Salvaged Souls Read online

  Parker had just enough time to catch Shiloh’s attention, to let her know he was there. She’d be all right. The other wolves sprinted to double-team him. These wolves were smaller, yes, and one had been easy to put down, but two at a time would present a bit of a problem. They both leapt in the air, pounding him to the ground. Each took a side, biting, tearing.

  Howling, Shiloh pounced on top of the pile, managing to pull one off him. That gave him the leverage he needed to wrestle the other away, subsequently inflicting deadly damage to the wolf’s throat. When he turned to check on Shiloh, he found her scuffling on the ground with the last wolf. He wanted to kill the bastard, but when he caught her eye, she shook her muzzle, continuing to spar. So, taking a deep breath, he hung back, keeping a watchful eye on her progress.

  This wasn’t just a rogue group in disguise on the prowl. She knew these wolves, and by the way she tore into this one, she had a score to settle. She appeared to be in it to the end. His end.

  With one final bite at the wolf’s neck, she sank her teeth into his throat, then walked with the limp body to Parker, dropping him at his feet, howling a long, mournful song. Then she dropped to the ground and curled up in a ball, snuffling.

  Parker shifted from his wolf to stroke her head. Wrapping her up in his arms, he lifted her onto his lap. “Shiloh, sweetheart, put your wolf away, baby.”

  She complied but remained tightly coiled, her body racked with sobs. He wouldn’t try to stop her. She’d earned every one of those tears. But he’d do his best to comfort her then let her know she was alive. “It’s all right now. It’s okay. It’s over. You’ve won.”

  She sniffed, hiccupped then lifted her face to meet his. “Do you know how many days I wished I could kill Josiah? Silas? All of those beastly men for what they did to me?”

  He nodded and gentled away the steady stream of tears from her cheeks, but didn’t say a word. There was so much more to come.

  “I would sit all day long, with nothing to do but plan my escape and revenge.” She sniffed. “I would devise all sorts of wicked ways to drag out their deaths and how I’d deliver the final blow.” She lowered her head, leaning against his chest. “After killing them daydream upon daydream, I’d emerge victorious, pumped up, hopeful. You know?”

  “Uh-huh.” He swept aside strands of red hair to tuck behind her ear.

  “But, now, I did it. I mean I really killed Silas. And…and I don’t feel anything close to what I thought I would. While I was doing it, my teeth piercing his flesh, I felt invincible. Like I’d just saved the world from a deviant. But once he stopped moving….” She pounded her fists against his chest, wailing anew. “I’m no better than a murderer. Vile. Just like him. Just like Josiah.”

  He strengthened his hold on her, hoping to banish the cruel words she’d used to describe herself. “Shiloh, don’t ever let me hear you compare yourself to those demented lowlifes again. They came here looking for you. They shielded themselves from tracker detection just so they could get to you. What do you think they wanted?”

  She shrugged.

  “Oh, you know damn well what they wanted. Only, this time, you wouldn’t let them turn you into their victim. You’re a fighter. A warrior!”

  “A warrior, huh?” She wiped her cheeks with her shredded shirt.

  “You defended yourself and came away victorious. Now you can say you’re truly free.”

  “I am free.” Satisfaction washed over her face as she took a deep cleansing breath.

  “I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thanks. I can always count on you, can’t I?” She peered up at him, and he nodded. “So can I count on you to give me the shirt off your back? I gotta blow my nose.”

  He howled with laughter as he tore his shirt off for her to use. “Do you think we can salvage the rest of this evening?”

  “I have enough adrenaline coursing through me for the both of us. I say we finish the run and have ferocious sex on top of the bluff I found the other day.”

  “I can definitely go along with that plan.”

  She stood up and handed him the spent T-shirt.

  “Oh, thanks, but it’s biodegradable. It can stay right here.”

  He shifted. She followed suit. Together, they ran to the edge of the pack lands to Shiloh’s overhang. Once there, they returned to their human forms to make love like animals. This time, though, something seemed different. Her desire for Parker, to touch him, or even just to be near him, had intensified after the skirmish to such a level, she thought she’d crawl out of her skin.

  Sweaty and breathless, they tussled on the grassy patch above the cave. Once on top, Shiloh eyed Parker’s fleshy part above the collarbone. It tempted her, so she bent over him and suckled on it while he thrust into her at a frantic pace. She had an insatiable desire to clamp down as her first orgasm rolled through her like a roller coaster. Was Parker feeling the same way?

  She sat up as he continued to plunge deep inside her. Not sure of where it came from, she cried out, “Bite me, baby.”

  His eyes widened. His body froze. “What? Are you sure you know what you’re asking me to do? I don’t have to.”

  “But I do. You have to, too. I’m ready. So ready.”

  He sat up, still inside her, holding her body against his. She rocked on him, creating new waves of orgasmic shivers across her body. Groaning, he nuzzled her neck while she did the same. As her climax hit her hard, she bit down on his upper shoulder. His body stiffened as he came with her. Pain shot through her shoulder for the briefest of moments, followed by a surge of peace.

  “Mine,” she gushed as he growled the same.

  He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing hard, laughing. “I believe we just made our relationship official.”

  “I believe so.” She closed her eyes. “We’re mated. I’m all yours. And…and I’m okay with that now.”

  He leaned back, cupped her face in his hands to stare into her eyes with mock seriousness. “I’m all yours now, too. So if any women come sniffing around, will you save me?”

  “Oh, most definitely! Those ladies better steer clear!” She poked at his ribs, giggling for the first time in what seemed like forever. It felt great to have such a lighthearted moment together. She knew it’d be the first of many.

  “Come on,” he said, standing them both up. He gathered their clothes. “Let’s go on home.” He held out hers to take, but she refused them.

  “Wait.”

  “What? What is it?”

  Wrapping her arms around his waist, she held him close. “Now, I’m home.”

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  Disquieted Souls by Deena Remiel

  Chapter One

  Greyson slid his spent shot glass toward the edge of the bar counter. “One more, Gee, and make it a double.”

  His demand only bought him a disapproving glare from the self-righteous bastard. Well, maybe that was a little harsh. After all, he was one of a token few who didn’t treat him like a pariah. Him and Drew, anyway. But such a look. He wasn’t his father, although Gee’d practically raised his sorry ass from birth. So what if he wanted to get shit-faced after a long week of tracking? Surveillance could take a lot out of a man or Wolf.

  “Gonna honor my request, my overly protective friend? My money’s still good here, ain’t it?”

  “You’ll have a hamburger and fried pickles with your alcohol.”

  “Yes, sir.” He snickered and popped a toothpick in his mouth to gnaw on.

  He knew better than to argue with the old Bear and flashed him a toothy grin. His motto when it came to Gee? If he grinned at a bear long enough, the bear would eventually return the smile. He’d been grinning at the man for close to thirty years now, and he’d yet to see his goal realized. As the man of few words left to put in the order, Greyson hung his head. He almost never saw Gee at the bar, and he had to pick today to mak
e an appearance. A week spent on edge, tracking an elusive rogue with no results to show for it, ruffled his fur something fierce. Lots of booze or a good screw would settle his disgruntled Wolf down. Seeing as no woman in the town would get within ten feet of him, he figured downing a couple of doubles, at least, were in his future.

  He checked his reflection and then around the room through the mirrored backsplash behind the beer taps. There wasn’t a person in the place who didn’t look upon him as some kind of weird anomaly. For as long as he’d lived in Los Lobos, his unique appearance set him apart, and some made it quite clear his odd features made it uncomfortable to be around. Drew, Betty, Gee, and even Ryker were the only ones who’d seen past the pale skin and stark-white hair. Past the peculiar eyes—one indigo blue and the other amber with gold flecks. They saw right to the soul within.

  As he’d grown, Greyson loved listening to Gee tell the story of how he came to be part of the Tao pack. He’d been left to die in the wilderness by a mother apparently not interested in caring for the runt of her litter. The Alpha’s son, Drew, found him then Gee unofficially adopted him. As the two young boys grew up together, Drew would vehemently defend him against the other young ones in the pack, but it only seemed to exacerbate the teasing and relentless bullying by some when his friend wasn’t around. Greyson realized soon enough he would have to stand on his own. His violent reaction to a bout of harassment scared the persistent young guns and served to finally put them in their place.

  When he was old enough, he’d moved to the fringe of the pack lands, where he felt he wouldn’t be subjected to any more possible taunts and jeers from bigoted Wolves on their way up the pack ladder. Of course, being a newly minted adult, he’d gotten resistance to break out on his own from Gee, but after Magnum expelled Drew, there was no reason to stay close to town. So he built a cabin on the very plot of land where he’d been dumped as a pup, hoping by living there he could someday learn of his mother’s true motivations. A part of him hoped his birth pack lived somewhere nearby, and they’d show up one day for a reunion of sorts to put all his questions to rest.

  Gee returned with a basket of fried pickles and a hamburger. He frowned and growled. “Eat.”

  “All right, all right. What about that drink?”

  The were-bear grabbed the bottle of tequila and poured.

  “Double, please. In fact, you know what? Just pour four shots-worth into a glass for me. Okay?”

  He raised a brow, shook his head, but poured anyway.

  “Thank you so much. Don’t worry. I’ll leave the way I came—running on all fours.”

  With a smirk and a snort, Gee turned on his heel and disappeared into the inner sanctum of his office. Of course, that left an opening for a group of idiots sitting at the table directly to Greyson’s left to behave all sorts of stupid, making derogatory comments under their breath, but loud enough for him to hear. He’d never seen them in the bar before, but not recognizing them didn’t mean anything. So many Wolves had returned home. If they were in Los Lobos, Drew, Ryker and the others knew they were there. Self-consciously, he put his sunglasses on. Maybe giving them one less thing to comment on would make them move on to someone else.

  With half a burger downed and a full glass of tequila tossed back, he was ready for their imminent attack. No sooner had he wiped his mouth with a napkin did they get up from their seats and approached. He breathed in slowly, deeply, deliberately to calm his ruffled Wolf.

  “Hey, freak.” The apparent leader of the pack of goons nudged his shoulder with a few fingers. He noted the latent strength in them but refused to respond in the hope they’d get bored and leave. “It’s dark. Why you covering up them pretty eyes of yours?”

  Though every fiber of his being thrummed and ached for him to let lose all the pent-up adrenaline on the asshole, Greyson didn’t turn around, flinch, or remove his sunglasses, either. “Oh, I don’t let just anyone gaze upon these beauties. I was waiting for you to come over here. These babies are for your eyes only, kitten.”

  That sparked a flurry of growls and snarls from the group, and the high-strung leader tossed a few chairs out of his way. The few other customers in the bar issued a collective warning growl. It was nice to know they were in his corner, should the need arise.

  Greyson took his time and stood, showing the buffoons exactly what they were getting into. He stood a good head and shoulders taller than them and was nearly twice as wide. “Now before you go pouncing on me in that crazed, hormonal way of yours, let me tell you a little secret. You’re in Gee’s place. He doesn’t take kindly to barroom brawls. Costs too much to fix and makes him a bit angry. So, if you wanna piss off the big old bear, go for it. In all honesty, if I were you, I’d leave me the fuck alone.” He turned and then resumed his seat to finish his burger.

  His assailants huffed and puffed as they surrounded him, and the first guy stuffed his pointed nose right up to Greyson’s cheek. Through gritted teeth he hissed, “You’re lucky, freak. This time. Next time, though, your ass is mine.”

  “My ass likes women. Sorry. But I think a few of your groupies might be into that kinda thing.”

  Another round of howling and Gee appeared with a bat in the doorway to the kitchen. The pack of idiots took the hint and left. He finished his burger, popped the last of the fried pickles in his mouth at a leisurely pace, and wiped his mouth again. Gee returned to the kitchen without a word. He’d give those jerk-offs a bit to clear out of town before he left for home. It wasn’t a question of fear. He could easily obliterate each one of them without so much as blinking an eye. As a group, though, they were probably lethal.

  The tequila finally kicked in and blunted his ability to absorb visual and auditory information. Perfect. Now to head home and crash. He tucked a few dollars under his glass and eased off the barstool, not sure if his feet would remember to move. He’d do much better to shift now. Four legs were better than two when he was drunk.

  A simple shrug, like an involuntary shiver, then his clothes and body morphed into the Wolf who’d been denied the thrill of the kill all week long. With a gruff snuffle, he pushed the door open with his snout, looked all around with bleary eyes to check if the coast was clear before trotting down the dirt road, into the forest, toward his home.

  As he loped along the winding path to the front porch, numbness crept across his haunches. It was only a matter of time before his legs followed suit. He shifted to his human form, took out his key, and unlocked the door after a number of failed attempts. As he poured himself into his bed, his last thoughts before passing out were, “Mission not accomplished. May you find the rogue fucker and kill him good and dead tomorrow.”

  ***

  It didn’t take Willow five minutes to figure out the day’s photo shoot was going to be a nonstop pain in the ass. Not only did the imbeciles at Fashion Forward Magazine contract two of the most annoying models, but the two most annoying models who couldn’t stand each other. What were they thinking?

  They weren’t. They didn’t give a rat’s ass who slept with whom and then got dumped, or who had a restraining order against another. It came down to the almighty dollar. These models took phenomenal photos, so the fact they despised each other at the moment was irrelevant.

  This week, Willow was stuck with the drama king and queen who never grew past their high school years. Carter and Cassandra were known to have been tight about a year before. After a few times catching him in bed with other models, she’d had enough and made no bones about spreading news of his philandering. Both held grudges forever. From the looks on their faces as they exited makeup and hair, today promised to be a grudge match for the ages.

  Taking a deep breath and pretending not to notice, Willow headed toward the Fort Union Trading Post, a historic landmark in North Dakota and site for the day’s fashion shoot. While waiting for the final touch-ups, a meadowlark flew past and landed on a light pole. She swung her camera up to her eye and focused in. Engrossed in her
subject, only a harsh tap on her shoulder jolted her to reality. Her passion for nature photography would have to be sidelined until her day job released her.

  “They don’t pay you for lovely pictures of birds, Will. They pay you for lovely pictures of these two immature imbeciles of the human species. Come on.”

  “Can’t say you don’t speak the truth, Harry.” Her lighting man laughed along with her as they made their way to the staging area.

  Throughout the next three hours, she snapped hundreds of pictures, if not thousands, of Carter and Cassandra looking hot, sexy, and posing in erotically charged positions for the swimsuit issue. In between shots, their hatred toward each other was palpable, but once the cameras were rolling, their sexually charged chemistry ignited the scene. That’s how it’d been all week. Didn’t matter where they set the backdrop. Nuclear war was imminent unless a camera was shooting.

  “Two to one, those two will be fucking like bunnies at the end of this.”

  “Jesus, Harry! Could you be any more crass?” She took a long swig from her can of cola. “I wouldn’t take that bet in a million years, though, ’cause I agree with you. Okay, folks! Break’s over! Let’s get this show on the road! I wanna see hot! I wanna see sexy! I wanna feel as though there’s no way I could ever walk down a beach or swim in a pool or even walk into a…a trading post without wearing one of those swimsuits! Go!”

  When the last shot had been taken, everyone clapped and hugged. She even got hugs and a comment from Cassandra. “You are one of the best photographers we’ve ever worked with. It’s been a great week overall, for sure, but we’re exhausted. So glad it’s finally over.”