~

 

Fallon’s head was still spinning.

One moment; she was being kissed to oblivion by her very persuasive mate whose lips made a good case for why she should mate with him, and the next he was shouting apologies over his shoulder and heading out the bedroom door at break neck speed…

“Something I said?” Fallon muttered as she shimmied to the edge of the bed and listened to the sound of fast, heavy thuds from his feet on the staircase.

She knew that there was only one thing that could tear a shifter away from the possibility of bonding with his mate … trouble was afoot, and Jaxon must have been attacking someone, somewhere, in his determination to leave her no choice but to adhere to his words.

There was only one thing to do – give the vampire what he wanted – her…

 

~

~

~

 

For elders, Lark and Hank had managed to move pretty damn fast at the sound of the alpha’s words within their minds, and Jamie’s quick as lightning reaction to them…

“We’ve got your back…” Lark assured the beta as he started towards the front door after him.

“You guard the mates – keep them in the Inn … all of them…” Jamie tossed back over his shoulder as he headed out of the door.

The beta didn’t stop long enough to throw off his clothes.

He scented the air and followed his nose – shifting into his beast in mid-run – with his clothes standing no chance but to become shredded rags in his wolf’s wake…

‘How far out are you?’ Jamie demanded …

The sound of silence that hung heavy within his mind sent a cold chill of fear to Jamie’s heart.

He didn’t need to tell his wolf what that meant. The beast dug in with his claws, tossing up the dirt behind him as he sped into the heart of the woods, man and beast praying that Nathan wasn’t already dead…

 

~

~

~

 

Dorothy heard the sound of the commotion at the front door. Angela had joined Lark and Hank as they’d followed Jamie towards the outside world, and she’d intended to follow them into the hallway, she really had, but something tugged inside of her mind – it was the start of a feeling that she could do more…

Now was her chance if she was ever going to take it.

Now was the time to act when her mate wasn’t watching her like a hawk, stuck to her side like glue.

Chloe was gone from outside – the males were occupied – Angela wasn’t there to talk her out of it, or worse still, follow on her heels as the stubborn, obstinate woman was likely to do…

She headed towards the back door of the sun room and used her magic to open it – guaranteeing that she was as silent as possible – and then she slipped out the back…

If the alpha was in trouble, and Monty wasn’t on his game – then she needed to be the last line of defence for her granddaughter.

That was how it should be.

She hadn’t been allowed to be there for all of those years for Fallon, but things were different now.

Now she had the chance to make it up to her.

 

~

~

~

 

Fallon felt the tapping of the guilt that felt like a woodpecker against her soul for dragging the pack into her problems.

If she’d never tried to find her grandmother…

If she’d never found her mate…

If Sarah hadn’t of zapped out her car tyre then she would have been home and still at the vampire’s beck and call.

She should have waited to find Dorothy, but something had pulled her to where her grandmother was, and now she knew what that thing was … fate.

Jamie.

Knowing that fate had played a hand in her decisions didn’t make them any easier to live with.

What if Nathan died?

What if Monty was dead?

Jaxon wouldn’t stop until he had her, or until she killed him – either way – she needed to get where she was going and fast.

She’d called on her magic to guide her towards her mate, because the man had the nose to find his kin – to find the fight – and if Jaxon wanted a fight then she’d be the one to give it to him.

Jamie might have wanted to be the big bad wolf and protect her from the ills of the world, but she knew that it wasn’t necessary.

The whole reason that they were in this mess was because her magic was strong – so much stronger now that she had her father’s magic inside of her as well.

That wasn’t entirely her fault either. The amulet that he’d left for her had come with one special gift – his magic – and that magic flowed through her veins and mixed with her own just as much as if she had been siphoning from a coven…

Jaxon knew it. Hell, she wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the vampire had something to do with it…

But now he would pay the ultimate price.

Nobody threatened her family. Not anymore.

 

~

~

~

 

Chloe swooped.

She’d seen an opening and she went for it.

The alpha was down and Monty and Jaxon were going at it like they were trying to use each other as battering rams to knock over the trees in the small clearing…

Jaxon had managed to somehow outmanoeuvre her mate. With two fistfuls of the Monty’s shirt, he spin him around fast, and instead of hitting his back against the tree trunk, he kept the momentum going and tossed him clean across the clearing…

That was when Chloe had swooped down from the trees above them. Landing on her feet in front of the vampire with a little less grace than Monty would have had, she got in one good swipe of her claws, across Jaxon’s face and down his neck…

Her razor sharp talons got locked in his collarbone, and a moment later, she had her back against his chest, a death grip around her body, locking her in place, and she could feel his hot breath against her neck that was open to his attack…

Her eyes flicked to Monty as her mate rebounded to his feet. She saw the panic that rushed through him – saw the fear within his very soul for her safety.

It was in that moment that she knew that he had been right all along … not only was she not ready to take on the world, but she’d also put Monty in danger by his sheer panic at having her in harm’s way.

A heartbeat later, a scream of pain that was torn from her lips, and the lights went out…