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  Daniel stood up as he shifted to human form. He wiped the ash from his face as he spat more from his mouth.

  “Don’t you just hate that?”

  Daniel turned to the soft female voice that spoke behind him. Her voice was like a feather falling on his ears. He looked at the naked woman as she stood unashamed.

  Jessie.

  What he would do to that perfect body. Her tanned skin shone under the moon light as her blond hair fell to her narrow shoulders. It had gotten longer since he had first met her. She was small built and around five foot five. Daniel easily towered her as he stood at six foot three.

  It took him a minute to realize she had asked him a question. He was caught in her beauty. Her light brown eyes were mesmerizing and sucked him in. Daniel quickly looked away before his own body betrayed his thoughts.

  “Yeah, demon ash is the worst,” Daniel said, clearing his throat. “How are the new wolves doing?”

  “They’re doing as well as to be expected. Robb already got bit by one,” Jessie said as she walked into the clearing. “But Ashley is making it easier.”

  “It won’t be much longer,” Daniel said, trying not to get aroused as she took a step to him. The full moon shone on her naked body. Her tanned skin glowing in the moonlight. “Dawn will be here soon.”

  “At least it’s just two this time. Last time we had four pups come of age. That was a very long night.”

  Daniel gulped as she stepped even closer.

  “I could only imagine.”

  Daniel looked back at her. God, was she beautiful. She walked up to him and kissed him. Her lips were small and soft as they touched his own. The smell of lilies drifted around her. A smell that always followed her. His hands trailed down her naked body, resting at her waist. This was the first time they had been alone together in over a month. Jessie was always surrounded by her family or members from her pack. And if her family wasn’t around, then Daniel’s was. Daniel sank into her touch as her soft hands wrapped around his shoulders. He wanted to take her right now in this clearing.

  “Ahem.”

  Daniel and Jessie jumped at the intrusion. Daniel looked over to see Torrick, naked, leaning against a tree. Daniel pulled Jessie behind him.

  “What do you want?” Daniel barked at his older brother. Why can’t a guy catch a break?

  “The Change is over.” Torrick pointed to the east where the sun was barely peaking over the horizon.

  “Okay?” Daniel replied.

  “Rickon wants his daughter home.”

  “I’m coming,” Jessie said. She turned back into her wolf form before she ran out of the clearing.

  Daniel watched her run off and desperately wanted to follow her. His body was still hard from her touch.

  “Are you going to do something about that?” Torrick nodded to Daniel’s erection.

  “I was planning on it until you interrupted me.”

  “Please, if you’re going to take a woman, then take her.”

  “And you’re such an expert at love making?”

  “Love? No. Sex? Yes.” Daniel saw the wicked gleam in his brother’s dark eyes. Daniel had no doubt Torrick could make a woman writhe with pleasure. Mostly because their rooms were right next to each other. “Ashley wants us home.”

  “Tell her I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “I’m not a messenger boy,” Torrick said, standing taller.

  “You gave me the message, so yeah, I think you are. Be a good doggie and run on home.”

  Daniel didn’t have time to move before his brother was already in front of him. He heard the loud pop and then pain shoot through his jaw. He guessed he had asked for that. Daniel rubbed his jaw, tempted to return the hit, but he knew Torrick was the better fighter.

  “Get home. Now,” Torrick said before he walked past him.

  Daniel watched his brother shift back into his wolf form and take off. Daniel looked to the direction Jessie had left. Just five minutes alone with her. That’s all he needed. He wanted more, but right now five minutes was even too much to ask for. His body was still hard as he walked his way back to the bikes. The cool air helped, but not enough to put out the fire inside him. The fire that Jessie always lit. He walked back to where he had left his clothes next to his bike. He grabbed them, yanking them on.

  Fully dressed, Daniel mounted his bike and made his way back to the bar. He pulled behind the three story building made of red brick and laced with windows on the top two floors. He walked into Cici’s Tavern and breathed in the familiar scent of oak, fermented yeast, and maple.

  The smell of home.

  The bar was started by his parents, and now belonged to his sister, him, and his three brothers. He looked over to the right at the oak bar top. Behind it lie many glass shelves, and above them were a picture of his parents and a picture of his oldest brother, Jackson, and his wife. His heart broke for the family that was no longer with him. He looked to the left where the stage was set up. His drums sat in the back with the overhead light casting down on them. In front of the stage was a dance floor and then tables surrounded the rest of the bar. In the far left corner, a pool table and benches sat. The walls were a red brick that matched the outside of the bar, and random signs and pictures hung on them.

  Daniel walked from the empty bar to the kitchen. He looked at the mess he had created earlier. He grabbed some paper towels and cleaner and started wiping up the spaghetti sauce. He would normally be mad about cleaning it up, but since the prank fell on Torrick, it made it all worth it.

  “I heard you ran into some demons.”

  Daniel turned to his sister who stood in the doorway.

  “Yeah. They were two lesser demons. Easily vanquished. How are the new wolves?”

  “Good,” Ashley said. “Rickon’s two new wolves went through the Change easy enough. They shouldn’t have any problems on the next full moon.”

  “Good.” Daniel made one more pass at the counter before he threw away the paper towels. He made to move to the door.

  “How’s Jessie?” Ashley asked, blocking his path.

  “She’s good. She actually took out one of the demons.”

  “What’s going on between you two?”

  Daniel looked at his sister.

  “That’s none of your business, Ash.”

  “It kind of is. Rickon is very protective of his daughter, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “Thanks for looking out for me, but I can take care of myself.”

  “I know you can, but Rickon and his pack are roamers. They don’t take root anywhere. I’m surprised they’ve stayed this long.”

  “Maybe he’s tired of moving his pack around, especially with us here to help his young go through the Change.”

  “Maybe. Just be careful, Daniel.”

  Daniel walked over to his sister and kissed the top of her head.

  “Good night, Ashley.”

  Daniel walked from the kitchen to the staircase that sat to the right of the front door. He kept going up to the third floor where the rooms were. He walked to the second door on the left and opened it to his room. Gareth was on his brown leather sofa playing on his PlayStation 4. Never a minute alone. Not that he should be surprised. He and Gareth always played video games together. Daniel looked at Gareth. Like all his brothers, they were very close in looks. Brown hair, dark eyes, and strong jaws. Although, they differed in height and slightly in size, Torrick being the biggest of his brothers. Gareth was lean like his brother Drew, and a couple inches shorter than Daniel.

  “You want in?” Gareth asked, not looking up from the game.

  “Nah, I’m going to take a shower first.”

  Daniel kicked off his shoes before peeling out of his clothes and heading to his bathroom. He had to get the demon ash off of him. It really was the grossest thing in the world. He let the hot water rain over him as he scrubbed his body down with soap. If only it was as easy to get Jessie off his mind as it was to get the demon dust off his body.
The truth was he didn’t want Jessie off his mind. He wanted her with him, always. Since the moment he saw her, he knew she would be his.

  He remembered when he first saw her. Her blond hair was much shorter then, cut to jaw length. A beautiful jaw that came to a point at her chin. She had the perfect heart-shaped face framing those light brown eyes that looked like honey.

  Daniel, Drew and Gareth, as well as Ashley and Darion, had gone to see how the pack was fitting in New Orleans. Jessie’s pack had just relocated and Ashley wanted to make sure they stayed on good terms. Wolves are territorial and sometimes a new pack could become competition, but Rickon wanted peace and has kept his word.

  Jessie was nearly hiding behind her brothers and father when he had first seen her. She looked so scared. It touched Daniel. He instantly wanted to comfort her and put her mind at ease. He wanted to protect her.

  When Daniel found out that they would be staying, he was beyond delighted. He spent as much time with her as he could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a lot since her family was very protective of her. He could understand that. She was something worth protecting.

  The first time she spoke to him wasn’t until after the death of one of her brothers. She was so sad, and it broke Daniel’s heart. He had lost his oldest brother that same day, during the same battle when Lilith, the mother of demons, escaped from her prison and nearly killed them all.

  Jessie had comforted him during his brother’s death and he only hoped he had comforted her during her brother’s as well.

  From there on out, he was totally smitten with her. Just listening to her talk was mesmerizing. She had a soft voice, warm and calming. She definitely had that effect.

  She was a very calm woman.

  Daniel looked down at the erection he always got when he thought about Jessie for too long. Well, maybe not calm in that way.

  “Are you going to leave any hot water?” Gareth called out through the bathroom door, snapping Daniel from his thoughts. Shit.

  “Yeah, I’m almost done.”

  Daniel finished rinsing off with cold water before he got out and wrapped the towel around his waist. Gareth pushed in through the door and started stripping.

  “You have your own bathroom,” Daniel barked.

  “Yeah, but I’m out of soap and you have soap.”

  Daniel shook his head as he left the bathroom. He pulled on a pair of grey sweat pants and a black T-shirt before falling on the leather sofa. He clicked the controller and scrolled down to his saved game. He jumped into Call of Duty and began blowing things up left and right. That’s what he needed. A little digital blood shed to get his mind off Jessie.

  Daniel looked up as Drew barged through his bedroom door and fell on the sofa next to him. Drew was younger than him, but not by much.

  “Why does everyone come to my room?” Daniel asked as he slid over to get his own personal space back.

  “Because you have beer, and you’re such a good host,” Drew said as he reached into the small refrigerator next to the sofa.

  Yay him. He was Martha Freaking Stewart.

  Daniel ignored him as he focused on his game. Gareth came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later and Drew jumped up and grabbed Daniel’s towel from the bed poster.

  “Hey!” Daniel said. “You have your own bathroom.”

  “But you have the good soap,” Drew said.

  “How about you go buy some, then you would have it, too.”

  “Nah.” Drew leapt into the bathroom as Daniel’s throw pillow hit the shutting door.

  Punks.

  Gareth fell to the couch next to him, taking Drew’s spot. He clicked on the controller and jumped into the game with him. Daniel really didn’t mind his brothers being around him. He loved his family, but sometimes he just wanted to be alone. Well, alone with Jessie at least, but that was proving to be impossible. He would just have to think of a plan. He wanted it to be special the first time he makes love to her. She was a special woman and deserves all the romance in the world. He was sure he could come up with something. He was a rich werewolf with moves that could bring any woman to their knees. But he didn’t want Jessie on her knees. He wanted her by his side, as a strong woman should be.

  CHAPTER 2

  Jessie walked up to the little shack she called home. When her pack moved to New Orleans, they took up residence in some old homes deep in the bayou that had been abandoned when hurricane Katrina came through. It was far enough from the human race so the new wolves could shift without notice. It was also rather peaceful. The frogs were chirping and the last hoots of the nearby owls echoed through the early morning air. Yep, a nice place to relax. Except for the gators. Jessie never really cared for the reptilian giants.

  It was still dark outside and the lights were off in her house. The sun was peaking over the horizon, but provided little light. The smell of Daniel still lingered around her. She loved the way he smelled. Like oak and maple syrup. The feel of his lips still lingered on her own, and her body was still on fire from his touch. That was the closest they had ever been. She wished they hadn’t been interrupted. To see his rock hard body, every muscle tightly lacing his tall frame, was something worth exploring. And she wanted to explore every inch of his delicious body. If only he would just make his move.

  It had been months and the best she had gotten from him were some steamy make out sessions. She wasn’t really sure if he was attracted to her. From everything she had heard about the Gregorian men, they didn’t waste much time getting a girl into bed. Yet, Daniel had barely even touched her.

  Jessie shifted back into human form as she approached the front door of her house and grabbed the clothes she had shifted out of earlier. She threw on the T-shirt and jean shorts.

  Jessie quietly opened the front door to her plain cottage house. Her feet silently moved across the new wood floors they replaced from the flood damage. The living room to the right was dark as she tiptoed past it. It was a small house. Two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, small office, and one bathroom, all of which were compacted into the one thousand square foot home. Her brothers slept either on the couch or in the barn out back, just keeping some clothes in the hall closet.

  Treading lightly, she made it through the kitchen… until the light turned on.

  Startled, she spun around ready to face her attacker. She saw her older brother, Robb, leaning against the wall by the light switch. His brown, shoulder-length hair was pulled up in a ‘man bun’ and his brown eyes pinned her to the spot. Jessie took a deep breath as she lowered her arms back to her side and let her shoulders relax.

  “Where did you go?” Robb asked.

  “I was helping with the border,” Jessie said as she moved past him to the refrigerator. She pulled out a bottle of water and took a swig.

  “With the Gregorian?” Jessie noted the eye roll as he said “Gregorian”.

  “That’s none of your business,” Jessie said, closing the refrigerator door.

  “It is my business. You know how risky it is to be sneaking around with him. What if father had caught you?”

  “As long as you keep your voice down, he won’t,” Jessie scolded.

  “You know he doesn’t want you seeing Daniel anymore. Why do you keep disobeying him?”

  “Because it’s my life.”

  Robb shook his head. Pain sliced through Jessie. She remembered Paul always shaking his head at her. Robb was the spitting image of his twin brother Paul. Paul had died almost four months ago during a battle. Even though their personalities were very different, their looks were the same and they shared a lot of the same mannerisms. Jessie looked away before Robb could see the pain in her eyes. Why did he have to be a twin? Why couldn’t he have his own looks like her middle brother Justin?

  “Be careful, Jess,” Robb said. “Daniel might be fun, but you know the consequences if he were to ever find out what you really are.”

  Jessie winced. She was so tired of her secret always hiding in the shadows. A death sentence loom
ing over her head, following her everywhere she went like a storm cloud waiting to rain destruction down on her. She didn’t ask for this. She didn’t want it. Only her brothers and her father knew she was half witch. And they never speak about it. Her powers were bound every month or so to keep them in check.

  Robb kissed her on the forehead. She was much shorter than him. He was about six foot four, and she only reached five foot five. He tucked her blond hair behind her ear. Jessie caught the smell of blood and looked down at his arm.

  “That bite is deep,” Jessie said as she saw that the teeth had sunk through the muscle that laced his forearm.

  “It’ll heal.”

  “Come on.” Jessie made her brother sit at the table before she walked to the cabinet and pulled out the First Aid kit. She walked back to him and kicked out the chair next to him before taking a seat. She doused the cotton ball in peroxide before she applied it to his bite.

  “Damn, that stings.” Robb winced as she cleaned out the wound. He tried to pull away, but Jessie grabbed his arm and yanked it back to her.

  “Stop being a girl.” She put on some Neosporin and then wrapped the arm in gauze. “Was it Dani that bit you?”

  “Who else? Brandon was too scared to try to attack.”

  “Dani was always the stronger of the two.” Jessie taped the gauze in place and looked at her work. Yeah, there was a reason she wasn’t a doctor. That was a poorly wrapped bandage. Oh well, he’ll heal soon enough.

  “Go to bed before dad wakes up,” Robb said, flexing his forearm.

  “I’m going to go check on the twins before I do.”

  “You should get some rest. Don’t overdo yourself.”

  “I’m fine, Robb. I’m just going to the barn, not hiking up the side of Mount Everest.”

  Jessie left Robb sitting in the kitchen as she walked to the back door and back out into the morning air. The dew was beginning to burn off the ground as the sun rose higher.

  “Jessie!” Jessie looked at the little girl that ran up to her. Karen was only five and belonged to one of the wolf families in her pack. Her brown hair fell in two braids down her shoulders, each one flopping around while she ran. She leapt up as she neared and Jessie caught her in her arms.