The Boarlanders had eaten dinner on a long table against the far wall of Jam’s Chicken House. It was one of those old-fashioned restaurants with dark wood walls, exposed rafters above, vintage street signs hung everywhere, mismatched tables, and checkered table clothes. There were only a few opti...
Such vitriol had spewed forth from his people, he wanted to throttle every last one of them. His truck nearly went up on two wheels as he turned into Sadey’s driveway, but when he slammed on his brakes and rocked to a stop, he couldn’t understand the scene before him. &nbs...
Denison guessed. “Nope,” Skyler muttered as she hopped onto another log. “Werechicken,” he guessed again. “Nope,” she answered. Haydan pulled on a loop of cable to test the strength before he hooked it to a log and propped his leg up on a felled tree. “What if the reason she hasn’t changed is bec...
Frowning, she cracked her sleepy eyes open, then sat up. The soft tink tink of metal on metal sounded from somewhere outside. From the soft, gray light peeking in through the crack between the blackout curtains she’d put up, it was early in the morning. He probably had to go to work soon, but sti...
It was the older woman’s sad smile that brought a sigh of resignation from Riley’s lips. “What?” “I just don’t want you to rush and do anything you’ll regret, dear. It’s okay to have feelings about these things, you know?” She did know. She’d been t...
This was the first job she’d ever taken where she didn’t work with a partner, and it sure did get lonely out here by herself. She was independent by nature, but at night especially, she wished she had someone to talk to about her day. Moving around so much made it hard to ...
A cloud of smoke plumed from the kitchen as the cook there worked furiously on the lunch rush orders, and trios of hungry patrons talked over green Formica tabletops scattered willy-nilly around the restaurant. When he didn’t see Tagan anywhere, Brighton picked a table right in the middle so his ...
She had a pulse right behind her eyes that sizzled with pain every couple of seconds. The Senior Seven were happy, their mugs full, their plates only half empty as they chattered about some almost-B&E that had been detailed on Bradford’s police scanner this morning. Th...
It took all her strength not to fall apart, but Jesse had really pissed her off when he implied she was weak, and she was not going to cry in front of him. She wasn’t weak. She just hadn’t expected people to turn into giant, raging, wild animals. She still wanted to find a way to convince herself...
Dade watched her sleep in the dark before dawn, propped up on his elbow so he could see the soft curve of her face better. Long, graceful neck, auburn waves fanned out across the pillow, fair skin, light freckles across her nose and shoulders. From here he could make out the curve of her waist an...
Dad said. Mom had been angry, crying intermittently, but she hadn’t said a word since Avery had been released from the hospital. It was shocking that Dad was the one who broke the silence. “You mean I wasn’t born to bring the Novak Raven here?” Aver...
Matt yelled, rocketing out of bed. Willa’s heart pounded against her ribcage as she sat straight up and squinted her eyes against the darkness. “What is it? Matt, what’s wrong?” He was crouched in the corner of his room, encased in shadows, the moon...
Gia admitted out loud as she wound a loose string from the hem of her blouse around her finger. “Why? I promise, Damon Daye is stoic, but he’s very polite. You have nothing to be worried about.” “Yeah, but he’s like a father figure to you, right?” &...
Completely disoriented, he frowned at the unfamiliar room, then down at Audrey, who lay undisturbed beside him. “Five more minutes,” she murmured in a sleepy voice. The gray morning light that filtered through the windows on either side of the headb...
Bash stopped humming along with the radio and turned the wheel with one hand until they were off the main road and driving along a washed-out, gravel lane. “Harrison? He’ll be fine with it. It’s Clinton we gotta worry about.” “Well, if Clinton has a problem with it, I can ...
I kicked my horse into a trot and scoured the woods in the early morning light. Trouble was he would’ve left behind some evidence. Wolves didn’t eat bones after all, but where’d he hide the damn carcasses? The sickly sweet scent of rot hit the sensitive lining of my nose and dread slammed against...
The streets were narrow and cobbled, and the clatter of horses upon them and men fighting and yelling for space to steer their carts, was enough to wake the dead. Gable lay tensed and twitching on the floor beside me and when I leaned over and tried to wake him from his ba...
It was a horrific hour to be awake. The street lights on Main Street were still on, casting a yellow glow over the parking spaces that lined the main drag. Her little hatchback was the only car here besides a police cruiser parked in front of the precinct a couple of doors down. Bleary-eyed, she ...
Lacy had been a godsend over the last few years as Dr. Vega’s mood had plummeted. She could always count on an understanding smile from Lacy and occasional drinks at the bar after particularly brutal shifts. Lacy grinned brightly. “Guess who just walked in?” &n...
He tossed a narrow-eyed glare over his shoulder as her phone vibrated in her purse again. She’d been doing a damn fine job of ignoring it, but Logan’s attention had her instincts riled up. With a sigh, she quickly pulled on the T-shirt Logan had brought her. Apparently, he was staying a few doors...
It was lined with giant spruce trees and clusters of alders. “Silver Summit is right over there,” he said across the headphones. Emily looked where he pointed to a clearing, and from here, she could just make out the roof of the lodge. Another wave of excitement trembled t...
Her Sunday school teacher had once told her there was no hunger in heaven, so Everly knew she hadn’t keeled over just yet. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was exposed rafter beams above her. She was in a small cabin and stretched across the only couch in the living room. A stone...
Forget the muck that was still swirling around the city, the Big Horn Mountains loomed in the distance, blanketing Hannah in the warmth of belonging. She’d never been much of an outdoorsy person before Jeremy had dropped her off on Riker’s land, but she’d done a whole lot of changing over these p...
“To Lexi, who is sweet as honey and easy on the eyes. To Lexi, who has given us all something to look forward to.” That toast was weird, but they were all drunk, so okay. She smiled politely and lifted her water bottle as the boys howled and cheered...
Cora accused through an unapologetic grin as she pulled her sweater over her head and straightened the hem around her hips. “I’m not stalling, woman. I’m trying to help pack all this up so you won’t have to do it.” Boone clipped the rolled up blanket to his backpack and ha...
Twitching her tail, she balanced easily as she walked on the wide pads of her feet toward the end of the branch. It bowed under her weight, but she jumped off before it snapped. Sadey was waiting, ears erect and eyes glowing gold as she watched Dawn’s antics. Her mouth was...
Aviana zipped up her suitcase and pulled it off the rickety bed she’d slept in as a child. Inhaling deeply, she took one last look at the tiny cabin she’d shared with her parents all those years ago. As a child, this place had seemed huge, but that’s what childhood memories did. They warped reali...
He scrubbed his hands over his face and squinted at the glowing caller ID on the screen. Five in the morning, and why the hell would Kirk be calling him this early, or at all? Kong hadn’t talked to him since the night Fiona had given the order to kill Mac. He accepted the ...
She sat upright and gasped at the blistering pain in her back. Her head throbbed so badly, it made her want to retch. She was in bad shape, but what was scarier was she didn’t recognize her surroundings at all. A holey dilapidated roof above her, splintered rafters, dusty light streaming in throu...
This wasn’t a mutual break where they’d decided they were better friends or separated bitterly. The worst was that Farrah cared deeply for him and saw the same affection in his tortured gaze. The hardest part was being separated unwillingly by someone else’s hand. As if she sensed Farrah’s melanc...
I didn’t have a guess at what had happened between her and Daniel to create such a fear of intimacy, but if it was the last thing I did, I’d get her over it. I needed touch. Most werewolves did. We were an affectionate breed and to secure a strong mated bond, we needed the...
He’d had one extra toothbrush. Color: black. Surprise, surprise. “What’s your favorite color?” she asked, snuggling back under the covers to watch him put on his prosthetic leg. “Black like my soul,” he quipped. Rowan snorted...
The uncomfortable humming of The Unrest buzzed just under her skin, so she stepped back. It couldn’t be. She tried again, and this time, her nose tingled with the smell of iron, and deep within her, the dragon let off its warning rumble. ...
Willa groused, resting a plate of loaded fries covered in what smelled like pickle juice onto the swell of her stomach. Alyssa slurped down the rest of her Long Island Iced Tea. “Not big, just carrying multiples.” “This is all your fault,” Willa sai...
She looked down at her hands. They weren’t blistered or bleeding anymore. They were calloused and strong. She lifted her gaze to the mirror in the bathroom, and a small smile transformed her face. Proud brown eyes that came from her Yupik lineage, rosy cheeks, and shiny tresses of pitch-colored h...
Breshia suddenly had something very real to live for, and now here she was, bumping around in Dillon’s passenger seat on the way to her death. Her timing sucked. She was pretty sure the Fates were smoking joints and sitting around laughing at their crystal ball. Dillon was silent and eerily still...