Bite of the Moon: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Boxed Set (37 page)

Two more leapt over the bar, startling her. The gun wavered and then her will to live and fight kicked in. She smiled the same shit-eating grin that always got her in trouble, a look that set her brother’s back teeth on edge. The big bad wolf snarled while his two minions scrabbled for purchase. Lifting the gun to her shoulder, she fired, her aim true. The kick knocked her off balance for a moment, a distraction that cost her leverage.

A rousing chorus of howls rent the air.

Her grip on the machine gun didn’t ease, even as the larger wolf jumped on top of her, with the barrel pointing toward the wall, she eased off the trigger not wanting to accidentally hit one of her pack. His hatred for her was palpable. Blood dripped onto her from a wound in his side. She wanted to cheer at the damage she’d caused.

“You’re a coward, wolf. You may be the alpha of your pack, but you will never be a real alpha. You can kill me, but what does that get you?” She spoke to the wolf, knowing he could hear and understand her. “I won’t turn my neck. You don’t deserve that distinction,” she spat.

* * * *

Rowan’s heart was threatening to burst out of his chest. The Iron Wolf Club looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. The truck he’d been riding in hadn’t come to a complete stop when he’d jumped out, the scent of death and blood assaulting his senses.

Seeing the doors ripped off, he and the other men ran through, some shifted, others half-shifted. Rowan searched for Lyric through the fighting. Kellen had told him to follow his nose. He wasn’t sure what the other man meant until he’d come face to face with an onslaught of wolves he’d never met. Instinct and scent told him which were on their side.

He ducked as a wolf came sailing over his head. The lifeless body one of the enemies made him breathe easier.

Abrupt gunfire brought everyone to a grinding halt. The sound was one he was familiar with from his combat days, but wasn’t sure who had fired the deadly weapon until the petite form of his mate was the only one near the sound still firing. She held the black gun, shooting at two large wolves as they charged her.

His eyes widened when another wolf, larger than any he’d seen, leapt on top of her.

Rowan would kill the wolf. He shifted, uncaring of his clothes ripping. The brown wolf had Lyric caged beneath him while she taunted him. Oh, he was so gonna spank her, or bite her. The big gun looked ready to bend beneath the pressure of the wolf, a sinking feeling of being too late entered his mind. He wouldn’t allow it. She’d saved him. It was his turn to save her. Then he’d bend her over his knee and spank her beautiful heart-shaped ass, after he made love to her.

His wolf pushed the human side of him back, snarling a warning at the larger wolf. With Xan coming at the wolf from behind, Lyric was in a very precarious position. He could see the metal giving, her strength no match for man or beast as she used the gun to keep the wolf from getting to her throat. And then she shocked him by shifting. The swiftness of the action startled the wolf, as well, allowing Lyric a chance to shimmy out from under him.

Lunging across the space, Rowan slammed into him head on. The gun went off, causing everyone to jump except Rowan. Blood oozed from wounds on the other wolf; he swung his head back and forth, looking for a way out. With Xan blocking one end and Rowan the other, he had no chance of escape.

Rowan flicked his wolven tongue out and licked his fangs, taunting the other beast. His focus narrowed down to what the other would choose to do now that he was cornered. His opponent’s hind legs shifted, a slight twist. A bullet had hit him in the left leg, making the leap over the bar almost impossible. He looked to be thinking of trying, and then turned toward Xan, barreling into Lyric’s brother with all his might. The action was swift and vicious as he swiped a huge paw aimed to take out Xan’s jugular, only his mate’s brother was faster.

Xan’s growl was chilling. He knocked the brown wolf to the side, but fell in the pool of blood.

Rowan glanced around to check on Lyric. Her wolf stood proud, shaking debris from broken bottles from her fur. Acceptance of what he had to do shone in her amber depths.

Stalking the beast that tried to kill his mate across the cement floor, Rowan snapped his teeth, growling out a challenge. A huge man, with tattoos on both arms, and two other men, equally as big blocked the door, grins on their faces that did not make them look any less menacing.

The brown wolf turned around, his gaze taking in what was left of his crew. A howl of rage flew from him. Rowan’s howl was louder.

Not knowing protocol on wolf fights, uncaring how they should go, Rowan charged the wolf. His injuries too severe, the brown wolf didn’t put up much of a fight. The light of battle had already began to dim as Rowan locked his jaws around the other’s throat. He took pleasure in ending the wolf’s life, not repulsed by the blood in his mouth. His wolf shook its head back and forth, making sure the enemy wouldn’t get up.

“You can let go now, my love.” Lyric stood behind him, her face streaked with grime.

“You, little missy, owe me an AR-15. Do you know how much they cost?” Turo walked up holding the pieces of his gun.

Rowan wanted to smile, but, in his wolf form, found it didn’t quite look the same.

“You scared of being naked in front of all these boys?” she asked, scratching his head.

Yeah, his woman was in so much trouble. He shifted, uncaring of his nudity.

“I’ll get you the newest model.” Rowan looked up at the man standing far too close.

“Rowan, this is Arturo, but he goes by Turo. Turo, this is my mate.” She shifted from foot to foot as she realized what she’d called him.

Her words caused his wolf to settle.

“Dude, put some clothes on. You’re gonna make Xan jealous and shit.” Kellen slapped him on the back, a pair of sweats landing at his feet. They obviously kept supplies of extra clothes everywhere. His shoes were trashed, but he’d walked over a lot worse.

“Pretty sure I ain’t heard no complaints, bro. As a matter of fact—” he stopped laughing as Lyric tossed a piece of metal at him.

“If you value your manhood, I suggest you don’t finish that.” Lyric glared at him.

Turo nudged Xan aside. “Shut it. This guy was just explaining how he was replacing my baby.”

The light that shone in the otherwise harsh face was almost comical.

“I can get you a replacement. No problem.” Rowan waved away his concerns.

He recognized the woman with flowing black hair that would stop traffic in any major city strolling through the door. Her blue eyes reminded him of the clearest ocean. If he wasn’t already head over ass in love with Lyric, he’d have fallen in lust at first sight. As it was, his mate elbowed him in the side, a smile on her beautiful face. “That’s my best friend, Karsyn Styles, Syn to her friends, trouble with a capital T to her brother, Kellen. Oh, and here it comes.”

He was going to question what she meant, but her meaning became obvious in less than twenty seconds. All the wolves in the room stopped what they were doing, stood straight, and stared toward the entryway.

Kellen’s shoulders stiffened, his hands flexed into tight fists. “Karsyn, did I tell you it was safe to leave?”

Syn flicked her long hair over her shoulder. “Kellen, did I ask you for your permission?” She drew his name out in a long drawl. “I don’t believe I need to ask you if I may leave my home. The alarm was lifted, hence I’m here.”

“She’s itching for a fight,” Lyric whispered.

Rowan had figured that out. Why, was the question?

Placing her hands on hips exposed by her barely there daisy dukes, Syn stared her brother down. Her gaze raked over him then around the room. Who she looked for, Rowan wasn’t sure. Testosterone levels increased so much, his wolf itched to push Lyric behind him. Several growls echoed around the otherwise quiet space.

“I came to tell you the police have heard of a disturbance. Luckily, I was dating the chief a couple weeks back, and he called to see if I was okay. You know how they hate coming this far outside the city. However, the sheriff’s department doesn’t have such an affliction.”

At the mention of her dating, or whatever, the big man named Bodhi stomped out from behind the bar. “What the fuck do you mean, you were dating the chief?” he asked, his dark eyes blacker than the blackest night.

Syn shrugged. “Let’s get this place cleaned up, if we plan to open any time soon.” She didn’t so much as walk, but sashay across the blood-and-dirt filled room, carefully stepping over bodies as if it were an everyday occurrence and she was the queen of the castle.

“Um, baby, do you dress like that?” He tilted his head in the direction the other woman had disappeared.

Lyric laughed. “I’m not sure where she found those shorts. I think they’re from like ninth grade, but they got the response she was looking for.”

“If you mean she has her brother ready to rip every man’s head off and Bodhi’s blood vessel in his right temple ready to explode, then, yes, mission accomplished.”

They worked as a team cleaning up the mess left behind from the fight. He was surprised when the fallen wolves didn’t shift back to men, until Kellen explained if you died in your shifted form then that was how you stayed. The biggest problem with that was they were unable to learn their identities, making the question of why they were attacked an unsolved issue.

“Did you find Taya?” Lyric asked as they loaded up into his big truck.

Rowan turned to look at the bar, a scowl on his face. “Yeah, she’s a little worse for wear, but she’ll recover.”

Lyric shook her head. “Xan cares about her, but she’s not his mate. I’m glad she’s okay. She’ll probably head back home to Mystic, South Dakota. That’s where she’s originally from.”

“Is there another pack there?” Rowan asked, thinking he really needed to learn more.

“Yes. I don’t know all the details, just that she has family there.”

Rowan felt sorry for the other woman, but his first worry was for his own mate.

He wanted to get her back to his place and shower the stink of fighting and death off both of them before he made love to her. He’d heard the word mate bandied about, saw the flash of fear in Lyric’s eyes every time. Rowan knew what it meant on some levels. His own mind had flashed the word to him earlier. His wolf wanted her and no other, and so did he. They both needed to let their woman know she was it for them. Mate. She was their mate. Their woman. His wolf settled as he accepted it.

Rowan laced his fingers through hers. They’d both washed their hands and faces, however, their clothes, and everything from their necks to their toes, were covered in dirt and grime.

When he pulled into the garage, Lyric’s fingers loosened, but his tightened, pulling her across the seat and out his door. After the night he’d had, the fear of what could’ve happened to her, Rowan wasn’t sure he could let Lyric out of his sight for the foreseeable future. She didn’t seem to mind, wrapping her legs around his waist as he maneuvered them through his quiet home. His bare feet left traces of what they’d been through on the tile and wood. How he’d explain the mess to his housekeeper, he had no clue, nor did he care.

Ignoring the big bed that dominated his bedroom, he carried his precious woman into his en suite. The luxurious room was one he’d spared no expense on.

“Do you like this outfit, darling?”

“Oh, fuck, no. Get it off me.” Lyric locked her legs around his waist, pulling her T-shirt off, trusting him to hold her up.

The tiled shower drew him, but he could also picture setting her on the double vanity with the mirror behind it. The height would be perfect for him to sit Lyric on the edge while he fucked her, or he could bend her over and watch her expression in the mirror as he pounded into her from behind.

“What has that look on your face?” Lyric bit at his lower lip.

Rowan captured her mouth with his own, telling her in explicit detail what he’d imagined doing to her.

“Holy fuck me running. You keep that shit up and I’m liable to come in my panties.”

A growl escaped at her words, and the smell of her arousal let him know she was telling the truth. Rowan used his strength to unlock her feet from behind him, stripping the remaining clothes from both of them. “Why, you little liar. You don’t have any panties on.” He swatted her behind. The playful tap had the fleshy little cheek bouncing. A pink flush covered her face.

“Oopsie, I must have left them back at the clubhouse.” She blinked over her shoulder at him, smiling playfully.

Damn, he loved her and her dirty mouth. “In you go.” He watched her look at the large, decadent shower with the wide shelf built into one wall. When he’d had the blueprints drawn up, he’d had it designed with the sole purpose of sex in mind. The builder had raised his eyebrows, probably doing a little math and coming up with the exact height of Rowan, but he didn’t care. He’d wanted to be able to set his wife on the ledge, and be at the perfect height to slide between her legs.

With a press of a few buttons, the multi-head showers came on, and he allowed a few minutes for the water to warm up before he settled Lyric in front of them. Taking the time to wash her and then himself nearly killed him. Her breathing had turned into little pants.