy into a failed shift, because it didn’t give my mind a chance to run wild with the memories of what happened to David or what I found in Bobby’s grave back in Scottsdale.