Beneath a blood lust moon (Rise of the Arkansas Werewolves, #2)

“I know.” He gave her a pained look. “That was a conversation I could have done without.”


She stood up and crossed her arms. “The point is, I’ve told you personal things, yet you never even bothered to tell me that werewolves were real.”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” His shoulder slumped forward as he eyed the floor with interest. “I didn’t tell you because I thought it would put you in danger. I thought the less you knew, the better.”

“And now?” She slung her hands on her hips.

Beau shot her a hard look. “Now you need to get rid of that guy in your bed. He was shot with a silver bullet.”

“So?”

“So, it means someone meant to kill him.”

A pain shot through her heart. Why would someone try to kill Braxton? Better yet, what had he done to make someone shoot him?

“Whoever shot him will be looking for a body. When they don’t find one, they’ll track him down. They will track him right to your front door.”





CHAPTER FIVE





After a heated debate with Beau over whether or not Braxton should stay, Kate had finally had enough and made Beau leave. She stood at the window, watching her best friend drive away and feeling a little guilty because she’d chosen a stranger over him. She’d never done that before. Tonight held a lot of firsts for her, including making out with a hot guy who happened to be a wolf.

A wolf. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around that one.

She groaned. “Well, I guess I should be hoping for the best. Maybe he doesn’t remember me mauling him.” She flung herself onto the living room chair and buried her face in her hands. “Of course he’ll remember me doing that. Sex is the only thing guys can remember.”

Her gut twisted as she realized she couldn’t avoid Braxton forever. She needed to go check on him. She stood and gnawed on a fingernail as she cast a furtive glance down the hallway. Sucking up her courage, she made her way to her bedroom. She peeked her head in. She let out a huge breath when she saw Braxton sound asleep.

The sheet was twisted around his naked and chiseled waist while his right leg stuck off the side of the bed. His forehead glistened with signs of fever, and even in his sleep, he grimaced against the pain.

She eased further into the room. Something about him pulled at her, urging her closer .

She brushed his black hair with the blue tips away from his eyes. His muscular tattooed arms screamed bad boy. Trouble was the last thing Kate needed. She had enough trouble of her own.

She touched her hand to his brow.

“Ouch!” She sucked in a breath as she snatched her hand away from the sizzling heat of his skin. Glancing down, she expected to see a blister. It wasn’t humanly possible for a man to be that hot and still be alive. Wouldn’t his brain be fried from the heat?

“Who are you?” she whispered.

He grabbed her hand, his eyes still closed. She yelped, caught off guard by his quick reflexes. Maybe Beau was right. Maybe she should have kicked Braxton out.

“I won’t hurt you.” He looked up with red-rimmed eyes.

“How can you be alive and be so hot?”

“Still think I’m hot, do you?” He managed a weak grin.

She snorted. “I didn’t mean like that.”

His grin faded and so did his grip. “It’s the silver.”

She leaned closer and laced her fingers through his. “You mean the bullet? But Beau got it out.”

“The silver’s been in my body, making it hard for me to heal.”

“What do you mean? Can you heal yourself, like Wolverine?”

He let out a weak laugh. “Not quite that fast.”

“So you should be getting better, right?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never gotten shot with a silver bullet before. I’m not exactly sure how quickly I can heal. Or if I can.” He looked down at their entwined hands and frowned. “I’m probably scorching your beautiful skin, aren’t I?” He pulled away.

Kate looked down at her hand, missing the heat of his touch. “No burns. See? I’m good.” She held up her hand and smiled. “I didn’t even notice the heat,” she lied.

He held his hand out. She didn’t need any more encouragement. She pulled the antique chair closer to the bed and sat, keeping their hands connected.

He sighed and closed his eyes. “You feel so good.”

She shivered at his gravelly voice. Her mind conjured up images of what it would be like to be naked and rolling around with this gorgeous man.

He moved and the sheet shifted. She craned her neck, casting her gaze below his waist.

He moaned, drawing her attention up to his face. His eyes were slammed shut, pain etched across his face. Here he was in pain and she was trying to get a peek at his package. She was a bigger jerk than her ex-boyfriend.

“What can I do, Braxton? I’ve got some Tylenol for the pain.”

He shook his head. “No. Tylenol is toxic to my kind.”

“Really?” She frowned. “What about chocolate?”

“I’m not a dog, Kate.”

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