ENDARK

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN ALIEN BROTHERS

HONEY PHILLIPS

Copyright © 2023 by Honey Phillips

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author.

Disclaimer

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design by Mariah Sinclair

Edited by Lindsay York at LY Publishing Services

Created with Vellum

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

Author’s Note

Other Titles

About the Author

CHAPTER 1

Faster. Must go faster.

The need to reach the human town of Wainwright and claim a bride throbbed through Endark’s veins. Despite his best attempts at control, a growl escaped. Not that his attempts to control his beast had been particularly successful lately. Drakkar turned to look at him from his position on the bench at the front of the sleigh, and although the big winged male’s face was set in its usual mocking lines, Endark could see the concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine.”

His voice also came out as a growl, but after a brief survey of his face, Drakkar nodded.

“It won’t be long,” Benjar said cheerfully, but Endark saw him trying to encourage the draft animals pulling their sleigh to travel faster.

The humans called them horses—hybrid versions of an animal once common on their planet. Unfortunately they were not specifically designed for this weather, and with the snow that had been falling all day already thick on the ground there were limits to their speed. Of course that wouldn’t dampen Benjar’s enthusiasm. The feline male was the youngest of Endark’s brothers-in-arms and almost always presented a cheerful facade. He didn’t fool Endark. He could sense the deep well of loneliness beneath the carefree surface—a loneliness which matched his own. He suspected that was why Benjar had come up with this crazy scheme in the first place.

Artek, their former commander, had recently married Nelly, a human female. She had told them a tale from human history—a story of soldiers returning home from war to find themselves without females. A wise man had instructed them to claim their brides during the festivities in a nearby town. Nelly had even said they all lived happily ever after. Now he and Benjar were out to do the same. Although he had long ago stopped believing in any kind of permanent happiness, he hoped that finding a bride would satisfy his Vultor side and calm the beast that lived beneath his skin.

As Benjar began to wax rhapsodic about the bride he intended to claim—a fictional female Endark suspected was unlikely to exist—Endark settled back into the wagon bed they placed on the sleigh runners and tried to let the beauty of their surroundings help calm his urgency. They were traveling next to the wide river that ran along one side of the valley where their ranch was located. The water rushed by in a dark green torrent, moving too swiftly to freeze this early in the year.

On the far side of the river, the land rose rapidly to the towering peaks currently hidden in clouds. On their side of the river, the pastures and fields of the ranch spread to the base of the mountains, already covered with a thick blanket of snow. The wooded slopes rising above them looked dark and mysterious in the snowfall, but he already knew every inch of this land. It had become his home—a home he had never expected to find.

When the war ended, Artek had suggested that their squad join together to find a new home. Their time in the war had formed a bond between all of them—a bond as deep and permanent as that of the family he’d once had. A bond that had allowed him to remain in control long past the age when a Vultor male would have acquired a mate to soothe his more savage impulses. He had no desire to lose that family, and ironically he had been the one to locate the ranch on Cresca.

Even though he had been born here, he had never thought to return to the planet once he left to join the Alliance forces, but the isolated ranch had been the perfect location to help all of them heal from the effects of the war. Unfortunately, despite the serenity of their new home, and despite the fact that he was only half-Vultor, he had been unable to escape his father’s legacy. His control over his beast was beginning to slip. Finding a bride was his last hope.

As they drove over the mountain pass that separated the ranch from the plains where Wainwright was located, Benjar flicked a questioning glance at him over his shoulder. He nodded. In Nelly’s story, the soldiers who had claimed their brides had used the arrival of winter to give themselves time to woo their brides. They planned to do the same. But although the winter snows would eventually seal off the pass, they didn’t intend to rely solely on the weather.

The snow that had been falling so heavily in the valley had yet to reach the plains on the other side of the pass. From the look of the clouds hanging low and heavy over the small town, he suspected it wouldn’t be long before it reached them. With little snow already on the ground, Benjar drove the sleigh into a sparse grove of trees at the foot of the mountains.

“Probably best to leave this here.”

“Yes,” he growled, already impatient at any further delays. His body quivered with the need to run.

“Wait here,” Drakkar ordered. “I will inspect the town.”

Benjar immediately protested, but Drakkar ignored him and took flight. Endark went to join Benjar while they waited, although he was finding it increasingly hard to control his urgency. They talked briefly, but he found it difficult to focus on anything but the presence of the nearby town.

By the time Drakkar returned, he barely retained enough control to listen to the other male’s report before snatching the vial Drakkar handed him and taking off towards the town. Just as in Nelly’s tale, they intended to find their brides at a dance being held to celebrate the turning of the seasons—although they intended to observe rather than participate.

He reached the outskirts of town before his control—and his sense of survival—reasserted itself. Humans had no love for the Vultor. Even though his own mother had been human, his father’s legacy was strong enough that he could not pass as human and the sight of him would raise alarms. Benjar was also clearly not human with his deep pink fur and feline features, but his people did not have a history with humans the way Vultor did.

He slipped automatically into hunting mode, moving silently between the buildings and using the deep shadows of the gloomy afternoon to conceal his presence. The activity on the main street increased and he knew he was approaching the location where the dance was to be held. Excitement rippled through him, and he had to fight to keep his claws from extending—but then a faint, delicious scent caught his attention.

His acute sense of smell had automatically noted the surrounding scents—of the wood smoke from their fires, of the food being prepared, and of course the myriad scents of the humans themselves—but none of them had caught his attention this way. He took a deep breath, trying to capture more of that sweet, elusive scent and automatically began moving in the direction where it was strongest. He was vaguely aware that he had passed the location of the dance, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was tracing that scent.

He followed it until he reached an impressive looking house, set back from the street and surrounded by an iron fence and an ornate garden, each plant rigidly controlled. From here he could clearly identify the presence of numerous humans in the house in addition to his female. His female?

Mate, his beast growled.

Mate? The thought interrupted his pursuit and he came to a halt, concealing himself amongst the bushes outside the fence. He wanted a bride, wanted a female to soften his beast and help control that side of him, but he had never anticipated a full mate bond. He was not at all sure that he wanted one—he had seen what happened to his father after his mother died.

His father had not followed his mother into death, although he sometimes suspected it might have been better for all of them if he had. But he was never the same afterwards. They moved from place to place, driven by his father’s restlessness and his increasingly violent nature. He had never laid a hand on Endark, but his colleagues had not been so lucky.

They eventually settled in the outskirts of Port Cantor, the largest city on Cresca. Because it was also the location of the major spaceport, the inhabitants were more accustomed to a variety of races and it was easier for his father to pick up jobs—jobs he eventually lost because of his violent outbursts or his drinking. He had finally died in a stupid, unnecessary accident leaving Endark on his own. With nowhere else to go, he had hung around Port Cantor for a few more years, eventually striking up a friendship with Gilmat, another misfit unwanted by his people.

Gilmat had been the one to suggest that they join the Alliance Forces, a surprising suggestion from the huge male. Despite his size, Gilmat had a gentle nature, but he too was desperate to escape. Endark had agreed and the two of them had volunteered, ending up in what turned out to be a meaningless war on Vizal. When Endark found the ranch, he had expected Gilmat to object to returning to Cresca. Instead, he had agreed readily enough. Perhaps they both felt at home here, despite the difficulties of their childhoods.

But it was the thought of that childhood that made him pause now. Could he take the chance on a true mate bond with a human female? He remembered his childhood well enough to believe that his mother had truly loved his father. His parents had been happy together, but those happy memories were buried beneath the years of watching his father deteriorate.

The door to the house opened, and three females emerged. The first was a stout older woman with a quantity of jewels at her throat and wrists, accompanied by a pretty young female with a resigned expression, but his attention focused on the third female. She had her back to him and he couldn’t see her face, but he could see the dark red of her hair, the lights from the house striking brighter sparks in the heavy mass. She was wearing a severe, dark gown, but it could not completely conceal the gentle curves of her body. His cock stiffened, pressing against his pants with painful urgency.

Claim, his beast growled, and he had to dig his claws into his palms to refrain from moving.

No. His human side was well aware that trying to carry her off in the presence of others would only result in the whole town coming after them. Despite that, he had to fight back a growl as the older woman lectured his female, her tone harsh and disapproving. He couldn’t make out the words, but the disapproval was clear enough, as was the tension in his female’s body.

The older female finally turned to march off down the path, dragging the young female with her as she gave his female an apologetic glance. Was this his chance? Before he could decide, his female stepped back inside the house, closing the door with a quiet force that spoke as loudly as a slam. No, it was not yet time. He expected his beast to be impatient with the delay, but the knowledge that it was only a delay helped to mollify that part of him. A hunter understood how to bide his time in pursuit of his prey. He settled down amongst the bushes and prepared to wait.

CHAPTER 2

Impossible woman.

Becky pressed her lips together, biting back the protests that wanted to emerge as Mrs. Watson huffed and swept off down the path, dragging her daughter behind her. Julie gave Becky an apologetic look over her shoulder as she was tugged along, but the girl was just as helpless in the face of her mother’s determination. Neither she nor Becky had been successful in persuading Mrs. Watson that her ideas for Julie’s winter wardrobe were neither appropriate nor flattering. Mrs. Watson thought that having money automatically gave her taste. She was wrong. But somehow Becky had kept her mouth shut this time just as she had so many times over the past month.

Mother would have handled it so much better, she thought as she reentered the house and carefully closed the door behind her, resisting the urge to slam it. Her mother had always been the one who handled their clients, and in the two years since her death Becky had fought a constant battle to overcome her more forthright nature. Her throat threatened to close at the thought of her kind, patient mother. She still missed her gentle warmth and the cozy days working together in their small cottage. They’d never had much money, but with the two of them working they’d had enough to support themselves and Becky’s younger brother Danny.

After her mother died, Becky discovered how much more difficult it was when she was the only one to support their family. The cottage had been a rental—one she could not afford on her own—and they had been forced to leave their comfortable home and move into a small set of rooms over the feed store. They had been adequate and she’d done her best to make them into a home. But then Mr. Miller, their landlord, had informed her that he intended to let his oldest son take over the space and they would have to find somewhere else to live.

Mrs. Watson’s offer to hire her to make Julie’s winter wardrobe had come at an ideal time, especially since she had offered to sweeten the pot by providing room and board. Winter was always a difficult time of year for her business. Wainwright’s isolation and distance from any nearby towns, let alone the spaceport located at Port Cantor meant that very few deliveries were received over the winter months, including new fabrics and accessories with which to ply her trade.

On the other hand, the winter isolation also meant that readymade clothing was scarce, especially the old-fashioned long skirts and high necklines that had been imposed on the town by its original founder, Josiah Wainwright. He had founded the town with the idea that life had been simpler and better in Earth’s past. He had established guidelines on everything from clothing to behavior in an attempt to replicate that time, and even after his death his traditions lingered.

She had grown up here and she was used to the guidelines, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t chafe, especially the decidedly old-fashioned notions about women running a business and owning property outside of marriage. Their former cottage was coming up for sale in the spring and it had taken her three tries to convince Mr. Purvis, the bank manager, to reluctantly agree that if she could come up with the deposit, he would provide the loan. Despite their modest lifestyle, she’d been putting money aside whenever she could. Even though it wasn’t much, it would be enough for the down payment, once she added the payment for this job.

Assuming I get paid, she thought bitterly as she sighed and headed down the wide hallway in search of her brother. Mrs. Watson was a wealthy widow, and everything about the house was as ostentatious as her wardrobe. But despite her wealth, Becky had never met a more tightfisted individual. She argued over every nickel and dime and had yet to pay Becky for anything other than the initial deposit. She insisted she would pay her as soon as the job was complete, but that left Becky and Danny at her mercy until then. Only the fact that she’d managed to work in a few side jobs had enabled her to avoid dipping into her savings.

At least I don’t have to worry about feeding Danny, she thought as she entered the big kitchen at the rear of the house and saw her brother eagerly devouring Mrs. Malcolm’s biscuits, lavishly smeared with her homemade jam. Her brother ate constantly—not that anyone would have thought it to look at him. He had shot up over the past year until he was as tall as Becky but he was all gangly limbs beneath a shock of bright red hair. Hers had been that color once, but it had darkened over the years to a more muted auburn.

“Look, this,” he said thickly, holding up a book with the hand he wasn’t using to shovel biscuits into his mouth. “Ith the history of the first settlement on Cresca.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she said automatically, then sighed. “I suppose that means you’ve been in the library again?”

He hunched his shoulders.

“It’s not like anyone uses it,” he said defensively, and she shook her head.

He wasn’t wrong. Julie was an avid reader, but she preferred to keep her books in her rooms. As far as she could tell, the only time Mrs. Watson ever entered the book-filled room was when she wanted to impress visitors with the collection. Printed books imported from Earth were rare and expensive, but Becky had certainly never seen Mrs. Watson actually open one of them. Her brother, on the other hand, had a quick mind and a thirst for knowledge, and the collection of books held a siren call for him.

“Just please don’t get any jam on one of her precious books,” she muttered, wincing as she looked at the book on the kitchen table, perilously close to Danny’s sticky hand.

Mrs. Malcolm chuckled. The kind older woman managed the household, and she smiled as she handed Becky a cup of tea.

“You know he’d never let anything happen to a book.” The housekeeper ruffled Danny’s hair as she returned to the stove. “If only he was as careful with his clothes.”

Becky gave her a rueful smile as she inspected her brother. Since she had last seen him, he had ripped a hole in his shirtsleeve and acquired a long streak of dirt up one pant leg.

“What happened to you this time?”

“Nothing,” he muttered, his eyes on his book.

Her amusement faded as she studied him. His coordination had yet to catch up with his rapidly growing body. It didn’t help that he was frequently distracted, obsessed with the latest focus of his endless curiosity, but this seemed like something more. She looked over at Mrs. Malcolm, but the housekeeper only shook her head slightly before ladling out two bowls of stew.

“Here you go. I expect you’re hungry after all the last-minute preparations for the dance. Miss Julie looked as pretty as a picture.”

Becky sighed as she picked up her spoon. Julie was a pretty little blonde, and her dress had been exquisitely made, even if she did say so herself. It didn’t change the fact that it was a long way from the original design that she and Julie had planned. Mrs. Watson had swept in and insisted on adding ruffles and bows and every other decoration she could imagine. The end result had been beautiful—and costly—but it was far too elaborate for Julie’s delicate prettiness.

Practically the only trace of the original design was a deep pocket where Julie could conceal a book. Not that Becky understood why the girl wanted to take a book to a dance, but then again Julie was far more comfortable with her books and her plants than she was with the socializing her mother preferred. But if Becky had been going, she would have preferred to spend her time dancing.

As if reading her thoughts, Mrs. Malcolm looked over at her.

“Why don’t you go to the dance? I’ll keep an eye on this troublemaker.”

Danny looked up at her and grinned. He was devouring his bowl of stew as enthusiastically as he had consumed the biscuits.

“I’m not interested,” she said quickly. “I have work to do,”

Danny’s grin turned into a scowl.

“You work too hard. She can’t make you work all night.”

“She’s not making me do anything. I just have a few things I want to take care of while the house is quiet.”

It was true enough—she did have work to do, but it wasn’t urgent. The tasks simply provided her with an excuse for not attending the dance.

“Why don’t you want to go?” Danny asked, his dark green eyes, so like her own, fastened on her face.

“Just not that interested,” she said lightly. “I’d rather stay here with my favorite brother.”

For a moment, she was afraid he wouldn’t drop the subject, but then he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Your only brother.”

“I’m sure you’d still be my favorite even if I had ten more brothers.”

“Thank goodness you don’t,” Mrs. Malcolm said. “I don’t think there’s enough food in town to feed ten more people with his appetite.”

They all laughed, and the moment passed.

After dinner, she sent Danny off to get ready for bed while she lingered in the kitchen and shared another cup of tea with the housekeeper.

“Did you hear that Joe Armstrong is finally going to marry Miranda Garcia now that Nelly is married to that alien?” Mrs. Malcolm asked.

The attractive widow had been keeping company with the storekeeper for quite some time, but she’d refused to marry him as long as his daughter remained in charge of his store and his home. Nelly was a close friend, but Becky couldn’t entirely blame Miranda. Nelly was a strong-willed woman, and the two would have inevitably clashed.

“I’m only surprised it’s taken this long,” she said dryly. “Nelly’s been gone for what? Six weeks now? I expected Miranda to have him at the Registrar’s Office as soon as the dust settled behind Nelly and her new husband.”

She had seen them riding out of town the day after their hasty wedding, and she’d been unable to suppress a pang of envy. Nelly’s huge new husband was obviously not human with his blue skin and dark towering horns, but he was attractive in a rather forbidding way. And despite his size and strength, he had held Nelly as if she were precious. No one had ever held Becky that way.

Not that I mind, she told herself. She’d always had far too many demands on her time to worry about the opposite sex. Her father had died when she was the same age as Danny was now. Between helping her mother with her sewing and taking care of her brother and dealing with her own grief, she’d been forced to grow up in a hurry. She’d been at the age where her friends had started to develop an interest in boys, but she hadn’t had the time or, frankly, the inclination. Time had grown even more scarce over the years, especially now that she was responsible for her brother.

She thought about a relationship occasionally, especially late at night when she was alone, but she’d long ago decided that any relationship would have to wait until after Danny was grown. Her decision hadn’t assuaged her momentary jealousy as she watched Nelly and her new husband. She found herself thinking about them again after her brother went to bed, and she went to the sewing room to work.

It didn’t really surprise her that Nelly had picked someone from outside of Wainwright, even if he was an alien. The pickings in town were slim at best, especially since the town encouraged early marriages. Most of her other friends had been married for several years. She sighed and bent over her stitches.

Several hours later, she heard Mrs. Watson and Julie return, Mrs. Watson scolding Julie as usual. Rather than go out to greet them, she quickly turned off all of the lights except for one work lamp. She just didn’t have the strength to deal with the older woman again tonight. Instead, she moved quietly over to the window as she waited for the house to settle down. The snow that had started falling earlier that evening had increased, already creating a thick carpet of white over the rigid lines of the formal garden. The bushes that lined the iron fence surrounding the property looked like a squadron of soldiers on guard in their white uniforms. Soldiers protecting them—or keeping them locked up?

As she started to turn away, a flash of movement caught her eye. She whirled back around, her heart suddenly pounding, but there was nothing. The snow continued to fall, the night dark and silent, and the ground undisturbed. Great. Now she was imagining things.

She returned to her worktable, attaching a row of lace with quick careful stitches, as her mind wandered back to Nelly and her alien husband. There were rumors that more aliens inhabited the isolated ranch, but only one other alien had been seen in town, a huge, silent male who was constantly at Artek’s side. If there were others on the ranch, were they all big and strong? With careful hands and polite ways?

She was so lost in her thoughts that it wasn’t until a cold breeze whispered across her neck that she realized the window must be open. Frowning, she turned towards it and her breath caught in her throat. A huge alien male stood framed in the opening—just as big and strong as she had speculated—but this was no ordinary alien. He was a Vultor.

Even though she had never seen one in person before, she recognized the silvery grey skin and dark hair, the sharp features and the gleaming white fangs. The Vultor had also established colonies on Cresca, but they had clashed with humans on more than one occasion and horrifying rumors surrounded them.

Bright blue eyes fastened on her face, gleaming in the dim light, and she felt an odd shock of recognition as their eyes met. She couldn’t move, trapped in that vivid stare, but then he stalked towards her. Her mouth opened but before she could speak, or scream, he lifted his hand and sent a puff of sweet smelling smoke at her face. Her eyelids immediately began to close, her body growing limp and unresponsive despite her attempt to fight the effects. The last thing she felt before the world disappeared was two powerful arms lifting her gently against a massive chest.

A MUFFLED thud jerked Danny awake, as if something had fallen outside his window. Just snow, he decided, but before he could drift back to sleep, he heard yelling from the front of the house. Mrs. Watson claimed that Miss Julie was missing. Good for her. They’d had a number of conversations about plants and how they could both heal and hurt. He liked her, and he was glad she was slipping her chains.

He turned to give Becky a grin, but her bed was empty. His heart skipped a beat. Where was she? It was far too late for her to be working—and she would never have gone anywhere without telling him. The sound of the argument in the hallway made his heart sink even further. Mrs. Watson swore that someone must have taken Miss Julie.

If someone were stealing women from town, no one would care about his sister. They would be far more interested in Miss Julia. He crept to the door and listened. From what he could hear, the men were assuring Mrs. Watson that they would set out first thing in the morning. Morning? The women might be long gone by then. He bit his lip as he remembered what had woken him. He was almost positive it had been a noise from outside the house. He hastily pulled on his clothes, wrapping the scarf Becky had made for him around his neck and snuck out through the kitchen.

Despite the steadily increasing snow, he could see marks on the ground outside his window. Not footprints, pawprints. Pawprints as big around as his head. They had to have been made by one of the aliens on the old Wainwright ranch—no animals walked on two feet. His heart racing faster, he looked down at the rapidly vanishing trail leading away from the back of the house.

Could he convince the men in the house to follow the tracks? He doubted it. And even if he could convince the men to accompany him, the knowledge that they would be dealing with aliens wouldn’t encourage them to move any faster. No, it was up to him. He bit his lip and set off.

CHAPTER 3

Endark had remained hidden in the bushes as it began to snow, uncaring that the damp flakes began to settle around him. Even in his human form, the drop in temperature did not concern him. His attention remained focused on the house and the female within. His beast had absolutely no doubt that he had found his mate, but his human side was not as convinced. In his experience, relationships between a male and female were far more likely to be problematic than rewarding, but he had no other choice. He couldn’t see any other way to ensure that his beast remained under control.

He had tried suppressing that side of him, but it only made the situation worse, frustrating his beast and making it even more volatile. Artek had been the one to remind him that perhaps acceptance was more important than control. To a certain extent, it had worked. Long runs in his other form had helped, but he could still feel the threat of violence hovering beneath the surface. He would die before he let his beast roam unchained and inflict damage on those he cared about. He could only hope that this female would be the answer.

The fact that his beast was willing to remain patiently in the snow, waiting for the opportune moment, certainly seemed to be a good sign. But that patience could not last forever. By the time the older female and her daughter returned, he was fighting the impulse to pace restlessly back and forth. Although humans frequently seemed oblivious to their surroundings, it would be foolish to take the chance. He forced himself to remain in position.

A light dimmed in one of the lower rooms, and a few minutes later his female appeared at the window. Even in the dim light, his excellent night vision allowed him to see her face for the first time. Her features were delicate, but she had a determined chin and a mouth that seemed more inclined to smile rather than frown—although she was not smiling now. He found himself focusing on that soft pink mouth. What would it be like to kiss her in the human manner?

The Vultor did not kiss, but he remembered seeing his mother and father kiss so he knew it was possible. His shaft stiffened at the image, pressing painfully against his pants in his cramped position. When she began to turn away from the window, he allowed himself to move, to relieve the pressure, but he hadn’t waited long enough. He froze as she whirled around, her eyes wide as she gazed out into the night.

Tired of waiting, his beast urged him forward, urging him to reveal himself to his mate, but he refused to move and remained crouched in the bushes until she finally turned away again.

The thought of being seen by his female, or possibly even touched, destroyed his patience entirely and he was no longer content to wait. A light still shone in one of the upstairs rooms, but the downstairs was dark other than the light in his female’s window. The risk should be minimal. He easily cleared the fence, racing quickly and silently across the snowy garden to her window and easing it open.

Her head was down, her eyes focused on a pile of colorful fabric, but as he pushed the window open and stepped inside her head came up and she turned to look at him. Their eyes met and he actually felt the bond snap into place between them. He hadn’t realized that he would feel it so strongly. Her rich, sweet scent filled the dark room and he could feel his fangs lengthening, urging him to mark his claim.

No. Not here, not now.

She looked almost as shocked as he felt, but then her mouth opened. Perhaps she only wished to speak to him, but he couldn’t take the chance. He strode closer and raised the atomizer that Drakkar had provided. Her eyes closed and then her body went limp. He quickly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, her soft body settling against his as if she belonged in his arms. A growl of satisfaction threatened to emerge, but he managed to keep it under control. He had taken two steps towards the window before he remembered the weather.

The dark gown she was wearing concealed far too much of her body, but it would not be enough to protect her from the cold. Should he search the house for coverings for her? For the first time, he looked around and realized that bolts of fabric were stacked on the shelves to one side of the room. Most of them were colorful but impractical silks. One in particular caught his eye, a delicate dark green silk the same color as her eyes in the brief instance before Drakkar’s anesthetic had rendered her unconscious. Although he would love to see her in that fabric, it would provide little protection. A heavy, dark fabric was a more practical solution, and he quickly unwound the spool of material and began wrapping it around his female to form a cloak. Just before he finished tucking it around her, he pulled the green fabric free as well and slipped it under the dark fabric with her.

Would she need anything else? Before he could decide, he heard footsteps overhead and remembered the risk he had taken by not waiting until everyone was asleep. He didn’t have the time to search the house. Whatever she needed, he would provide. Holding her tightly against his chest, he went back out through the window, pulling it closed behind him, and raced silently across the garden and over the fence. His beast urged him to run faster, already impatient to take his female back to his own den, but although he moved quickly, he remained in the shadows as he moved back across town. His caution might not have been necessary—the snow was falling heavily now and there were no signs of the town’s residents—but he wasn’t going to take any chances. It wasn’t until he reached the outskirts of town that he let himself move into a full, loping run.

Benjar was already waiting at the sleigh. Endark growled instinctively, clutching his female against his chest. Benjar was his brother, but he was also a predator and his beast immediately went into defensive mode. He managed to calm it, then realized that there were already two females waiting in the sleigh. Benjar assured him that he did not intend to claim both females—the second was for Frantor. Frantor had been most damaged by the war, both mentally and physically, and had put up walls to keep everyone out. He sympathized with the wounded male and hoped that Benjar’s plan would work. Except…

“What about Gilmat?”

His friend had also retreated after the war, although his withdrawal was much less obvious. Gilmat already spent far too much time alone with his plants. If he were the only one without a bride, Endark might never see him again. Benjar hesitated, then agreed to bring another bride and raced back towards the town.

He refused to put his female in the wagon bed while he waited. Instead, he perched on the bench of the sleigh, carefully checking to make sure that no part of her was exposed to the snow and that the heat of his body would keep her warm. At first he was content simply to hold her, letting his mind drift to evenings by the fire where he would hold her in just such a way, but his satisfaction soon began to fade.

He didn’t just want her body in his arms. He wanted to see her, to talk to her, to find out what thoughts lay behind that pretty, determined face. He pushed back the fabric enough to reveal her face and traced his finger across delicately arched eyebrows, the straight line of her small nose, and the softness of those rosy lips. They parted slightly at his touch, warm and damp and teasing him with the promise of the delights of her mouth. His cock began to stiffen again, and he longed to kiss her, to part her lips with his tongue and taste her hidden sweetness—but not like this. He wanted her awake and responding to his kiss.

What if she doesn’t respond? What if she despises me because of my Vultor side? Uneasiness rippled through them, and his beast growled a protest. No. She was his mate. She wouldn’t—she couldn’t—reject him.

He reluctantly lifted his hand and tucked her face back against his shoulder, but he couldn’t resist raising the finger that had touched her lips to his own mouth. Mmm. He could taste the faint trace of her sweetness against his skin. More. The urge to kiss her intensified but he refused to give in to the impulse. He remained on the sleigh bench, rocking her gently as he waited for Benjar to return.

The other male returned with surprising speed, giving him a triumphant grin as he carefully placed a third female in the wagon bed. He told Endark to put his bride in there as well, pointing out that it would be warmer—and he had work to do.

Unfortunately, Benjar was right. He reluctantly placed his female in the straw-cushioned bed next to the other females and covered her with a blanket before adjusting a tarp over the entire area. He returned to the bench and waited impatiently as his brother prepared the horses. The breeze shifted while he waited, and he caught a hint of a new scent. Human. His beast growled, immediately on the alert for danger to his female, and he scanned his surroundings. Nothing. The wind shifted again, leaving no trace of the mysterious scent, and he reluctantly decided he must have been mistaken.

The wind had shifted while they were in town, bringing heavier snow from the mountains, and although it slowed their journey it would also help to block the pass. Twice he thought he caught a hint of the oddly familiar scent, but never for more than a few seconds—just long enough to make him uneasy. The snow was falling heavily as they crossed the pass and entered their own lands.

“How far do we need to go?” Benjar asked.

“Down past the storage building. That should be safe enough.”

The large building was designed to store goods before they were sent to market, but they were only just beginning to gather materials to sell or trade. Benjar halted the sleigh in front of it and gave him an expectant look. Although this had been part of their plan all along, he found himself reluctant to leave his female.

Even after Benjar promised to guard his bride, he still hesitated before heading into the woods. As soon as he was out of sight of the sleigh, his speed increased. He was anxious to complete the job and return to her, but the only way to ensure her safety was to focus on his job. He methodically checked each of the three blast sites he had prepared, making sure that everything was still correct before connecting the timers.

As soon as he made the last connection, he hurried back to the sleigh, filled with triumph. He just had time to warn Benjar before the first explosion sounded, immediately followed by two more. There was an almost imperceptible pause, and then the ground began to rumble, gradually growing louder and louder. A heavy mass of snow sheared away from the peak directly over the pass and began to descend the mountainside with deceptive slowness. It picked up speed as it went, sweeping everything in front of it before finally landing in the pass, sending plumes of snow shooting into the air and blocking it completely.

The military had trained him in the use of explosives, and he had discovered a natural talent for identifying the perfect position and type of explosive to create the exact result he intended. The avalanche had occurred precisely as planned, but his triumph had faded as they watched from the sleigh. A single error in judgment and his female could have been harmed. His skin rippled as his beast reacted to the potential threat. He had to get her to the safety of his den before he shifted. He had her clutched in his arms before he thought about the others.

“Go,” Benjar said. “I’ll take care of the other females.”

He didn’t argue, racing off into the forest. His cottage was located on the edge of the tree line above the high pasture. He liked the access to the woods as well as the proximity to the hybrid sheep they were raising. All of the brothers shared in the chores, but they each had their special areas and he took primary responsibility for the flock.

Once he had his female safely away from the avalanche area, his pace slowed and he took a few additional minutes to check on the animals and make sure their food and water supplies didn’t need attention. Normally he would have spent more time with them, but he was more concerned about his female. After a perfunctory check, he hurried the rest of the way to his den.

He carried her inside and closed the door behind him with a sigh of relief. He had done it. He had found his bride, and she was safe in his den at last.

CHAPTER 4

Becky snuggled deeper into the mattress, relishing the softness cradling her body and the warmth of the fur tucked up around her neck. Wait a minute. The narrow bunks in the bedroom that she and Danny shared in Mrs. Watson’s house were neither soft nor comfortable. They certainly didn’t have fur coverings.

Her eyes flew open. She was lying on a huge bed that took up most of what appeared to be a small bedroom alcove. Heavy curtains at one end of the space framed a sparse living area beyond. A fire was burning in a large stone fireplace. The walls were also stone, inset with many-paned windows that looked out into a snowy landscape. Snow swirled in front of the windows, obscuring most of her surroundings, but the fact that she could see out at all meant that it was no longer night. The last thing she remembered was bending over her sewing… just before the Vultor came through the window.

The Vultor! She pressed her hand to her mouth to muffle the scream that threatened to escape as she remembered the huge male. He must have been the one who brought her here. But why? Where was she? And where was Danny?

Her heart thudded wildly against her ribs as she listened for any sign of his presence. Nothing. She cautiously pushed back the covers, relieved to see that she was still fully dressed. Only her boots were missing. Her stocking feet were silent against the wooden planks as she rose and cautiously made her way to the opening into the main room. As she did, two chairs came into view, one on either side of the fire. One was a rocking chair, ornately carved and padded with furs. The other was a massive log chair with no padding of any kind. The Vultor was asleep in the log chair, and her heart skipped a beat. Even reclining in the chair, his size was obvious, and she remembered how he towered over her as he entered the sewing room. He was wearing dark pants and a dark shirt, open down the front to reveal a massive chest with a dusting of dark hair. Hair or fur?

The rumors swirling around the Vultor insisted that they were more animal than man—but he didn’t look like one of the slavering monsters the stories had described. His dark hair was cropped short, short enough to reveal the pointed tips of his ears. His features were not that different from those of a human man—angular cheekbones, a sharp blade of a nose, and an unexpectedly sensual mouth. As she stared at his mouth he made an odd growling noise and one corner of his mouth pulled back to reveal a gleaming white fang. Her heart skipped another beat. No, definitely not human.

She looked away from him long enough to inspect the rest of the cottage. There was a small kitchen area next to the fireplace, along with a table and two chairs. There were two doors in the same wall as the bedroom and a door leading outside on the far wall. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her boots arranged neatly beneath the coat rack next to the door. His boots were next to hers, easily twice as large—a potent reminder of the difference in their size and strength. She needed to get as much of a head start as she could. She started to sidle along the wall towards the door.

One step. Two. But when she made the third step, a board creaked beneath her foot and his eyes flew open. The same startlingly blue eyes she remembered from the previous evening, trapping her in his gaze. For the briefest instance, she had the strangest desire to go to him but quickly pushed it away.

“You’re awake.”

He spoke in a deep, rumbling voice that floated against her skin like velvet and to her horror, she actually felt her body respond. Ignoring the fact that her nipples had started to tingle, she lifted her chin.

“Yes, I am. And I’m going home.”

“No,” he growled, rising and stalking towards her.

Damn, he was big. Her head didn’t even reach his shoulders. She curled her hands into fists to stop them from shaking and refused to back down.

“Yes, I am. You can’t keep me here.”

The words sounded ridiculous as soon as she said them. Of course he could keep her here, but despite the growl and the way he towered over her, he hadn’t laid a hand on her. So far.

“There is nowhere else for you to go.”

“What do you mean? Where am I?”

“You are on our ranch.”

It was the last thing she had expected him to say. Although no one knew exactly how many alien males lived on the ranch, she’d never heard anyone speculate that they numbered a Vultor amongst them.

“You mean the old Wainwright ranch? Where Nelly lives now?”

When he nodded, she almost sighed with relief. It would be a trek back across the pass to town, but it certainly wasn’t impossible. Even as she thought that, a gust of wind blew a heavy flurry of snow against the windows. She shivered. The conditions certainly weren’t very favorable for travel, but it didn’t matter. She had to get back to her brother as soon as possible.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to lend me a horse? Or maybe you could take me to the ranch house and I could ask Nelly. How far is it?”

“I said you can’t leave,” he growled, slamming his fist against the wall next to her. His eyes flashed and she could have sworn that the hair on his chest actually rippled, but she refused to back down.

“Yes, I can. I have to.”

Her voice dropped on her last words, and perhaps the desperation in her voice caught his attention because he tilted his head.

“What do you mean you have to leave? Is there another male?”

“I suppose you could say that. I have to return to my brother,” she continued, ignoring his growl.

“Your brother?”

“Yes,” she said urgently. “He’s only twelve, and I’m the only family he has.”

Her urgency overcame her fear, and she put a pleading hand on his chest. In her haste, she misjudged their positions, and instead of landing on his shirt her hand touched his skin. As soon as they made contact, a shock of what felt like electricity ran through her. She tried to take a hasty step back, but the wall was still behind her and she had nowhere to go. He grabbed her hand and brought it back to his chest. The shock was not as strong this time, but her hand still tingled at the contact. A deep rumbling noise came from his chest, more like a purr than a growl, and she could feel his chest vibrating beneath her hand.

“Mate.”

His voice sounded different, deeper and more guttural, and she stared up at him in shock as his fangs suddenly became more prominent.

“What? No. Please, I have to get back to my brother.”

That gleaming blue gaze was focused on her mouth, but she didn’t think he was listening to her.

“Please,” she repeated, and this time her words must have reached him, because he suddenly took a step back before turning and pacing over to one of the windows.

“You can’t go back,” he repeated, gesturing outside. “The storm is growing worse, and it shows no sign of letting up. And even if it does…”

“Even if it does what?” she asked, joining him at the window.

The heavily falling snow lent credence to his words. As much as she hated to admit it, she might have to wait until the storm died down before returning to town. Danny would be so worried, but at least he would be safe. As much as she disliked Mrs. Watson, she didn’t think the older woman would insist that he leave, certainly not immediately. If nothing else, she was too conscious of her reputation to force a child out on the street.

“I guess I’ll have to wait for the storm to stop before I make my way back to town,” she agreed reluctantly.

He shook his head.

“You will still not be able to leave. The pass is closed.”

There was an odd note in his voice, and he was looking out the window rather than looking at her. Was he trying to lie to her?

“Don’t be silly. No matter how bad the storm might be, it always takes several snows before the pass is closed.”

He hesitated, still staring out the window.

“There was an avalanche.”

An avalanche? She had spent her life at the base of these mountains, and she knew the sheer amount of snow that could fall as a result. Snow that could take months of warm weather to clear. Danny. She swayed dizzily, and he muttered a curse before catching her and lifting her into his arms. The position felt oddly familiar, but that wasn’t important right now. She looked up at him in despair as tears started to gather in her eyes.

“What am I going to do? He’ll be all alone.”

He swore again and started pacing from one end of the small cottage to the other, still carrying her in his arms as she tried desperately to think of a solution. After the fourth turn around the cabin, he stopped abruptly, then bent down and put her in the padded rocking chair.

“I will go for him,” he announced, buttoning his shirt as he strode towards the coat rack by the door.

“What do you mean?” she asked, jumping out from the chair and hurrying after him. “If we can make it across the pass—”

“No. I can make it. You cannot.”

“But then what?”

“I told you. I will bring your brother to you.” He started pulling on his boots, and frowned. “You should send him a message so he will not be alarmed.”

“This is crazy. If I can’t make it across the pass, how can Danny make it?”

“I will keep him safe.”

“If you can bring him back across the pass, then you can take me.”

“I will not take you back. I cannot.” He hesitated. “I admit that the journey could be dangerous, but I do not want to leave a young male alone and unprotected. Does he have anyone else?”

She tried to think of another solution. While she still didn’t think that Mrs. Watson would immediately cast Danny out, she suspected that her forbearance wouldn’t last long if Becky did not return. She could easily envision the other woman marching Danny over to Thomas Cole’s office and informing him that Danny was his problem. She shuddered at the thought. Thomas was the closest thing Wainwright had to a sheriff, but he would have little time or patience for someone like Danny. The best she could hope for was that someone would be willing to take him on as an apprentice.

There has to be another option, she thought desperately, running through her list of friends and acquaintances.

Pearl Bennett.

The pleasant older woman was a friend, as well as one of her regular customers, although usually for her younger sister rather than herself. Like Mrs. Watson, she was a widow, but unlike Mrs. Watson, she was a kind, compassionate woman who was always willing to lend a hand. Becky was sure that she would watch over Danny until the pass cleared. Her heart ached at the possibility of being separated from him for an extended period of time, but it would be safer for him than trying to make a risky trip across the mountains.

“Don’t try and bring him back,” she said hurriedly. “I’ll tell him to go to a friend of mine. He will be safe there until I can return to town.”

“You do not wish him to join you?”

“Of course I want us to be together,” she snapped. “But not enough to risk his life after you just told me how dangerous the trip would be.”

“You would put his needs ahead of yours?” he asked slowly.

“Of course I would.”

Tears threatened again, but she refused to give in to them. “But you’ll still go? You’ll make sure he gets the message?”

“Yes.”

The certainty in his deep voice reassured her, and she gave him a shaky smile.

“Thank you… What’s your name anyway?”

“I am Endark. And you are?”

“Rebecca Thompson, but everyone calls me Becky. I can’t believe you kidnapped me without even knowing my name.”

“Rebecca,” he repeated, almost purring her name. “It suits you. But I did not need to know your name in order to know that you are my… bride.”

“Your bride?” She gave him a horrified look. “Listen, Endark. I’m very grateful that you’re willing to help Danny, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to marry you. And as soon as the storm lets up, I’m going to find Nelly. Do you understand?”

He growled, but to her surprise he didn’t argue. Instead, he opened one of the cabinets and silently handed her a piece of paper and a pen. She couldn’t decide what to tell Danny, and in the end she settled for telling him that she was safe but that she would be delayed and that he should go to Pearl. To tell Pearl that she needed her to look after him until she could return in the spring. And that she loved him very much. A single tear escaped, dimpling the paper as she finished writing and folded the note before handing it to Endark. Another gust of wind swirled around the cottage as he pulled on a leather coat that seemed far too flimsy for the outside conditions.

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” She bit her lip and gave him an uncertain look. “Maybe you should wait until the storm dies down?”

“The longer I wait, the longer your brother will be unaware of what has happened to you.”

“I know that,” she snapped, then sighed. “It’s just… I don’t want your death on my conscience.”

He looked shocked, then a startlingly attractive smile lit his face.

“Do not worry about me, sweetness. A blizzard will not prevent me from carrying out my mission. I will be gone for a full day, perhaps two, but I will return. You will remain here.”

It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway.

“I’ll wait for you.”

He hesitated, then reached over and brushed his thumb across her mouth. Before she could react he stepped back, then disappeared into a swirling cloud of snow as he slammed the door behind him.

CHAPTER 5

Danny’s mouth trembled as another gust of wind swept through the trees, blowing the snow around and erasing the last faint traces of the tracks he had been following. His efforts to track down his sister had been successful up to this point, but he was afraid he’d finally reached the end of the trail.

The tracks leading away from the house had been easy enough to follow in spite of the snow. He’d followed them all the way across town, his heart pounding as he realized they were heading for the mountains.

Once again, he had considered going for help but then caught sight of a big feline alien disappearing into the trees outside of town with a cloak-wrapped bundle in his arms. He was sure it was his sister, and he was afraid to lose sight of her in case he never saw her again. He followed the alien, ducking behind a tree whenever the male stopped and looked around. He wasn’t sure how far he would have to go, and his heart sank when he heard the sound of voices. Was more than one alien involved?

He peered through the undergrowth and saw a waiting sleigh. The second alien looked different—he was just as big, but he had silvery grey skin and short dark hair. Something about his appearance seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place the memory and he pushed it aside impatiently. He realized that the grey male was also carrying a cloaked figure. How many women had they taken? After a brief discussion, both aliens deposited their burdens in the wagon box attached to the back of the sleigh. The box was covered by a tarp, and as soon as they returned to the front of the sleigh Danny raced across the short distance and wiggled his way beneath it.

Four women were nestled in the hay, all of them wrapped in cloaks. He pushed back the hood covering the face of the woman that the furred alien had been carrying, shocked to realize it wasn’t his sister. It was Miss Julie. No wonder the house had been in an uproar. But where was his sister?

He pushed back the fabric covering the face of the next figure and gave a shaky sigh. Becky. She looked as if she were sleeping, but when he tried to wake her up, she didn’t respond. He was afraid to raise his voice in case the aliens heard, but he shook her as hard as he dared. Her eyes remained closed, her body limp.

What was he going to do? He certainly couldn’t carry her. He was going to have to go for help. At least now that he knew that Miss Julie was here as well, he thought he could convince the men in town to come with him. He took a quick look at the other two women and realized he knew both of them—the nice lady who ran the diner in town and the sister of Becky’s friend Miss Pearl. With four missing women, they’d have to listen to him, but he still found himself hesitating, reluctant to leave his sister.

Just as he made up his mind to go for help, the sleigh jolted, then began gliding across the snow. Damn, he’d waited too long. At least they were together. He settled down next to her, checking periodically for any sign that she might awaken. Almost as soon as they began moving, he could feel the sleigh moving upwards. They had to be climbing the pass towards the ranch the aliens had purchased from Josiah Wainwright’s estate.

The knowledge was surprisingly reassuring. At least they weren’t headed for some unknown destination. Even though he had never been there, he knew where the ranch was located and it was less than half a day’s journey from town. If he still couldn’t wake Becky and had to go for help, he would know where to bring the others.

The wind increased as they climbed the pass, and he could hear the snow falling on the tarp over them. He burrowed down in the straw next to his sister, then reached for her hand. She had always been there for him, and this time he was going to be there for her. Despite his concerns about their destination, the motion of the sleigh and the warmth of the straw had him half-asleep when it finally drew to a halt.

He immediately sat up and gave his sister another shake, but she was unresponsive as before. He could hear voices outside although he couldn’t make out the words. Had they reached their destination? If so, he didn’t want to be found. He cautiously lifted the flap of the tarp and saw trees only a short distance away. The voices were still coming from the front of the sleigh and he decided to take a chance, slipping out of the box and hurrying over to the trees, expecting to hear an outcry at any moment.

His heart was still pounding as he ducked behind the nearest bush, then turned to look back. Why had they stopped here? As far as he could tell, they had only just crossed over the pass and the only building was a big warehouse off to one side. The big grey male headed off into the woods back towards the pass, and Danny frowned, trying to decide what to do. Even though there was only one alien left, he was probably three times Danny’s size. Then again, if he could take him by surprise…

He was searching the undergrowth for a branch to use as a weapon when a roar erupted into the night. He looked up in time to see a massive sheet of snow detach from one of the peaks next to the pass and slide downward, gathering speed as it went.

Oh, shit. Avalanche. He started to race back towards the sleigh, then realized that both aliens were waiting calmly. Neither of them seemed alarmed. Danny wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but he was quite convinced that somehow the grey alien had been responsible for the avalanche. The massive wall of snow finally came to a halt, blocking the pass completely—which meant he could no longer return to town for help. Fine. He would just wait until Becky woke up and they would figure it out together.

He was about to return to her when the grey male came to the back of the sleigh and picked up Becky. He wrapped the fabric tightly around her, said something to the furry alien, and set off into the woods. He had to go after them.

Fortunately, the other alien immediately set the sleigh in motion, and as soon as it was out of sight Danny dashed off after his sister. At first the tracks were easy to follow, even though the alien’s strides were much longer than his, but then the snow started to fall again. Combined with the increasing gusts, the tracks became harder and harder to spot and now he’d lost them entirely.

Tears threatened as he made one more desperate search for tracks, but there was nothing. He was cold, wet, and miserable, and now he’d lost all sign of Becky. He scrubbed fiercely at his cheeks with his hand and scowled. He was not gonna give up. It had to be growing close to dawn, and with more light he would have a better chance of finding the tracks. He simply had to make it through what was left of the night.

Hadn’t he read something once about creating a temporary shelter in the snow? There was a big drift of snow against the roots of a tree on one side of the clearing. He dug into it until he had created a small cave, barely larger than his body. Then he crawled inside and packed more snow behind him, leaving only a tiny air hole. His teeth chattered as he huddled there, but the snow blocked the wind and reflected back the heat of his body. The roots weren’t very comfortable, but they formed a barrier between his body and the snow. He began to feel a little warmer, and eventually, worn out by the events of the night, he drifted off into another uneasy sleep.

CHAPTER 6

How could I have been so foolish? Endark berated himself as he left his cottage behind.

He’d never even considered the possibility that his female might have family ties. He was so used to being alone that he had just assumed that she would be as well. And to leave a young male alone and unprotected? He shuddered. He had been in that position, and he had no intention of being the cause of it.

He expected more opposition from his beast as he headed into the woods and back down the mountainside, but it remained silent. Perhaps it was not surprising. His Vultor side had a deeply ingrained sense of pack, of family. The fact that he had been without both for so long had no doubt contributed to his increasing lack of control. But now he had Becky.

No, he reminded himself, I do not have her. She might be in his den, but she certainly had not agreed to mate with him. Their scheme to close the pass, to give themselves time to build a relationship with their mates, had undoubtedly backfired. Would she be able to forgive him for separating her from her brother? Could he forgive himself?

I will do everything I can to make it right, he swore, patting the message in his pocket. The trip over the pass did not concern him despite the damage caused by the avalanche. He knew how to maneuver in the mountains and his Vultor heritage would protect him against the weather. Entering the town and coming face to face with humans concerned him a lot more. He would have to do his best to speak to the young male in private. He could only hope the boy would not be too afraid.

He was halfway down the mountainside when a new scent caught his attention. For a moment, he thought it belonged to his mate, but it didn’t have the same underlying sweetness, the sense of rightness. And yet it was definitely familiar. He came to a halt in the middle of a small clearing, frowning as he looked around. At first glance it appeared undisturbed, but when he looked again he saw an oddly shaped mound of snow half buried against the roots of one of the trees. It looked almost like a den, although he was unfamiliar with any animal who would build such a thing.

He didn’t have time to satisfy his curiosity. He started to turn away, but the scent stopped him and he approached the mound instead, the scent intensifying with each step. He carefully broke through the shell of snow, not certain what to expect, and found a young human male huddled inside. The boy’s eyes were closed but they fluttered open for a moment—the same clear, deep green as his female’s eyes. His features also looked similar, despite the difference in their age and sex.

“Danny?”

The boy gave only the slightest hint of a reaction, but it was enough to convince Endark that he had found his mate’s brother. He shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around the boy, horrified by the chill coming from the thin body. Still shocked at the discovery, he quickly picked up the boy and raced back towards the cottage. What was the boy doing here? He must have made it across the pass before the avalanche closed it, but how?

Rebecca was standing in the kitchen area when he burst through the door, all of the color draining from her face as she saw who he was carrying.

“Danny?” she whispered, her body swaying. “Is he… is he dead?”

“No, just chilled to the bone. We need to warm him up, but not too quickly. Grab one of my shirts from the trunk at the end of the bed.”

“Yes, of course.”

As he hoped, the instruction steadied her and she hurried off while he carried the boy to the fire, careful not to get too close to the heat. He stripped off the leather coat and the damp clothes the boy was wearing, replacing them with the heavy woolen shirt Rebecca handed him.

“In this chair, I think, but not too close to the fire. Can you make some tea? With plenty of sugar?”

She gave Danny an anguished look, but nodded and returned to the kitchen. He carefully propped the boy in the chair he had prepared for his bride, then wrapped a blanket around his legs. After a moment’s thought, he retrieved the scarf Nelly had made him from the coat rack and draped it around Danny’s head and neck. His own body temperature ran far too hot for such a gift, but he was grateful for it now.

Rebecca returned with a mug of tea, her face still pale as she looked at her brother.

“What… what if he doesn’t wake up?”

“He will,” he said confidently. “He responded to his name when I found him.”

He gently pushed her down into his own chair, then made a second mug of tea and handed it to her.

“Drink,” he ordered.

“I’m not thirsty.”

“You’ve had a shock. You need to be capable of helping him,” he added when she didn’t take the mug.

She glared at him but took the mug, and he watched with satisfaction as she drank, some of the color returning to her face.

“Where did you find him?” she asked eventually.

“In the woods. He must have been following you but lost the trail.”

“He’s been out in the storm all night?”

“At least for the past few hours. But he was smart enough to build a shelter out of snow. Luckily I caught his scent as I passed by.”

“His scent?”

“My sense of smell is extremely acute.”

“Is that a Vultor trait?”

He tensed at the question but she seemed more curious than accusatory.

“Yes, it’s part of my father’s legacy.”

“Your father? Does that mean your mother was not Vultor?”

“No. She was human.”

He could see more questions dancing in her eyes, but before she had a chance to ask them, the boy whimpered. She rushed to his side, kneeling next to his chair and taking his hand.

The boy’s eyes fluttered open, immediately fixing on Becky’s face.

“Hey, sis,” he said hoarsely. “I found you.”

Endark could see the tears in her eyes, but she kept her voice low and soothing.

“Yes, you did. And I can’t wait to hear all about it. But first, drink some of this.”

She held the mug of tea to the boy’s lips. He took a small sip, then made a face.

“It’s too sweet.”

“I know, Danny, but I want you to drink it all.”

The boy’s mouth twisted, but he didn’t protest when she lifted the mug again. With her encouragement, he managed to drink almost all of the mug. Endark could see the color returning to the boy’s cheeks as his constant shivering finally eased. His eyes also brightened and he began to look around, at first with a dazed expression, then with a frown.

“Where are we?”

“We’re on the ranch,” she said after a slight hesitation. “And this is Endark’s cottage.”

“The ranch?”

Endark saw the thin frame stiffen.

“The ranch! I remember now. Those aliens took you. Are you all right? Are you safe?”

“Hush now. I’m fine. We’re both fine.”

The boy subsided back against the chair, obviously exhausted by his outburst, and rubbed his head.

“Who’s Endark?”

“I am,” he said, stepping forward out of the shadows despite Becky’s frown. His home was too small to conceal his presence for long.

“You. You were the one who took Becky.”

“Yes. I came to claim her as my bride.”

“You can’t have her.” The boy’s voice was weakening, but he found the strength to scowl at Endark. “She don’t wanna get married.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Becky said soothingly. “I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.”

“No, it wasn’t,” he said firmly, and she sighed.

“We can discuss it later. Now finish up your tea, Danny.”

“But…”

The boy obviously wanted to protest, but his eyelids were already drooping. He barely managed to finish the tea before his body went limp. She pressed the back of her hand gently against his forehead, then nodded.

“I don’t think he’s running a fever. Sleep is probably the best thing for him now.”

“I’ll carry him to the bed,” he agreed, bending over.

She followed him as he lifted the slight figure and carried him to the bedroom alcove. The wiry body looked impossibly small in the big bed as she carefully tucked the covers around her brother. She hovered there for a minute, then turned and led the way back into the main room. She pulled the curtains mostly closed, then turned towards him and burst into tears.

CHAPTER 7

Becky desperately tried to bring herself under control but the image of Endark carrying Danny’s limp body into the cottage kept playing over and over in her mind. She heard a low growl, but it was too damn bad—she didn’t want to cry either, but she couldn’t help it. Then two huge arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her gently against a massive chest.

She knew she should pull away, but there was something undeniably comforting about being held so closely against that big, warm body. How long had it been since anyone had held her? And he smelled wonderful—spicy and comforting. She let herself cry for a few more minutes before sniffing and swiping at her face with her hands. She tried to step back but his arms remained wrapped around her. She sniffed again, but didn’t make any further attempt to escape.

“Are you all right?”

His voice still held a hint of a growl, but now she wondered if it was concern rather than impatience.

“I’m as fine as I can be considering that I was snatched away from my home in the middle of the night and my brother almost died.”

He didn’t seem the least bit repentant at her rebuke. Instead, his eyes flamed blue.

“That was not your home. This is your home.”

She pushed at him again, and this time he let her go.

“I already told you that I didn’t agree to any of this bride nonsense.”

“It is not nonsense. I can feel the connection between us and I think you feel it as well.”

“No I don’t,” she said crossly as she moved over to the fire, but she couldn’t help wondering if he had a point.

Other than those first few moments, she hadn’t been afraid of him, in spite of the stories she’d heard about the Vultor. And each time he held her, it felt right. Safe and comfortable – and arousing, she admitted reluctantly. It’s just a physical reaction, she told herself. Probably because no one else had touched her for so long.

“You feel it. You have to.”

Despite the firmness with which he spoke, she thought she detected an underlying note of desperation in his voice.

“Why? Why is it so important?”

She was not entirely surprised when he ignored the question, moving over to the kitchen area instead.

“Are you hungry? I was not sure what you would like, but I have most of the basics.”

“Do you know how to cook?” she asked doubtfully.

He flashed that startlingly attractive grin again as he shook his head.

“Not really. Nelly has been attempting to teach me, to teach all of us, but I have been… distracted.”

He seemed uncomfortable with the admission, but she didn’t pursue the matter as she joined him.

“In that case, maybe I should cook. I want to have something ready for Danny if, I mean, when he wakes up.”

Her voice trembled on the last words, and he gave her arm a brief comforting touch.

“I am sure he will wake up hungry. I was always hungry when I was his age.”

“Where were you when you were his age?” she asked as she pulled the frying pan down from a peg on the wall.

“Port Cantor,” he said after a moment’s hesitation, and she shot him a surprised look.

“I thought the Vultor didn’t enjoy living in a city.”

“They do not, but my father was not part of a pack.”

“Why not?” she asked softly as she located the baking supplies.

For a moment, she didn’t think he was going to answer, but eventually he sighed and spoke.

“They rejected him because he chose a human mate.”

“I see. Did your mother’s family live in Port Cantor?”

“I don’t know. They were equally displeased by the union.”

She wasn’t surprised. The Vultor did not have a good reputation with the human colonists, although she wasn’t sure how much of that was based on rumor rather than fact.

“We ended up in Port Cantor because he could find work there, when he was sober, and because the spaceport is generally more tolerant of a variety of species,” he added, surprising her, but before she could ask any more questions, he firmly changed the subject. “Is there anything I can do to assist you?”

“Not unless you have some bacon?”

He nodded and went to the last door on the bedroom wall, opening it to reveal a storage area with a well-stocked pantry. A trap door in the floor must lead to a cellar, but the outer wall contained a cold storage box and he retrieved a slab of bacon from it before returning.

“You’re welcome to use any of the supplies. If there’s anything else you desire, it will have to wait until after the storm has passed.”

“I thought the weather didn’t bother you,” she said as she started slicing bacon.

He nodded over the window, the land outside now completely obscured by gusty clouds of snow.

“I could survive, but even I would have to take shelter under these conditions. I didn’t realize how severe the storm would become.”

She shuddered as the wind howled outside. If he had not left when he had… If he had not found Danny’s hiding place…

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Thank you for bringing my brother to me.”

She hesitated, then stretched as far up on her tiptoes she could reach and brushed her lips against his mouth. She had intended it to be no more than a kiss of thanks, but as soon as their lips touched, that same shock of excitement raced through her system. Her body responded, her nipples tightening into hard little buds beneath her gown as her clit pulsed. He growled against her mouth, and then he was kissing her back, his mouth hungry, almost frantic as he pulled her closer and ravished her mouth.

She clung to him, returning his kiss just as desperately as the world narrowed to the two of them. She felt a slight sting on her lip, and then he was gone so quickly she swayed. He was braced against the wall, his hands splayed against it as if he too needed help to stand, his expression appalled.

“Forgive me,” he said, his voice strained.

“Forgive you? For what?”

“I bit you.”

“Bit me?”

She stared at him in confusion until she remembered that sudden sting. When she pressed her finger to the spot, it felt slightly tender, and when she pulled her hand away, there was a drop of blood on her fingertip.

“I barely even noticed. I’m sure you didn’t mean to do it.”

He didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on that small drop of red. He took a step towards her, then another. He seemed even larger, looming over her in the small kitchen area. His breath was coming faster, and the scent she had noticed before increased, making her head spin. Her heart pounded in an odd mixture of arousal and nerves, and she couldn’t help looking down, her eyes widening as she took in the shockingly large evidence of his erection pressing against his pants. Her fingers tingled with the need to touch him, but before she could reach for him he whirled away again.

“I’m going to check our wood supply,” he muttered, the words barely discernible, and disappeared through the pantry door.

Once again, she found herself swaying, and clutched at the back of the kitchen chair. He couldn’t possibly be right about the bond between them, but she couldn’t deny that she never responded to anyone the way she responded to him. The few times she had managed to escape her responsibilities long enough to go on a date, to be kissed by one of the boys in town, she had found the experience pleasant, even mildly exciting, but nothing compared to the tsunami of arousal that had rolled over her as soon as their lips met. It must be the adrenaline of being taken from her home and worrying about her brother, she decided firmly. But perhaps it would be best to avoid kissing him again. Ignoring the pang of disappointment at the thought, she returned to her breakfast preparations.

CHAPTER 8

Endark flung himself downstairs into the cellar beneath the cottage. He already knew that he was well-stocked with wood, but he’d had to leave before his instincts overpowered him. His mate had been so warmly responsive in his arms, so delicious, even before the taste of her blood had danced across his tongue like the finest wine.

She had come to him. She had kissed him.

How could he have betrayed that trust by biting her, no matter how accidentally?

He hadn’t realized that his fangs had elongated in the heat of the moment and he had nicked her lip. His cock throbbed again at the reminder and he fisted it impatiently. His touch was far from satisfactory, but perhaps if he relieved the immediate pressure, it would help him to retain control. He freed his erection and managed to bring himself to a quick, unsatisfactory climax despite his beast’s objections. As he cleaned himself with an old rag and tucked his cock away, he already knew that the effort had been in vain.

Taking a deep breath, he climbed the ladder back to the main floor. As soon as her scent reached him, he was once more painfully erect. All he could do was hope that his untucked shirt would conceal the evidence of his arousal.

He opened the pantry door in time to hear Danny call out and followed Rebecca as she rushed over to him. The boy was sitting up in bed, his face still far too pale but he managed to grin at his sister. His smile faded into a scowl as he took in Endark standing behind her.

“What’s he doing here?” he muttered.

“This is his cottage, remember?”

“You mean where he brought you after he kidnapped you.”

She bit her lip, but didn’t contradict the boy.

“It doesn’t really matter anymore. And Endark saved your life.”

The scowl didn’t diminish.

“He wouldn’t have needed to if he hadn’t taken you in the first place.”

“You may have a point, but it is useless to dwell on the past. Are you hungry?”

Danny’s mouth twisted, but he accepted the change of subject.

“I’m starving. And I gotta pee,” he added.

“I should have thought of that,” Rebecca said quickly. “I’ll bring you a pan.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” The boy looked appalled. “I’d rather go outside.”

“You can’t do that—we’re in the middle of a blizzard.”

“I do have a sanitary facility,” he interjected, and she gave him a grateful look.

“Is that what’s behind the middle door? I didn’t have a chance to explore.”

“Good,” Danny said and tried to climb out of bed.

His knees immediately gave way, and he would have fallen if Rebecca hadn’t caught his arm.

“You really shouldn’t be up.”

“I’m fine, and I don’t want to pee in a pan.”

She sighed, but didn’t argue. She kept her hand on her brother’s arm as he hobbled his way to the bathroom door. He didn’t object until he opened the door to the sanitary facility and she started to follow him inside. He gave her another appalled look.

“You aren’t coming in here with me.”

“Don’t be silly, Danny. You can barely stand.”

“But you’re my sister.”

“Yes, I am. The same sister who changed your diapers when you were a baby.”

“But I’m not a baby anymore.”

The two of them glared at each other, their expressions almost identical, and he suppressed a sudden surge of amusement.

“I will accompany the young male.”

“Oh no you won’t,” Danny immediately protested.

“Either I will accompany you or your sister will accompany you. Choose.”

Danny scowled, then gave a resigned sigh.

“You, I guess. But don’t look.”

“I am only here to ensure your safety.”

He put his hand under the boy’s arm and escorted him into the sanitary facility before either one of them could think of another pressing objection. He kept his hand under the boy’s arm, but courteously turned his head away, hiding a smile. Any modesty he might once have had had disappeared as soon as he joined the military.

After the toilet flushed, he led the boy to the sink to wash his hands. Danny impatiently shook his arm free, leaning against the sink instead as he glared at Endark in the bathroom mirror.

“Why’d you take my sister?”

“Because she is my mate—my bride.”

“She’s always told me she’s not ready to get married.”

Why was that, he wondered. Was it because there was no male who interested her? Or because she was more concerned with her responsibilities to her brother? Or perhaps both. But the past was irrelevant.

“Then I will wait until she is ready.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He had absolutely no intention of forcing her, but he hoped it wouldn’t take her too long to realize that their bond was real. His beast had calmed considerably now that she was here in his den, but he could still feel the threat of violence lingering far to close the surface.

“Honest?”

“I would never lie to you.”

“Most grown-ups do.”

“I am not most grown-ups.”

The boy suddenly grinned, a wide and unexpectedly charming smile.

“You can say that again. But I guess it will be okay as long as you’re not going to hurt my sister.”

“I would rather die,” he said truthfully. If Rebecca hesitated so long that he was in danger of losing control, he would rather end his life than risk causing her any harm.

“All right then. I guess it’s even kind of nice to be away from old lady Watson’s house. That is… I don’t suppose you have any books?”

“As a matter fact, I do,” he said as he helped Danny back out of the bathroom to find Rebecca hovering anxiously. “There are several shelves full of books in the attic,” he added as he urged the boy into the chair by the fire.

“Really?” Danny asked eagerly. “Can I take a look at them?”

He looked ready to make the attempt immediately, but Rebecca firmly shook her head.

“Not until after breakfast. And then we’ll see how you feel.”

The brief exertion must have worn the boy out, because he sank back against the chair without arguing. Rebecca shot him a curious glance as he followed her to the kitchen.

“Why do you keep books in the attic?”

“Most of them are not my personal books—they belong to the library in the main ranch house. I brought them here to read.”

“But why put them in the attic?”

“It is warm and dry and they do not impede on the living area,” he said truthfully. He chose not to mention the fact that as his control had begun to slip over the past few months, his claws had a tendency to slip out in unexpected moments and he did not want to risk damaging the precious volumes.

She gave him a thoughtful look, but returned to her meal preparations without any additional comment. Breakfast revived Danny and as soon as they were finished eating, he demanded to be allowed up into the attic. Rebecca raised an eyebrow at him, but he nodded and went to lower the ladder for Danny.

Danny insisted on going up by himself, and he allowed it, although he followed close behind, making sure that the boy would not slip.

“This is great,” Danny said, looking around. “It’s like being on a ship or something.”

He was not wrong. The space under the eaves had a snug, enclosed feel reminiscent of the belly of a ship. Windows at the gable ends let in a good bit of light, despite the storm raging outside, and Danny immediately headed for one of the wide cushioned benches below the window, gathering several books to take with them from the shelves along the sloping walls.

“Do you wish me to bring those down for you?”

“In a minute,” Danny said impatiently, already bent over one of the books.

“Very well. But call for me before you come down. Do not attempt the ladder on your own.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the boy said absently, and he shook his head as he returned to the living area.

“You left him up there?” Rebecca demanded.

“Yes. He’s perfectly safe.”

“But what if he gets cold?”

“The heat from this floor rises into that space. It’s actually warmer than it is down here.”

“He will be fine,” he assured her as he returned to the kitchen to clean the dishes. She followed him, still looking worried, but she didn’t ask him to return to the attic. Instead, she wandered restlessly over to the window in the door to peer out at the still falling snow. When she turned back, she noticed the fabric he had wrapped around her hanging on one of the pegs by the door.

“What’s this doing here?”

“I used it to protect you from the cold on our journey here.”

She shot him a look he couldn’t read, still fingering the fabric.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter now. It’s not as if Mrs. Watson is going to come looking for it. Do you have a needle and thread? And some scissors, or even just a sharp knife?”

“I have all of that. Why?”

“I thought I might make another pair of pants for Danny, and maybe a shirt. He’s really hard on his clothes.”

“An excellent idea. I should have thought to provide you with clothing as well.”

He had actually been more inclined to think about his mate naked in his arms than to consider matters of clothing.

As she pulled the heavy fabric off of the hook, the other fabric he had chosen fluttered to the ground.

“I don’t understand. Why did you bring this? You can’t have thought it would keep me warm.”

“I only thought that it would look… attractive on you.”

She let the silky fabric glide over her hands, and he could easily envision it gliding over her naked body. From the way her cheeks flamed, he suspected that the same vision had occurred to her. She quickly pushed it to one side and turned her attention to the heavier fabric.

“I think this will do for now.”

For now. The words implied that that might change in the future. As he went to retrieve his sewing supplies, his beast purred with satisfaction.

CHAPTER 9

If someone had told Becky a week ago that she would be perfectly content trapped in a small cottage in the middle of a raging blizzard with a sickly brother and a very large half-Vultor male, she would have thought they were completely insane. But they would have been right. She was content.

She hadn’t realized until this moment how much she had resented being at Mrs. Watson’s beck and call. How tired she was of pandering to the woman’s demands and the constant pressure of knowing that if she displeased her, she risked not only not being paid but finding herself and her brother out on the street.

The fact that Danny was recovering so quickly also eased her mind. He spent most of the morning in the attic reading. She went up to check on him once and found him asleep on the window bench, surrounded by books and a smile on his face. She pulled the blanket over him and left him there.

And then there was Endark. She was overwhelmingly aware of his presence, no matter where he was in the small cottage. She found herself sneaking glances at him or taking deep breaths to try and catch a hint of his spicy scent. The arousal from their kiss lingered, but it was more than that. She wanted to know more about him.

They settled next to the fire, and he embarked on a small woodworking project while she bent over her sewing and they talked. She found herself telling him about her own life after her father died. Her mother had done her best to carry on, but Becky had still found herself taking on a lot of responsibility at a young age. She told him about her desire for home and her distaste at being at the mercy of someone like Mrs. Watson.

“You have a home now,” he growled.

The thought was surprisingly tempting. The cottage wasn’t large, but it was sturdy and warm, safe from the storm still raging outside. And it had everything she—they—needed. Except perhaps an extra bedroom, she thought, darting at a glance at the bedroom alcove. She was sure her cheeks had turned pink as she focused on her sewing again.

“This is your home, not mine,” she said, perhaps not as firmly as she had intended.

“Everything I have is yours.”

“How can you say that? You don’t even know me.”

“I know you.” His eyes gleamed blue fire. “And you know me. But I understand that humans do not accept these things as readily as the Vultor.”

“Did your mother accept it right away?”

“My father met her at a dance. They were married the following weekend. What do you think?”

“Your father went to a human dance?” she asked skeptically.

“He was not supposed to be there. It was a harvest celebration, supposedly a time of friendship, and some of my father’s pack decided to test that assumption.”

“How did it go?”

He sighed. “About as well as you would expect. The alleged friendship lasted for exactly one dance before someone threw a punch.” He looked over at her and smiled. “But that was the dance my parents shared. He liked to talk about it after he’d been drinking. How he walked up to the prettiest girl there and how she had the courage to take his hand. The fact that they were kicked out of the dance didn’t stop him. He tracked her down and persuaded her to meet him. In secret, of course,” he added.

It would have to have been in secret. She could only imagine how the town would have reacted if such a thing had happened in Wainwright. The entire town would have been gathering their pitchforks.

“They met every night that week,” he continued. “And by the end of the week she’d agreed to marry him, although finding someone to perform the ceremony took somewhat longer.” He shook his head. “I think they both thought their families would come around once they were married. Instead, both of their families rejected them.”

“So what did they do?”

“My father was a mechanic. He took a job working in one of the smaller spaceports. As I said before, the ports tend to be far more accepting of different species and different ways of life. I’m not sure I would say they were accepted, but they were tolerated. And they were very happy together—until my mother died.”

“What happened to her?”

“She became ill, but she ignored it for too long. By the time she went to the doctor, it was too late.”

“You must miss her.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“It’s been a long time since my father died, I still miss him. What happened to your father?”

He shrugged, staring into the fire.

“His body was alive for another five years, but I think his spirit died with her. He was never the same. We were in Port Cantor when he finally went to be with her.”

“How old were you?”

“Fourteen—and convinced I was a man.”

She gave him a horrified look. “That’s only two years older than Danny.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons I was willing to return to Wainwright to find him for you.” He shook his head. “If I had known…”

“You wouldn’t have taken me?”

His eyes returned to her face.

“No. I would still have taken you, but I would have brought him as well.”

Her heart gave an odd little skip. The fact that he was so ready to accept her brother as part of her life was strangely reassuring.

“What did you do? After your father died?”

“Whatever I had to do in order to survive,” he said grimly. “The first year was the hardest, and then I met Gilmat.”

“Gilmat?”

“He’s another one of my brothers, but I have known him the longest. He’s a year older than I am, and when we met he’d also been rejected by his people.” He shook his head again. “It still surprises me that we became friends. By that time, I was more like a rabid animal than a thinking being. Or perhaps it’s not surprising. Gilmat has always had a talent for seeing beneath the surface. So we teamed up. I was large for my age, but he was a giant even then. Very few people are willing to take us both on. We did a variety of things for the next few years, and then Gilmat suggested we join the military. So we did. We were sent off to Vizal to fight what turned out to be probably the most useless war in history.”

“Why useless?”

“Because they were simply fighting over a planet that neither side had any real use for—like children squabbling over a toy that neither one of them really wants. When it ended after ten years, there was nothing to show for it except a damaged planet and an enormous death toll.”

“And that’s when you came here?”

He nodded. “We were brothers by then. When Artek suggested we find a place together, it seemed to make sense. I was the one who found that the ranch was for sale, and so we came here.”

“You didn’t mind coming back to Cresca?”

He slowly shook his head. “No. I wasn’t sure if it would bother me, but in spite of the difficult times, it still feels like home. And there were good memories here as well.”

She wanted to ask more, but Danny’s head appeared at the top of the ladder, announcing that he was hungry and that he was ready to come down. The rest had done him good—when he came down, he walked with far more confidence.

After lunch, she returned to her sewing, while Endark showed Danny the results of his morning’s work—a set of game pieces. At first Danny pretended not to be interested, but he was clearly fascinated, and within a very short time the two of them were engaged in what appeared to be a fierce battle as they moved the pieces around a makeshift game board.

The rest of the day passed equally pleasantly, although by the time nightfall rolled around, Danny was growing increasingly irritable. She suspected he had overtaxed his still limited strength. He complained about their dinner, although he still consumed two full bowls of soup, and then balked when she tried to send him off to take a bath.

“Danny,” Endark said warningly, but her brother ignored him, continuing his litany of complaints.

Endark slammed his hand down on the table, the sound filling the cabin.

“You will obey your sister. Now,” he growled.

His fangs had lengthened, clearly visible, and Danny gave them a wide-eyed stare before hurrying off to the bathroom. She looked at Endark’s hand on the table and flinched when she saw the long dark claws that had emerged.

“Was that necessary?” she asked as calmly as possible.

“A soldier who does not obey does not live,” he said, the growl still very apparent in his voice.

“But he is not a soldier. He’s only a boy.”

“It is never too early for him to learn respect.” His claws retracted as he looked over at her. “Do you not expect him to obey you?”

“I do. I wouldn’t normally let him get away with behaving like that, but I know he’s still recovering.”

“I realize that as well. Do you think I was unnecessarily harsh?”

She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “No, you didn’t touch him. You barely raised your voice, although you did scare him.”

“I do not want him to be scared of me, but I will not permit him to treat you with anything other than respect.”

He was watching her from across the table, and she could see the hint of concern on his face. She sighed again and reached out and put her hand over his. They hadn’t touched since she had kissed him that morning, but as soon as their hands met, another wave of arousal spread over her body. She was torn between the urge to linger and the urge to snatch her hand away. Before she could decide, he turned his hand over beneath hers and took her fingers in a reassuring grip.

“There is no rush. We will discover what it means to be a family together.”

Her throat threatened to close, but she managed to nod.

After Danny went to bed, they sat by the fire and talked some more. He told her what she suspected were carefully edited tales of some of his adventures, and she retaliated with stories about some of her more demanding clients. When she finally yawned and rose to her feet, he stood as well and stood looking down at her. The air thickened between them.

“I wish to kiss you good night.”

“Isn’t that a human custom?” she asked breathlessly.

“Indeed. One worth adopting.”

She could hear her brother’s faint snoring and knew that he was asleep, but Danny wasn’t the only reason why she should refuse to kiss him. She wasn’t going to just calmly accept his proclamation that they were mates. And yet she couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted anything as much as she wanted to kiss him.

“Yes,” she whispered.

He growled and yanked her against him with a fierce, possessive grip, but then he hesitated, looking down at her flushed face. “I will not hurt you.”

“I believe you.”

And she did. He might have been big and fierce and overwhelmingly strong, but she was quite sure he would never intentionally hurt her.

Then his mouth descended over hers and any attempt at rational thought vanished. The only thing that remained was the warmth of his mouth and the slick heat of his tongue, the big hands molding her body against his, and the thick, tantalizing ridge of his erection pressing against her stomach. Each time his tongue tugged on hers, it felt as if he were tugging on her clit as well. Her breasts ached, throbbing in that same rhythm, and she arched against him, seeking relief from the pressure. His hand slid up to cover her breast, and he plucked at her nipple, sending a shiver over her body. He did it again, and again, and then her entire body shuddered as a short, hard climax rushed over her. She was still quivering when he raised his head.

“Responsive little female,” he purred approvingly. “Now off to bed.”

“What about you?”

The thick bar of his erection was clearly obvious beneath his pants.

“I can wait.”

Part of her wanted to protest, but in the end she simply nodded and obeyed.

THE NEXT FEW days continued in the same pattern. She took charge of the meals, although Endark and Danny both pitched in whenever she asked. They read and played games, not only with the pieces Endark had carved but with an old pack of cards he managed to find. She also continued her sewing, enjoying the familiar process without the pressure of a client standing over her. There was enough fabric that she made herself a pair of pants and shirt in addition to the clothes for her brother.

When the weather cleared for a short time, Endark insisted on bundling Danny up and taking him along while he went to check on his sheep. She managed not to give voice to her instinctive protest and was glad she hadn’t when her brother returned flushed and glowing.

As she grew more comfortable with him, he found opportunities to touch her throughout the day. He would put a hand on her back as she stirred a pot on the stove or take her hand to thank her for the meal or give her a brief celebratory hug when she won one of their games. They were brief, casual touches, but every time he touched her she felt that same wave of arousal—and the increasing frequency did nothing to diminish it.

The evening kisses also continued, but there was nothing remotely casual about them, although she had yet to remove her clothing. She suspected that only the knowledge that her brother was sleeping so close by had given her the strength to maintain that limit.

And then, on the fourth day, Danny decided he wanted to make the attic into his bedroom.

CHAPTER 10

Endark watched Rebecca’s cheeks turn pink before she responded to her brother’s request.

“Why would you want to do that, Danny?”

“Because I want some privacy. I’m too old to share a bed with my sister,” Danny muttered.

Endark had insisted that the two of them take the bed while he slept on the floor in front of the fireplace. The hardness of the floor did not bother him. The knowledge that his female was only a few feet away but completely untouchable did. The past few days had been a mixture of both frustration and delight. Having his mate in his den pleased him, as did the sense that they were forming a family.

He hadn’t anticipated anyone joining him and his mate, but her brother had a quick mind and a fierce spirit and he found himself liking the boy as much for his own sake as for Rebecca’s. Despite that, there were times when he longed to be alone with her.

Their evening kisses had grown longer and more adventurous. She had allowed him to reach beneath her garment and stroke the impossibly soft skin that covered her perfect little breasts. Allowed him to tease her hard little nipples and send her soaring into a shuddering climax. But as delightful as that was, it wasn’t enough. He wanted to see her, all of her, and he wanted to touch her and taste her. And he wanted her hands on him. Last night, she had wiggled her fingers under his waistband and grasped his cock. A few quick strokes and he was on the verge of exploding like an untried schoolboy. He’d forced himself to remove her hand, and she immediately objected, her lower lip pushing out in the most adorable way.

“But I want to touch you.”

“For which I am very grateful, but I have to remain in control.” he said, shooting a glance at the alcove where her brother was sleeping.

She sighed and nodded. But if her brother did move into the attic, they would have far more scope for further explorations. Despite that, he resolutely kept his mouth closed as Danny and Rebecca discussed the matter before she finally turned to him.

“What do you think?”

“I have no objection. It is warm and comfortable up there, and we have extra bedding.” He forced himself to shrug. “And if he doesn’t like it, he can return to this floor.”

“Yay,” Danny cheered, obviously taking his answer as assent.

He glanced over at Rebecca and she gave him a somewhat rueful smile, but she nodded as well. They spent the rest of the afternoon clearing and preparing, and by the time they had finished even Rebecca was satisfied. Danny had decided to use one of the wide window seats as his bed, and it was now heaped with furs and pillows. The center floor space had been cleared, and they had discovered a very old rug which was now stretched out on the floor. All of the books were neatly arranged. At Danny’s age, he would have been thrilled with the room.

The sense of anticipation continued to build, and he had to force himself not to rush through their evening meal and not to drop hints that it was time for Danny to retire. But he finally went up the ladder, all smiles at the prospect of sleeping in his own room.

He turned to his mate, fully aware that he was slipping into beast mode as he stalked towards her.

“And now we are alone. What are you going to do, sweetness? Are you going to invite me into your bed?”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then I will spend another night on the floor in front of the fire.” He did his best to force down the raging need inside him. “I told you I would wait.”

“I know. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s more that I don’t trust myself. And I don’t think I’m ready to go all the way.”

Her cheeks flamed pink as she spoke.

“All the way?”

“You know. Umm, insertion.”

For such a forthright female, she seemed to struggle with sexually explicit phrases.

“You mean you are not ready to receive my cock inside your sweet little cunt?” he asked bluntly.

The tide of pink crept further down her chest as she nodded, but he also caught the increased scent of her arousal.

“If you are not ready, then you are not ready. It is up to you.”

“Okay,” she whispered, and then she took his hand and led him into the bedroom alcove, pulling the curtains closed behind them.

He watched in fascinated silence as she unbuttoned her gown and let it slip to the floor. Beneath it she wore a tight garment that confined her waist. She unfastened it and let it fall as well, leaving her clad only in the thin white garment he had felt but never seen. Her fingers toyed with the fabric, and he wondered if she was going to remove it as well. Instead, she slipped another garment out from beneath it, and climbed into the bed.

He quickly toed off his boots and removed his shirt, but under the circumstances, he decided it was best to leave his pants in place, no matter how painfully they pressed against his erection. As soon as he joined her beneath the covers, she rolled towards him and he willingly took her into his arms. For the first time, there was only a thin piece of fabric between them, and he purred with pleasure. She jumped a little.

“I can feel you vibrating against me when you do that. What does it mean?”

“It means that we—I am content.”

“We?”

The last thing he wanted to do right now was to discuss his beast side. Instead, he gave into temptation and lowered his head, closing his mouth over her breast. She gave a choked cry, and then her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him tighter against her. The thin cloth still covered her, but the warmth of his mouth quickly rendered it damp and translucent as he tugged on one of those pretty little nipples before moving to the other. Fuck, she was responsive, her breath already coming in rapid pants. His fangs prickled, threatening to descend. Although he suspected she would enjoy it if he scraped them across the tempting little buds, he didn’t want to take the chance of breaking her skin. One taste of her blood and the control he was so rigorously hanging onto would vanish.

Her fingers tightened in his hair, her hips shifting restlessly, and for the first time he slipped his hand beneath the hem of her garment, his fingers skating up the silky soft skin of her inner thigh until he reached the damp curls at the apex. She gasped again, her whole body shuddering as he stroked a gentle finger along the length of her slit. Her thighs parted, and he repeated the gesture, delighting in the slickness that rewarded him. Her body quivered as he moved higher, seeking the small pearl of flesh waiting for his touch. He brushed his thumb across it, a light, almost imperceptible stroke, but it was enough. Her body went rigid, and then he felt her convulsing against his hand. His cock throbbed in the same rhythm, also hovering on the verge of release.

Claim, his beast growled, overcome by the scent and feel of her climax.

Unable to resist, his hand slipped lower, seeking the entrance of her body. He pressed his finger against her, but despite the lingering slickness from her climax, her body resisted. He pressed harder, and she gasped, her hands leaving his head to grab his shoulders.

“What? What are you doing?”

“It’s just my finger, sweetness,” he said reassuringly.

He expected her passage to ease as he drove deeper and she grew accustomed to his touch, but if anything she seemed even tighter, as tight as if she’d never…

He raised his head as a sudden suspicion swept over him.

“Rebecca? Have you ever done this before?”

Her eyes opened, a deep, mysterious green in the dim light, as she slowly shook her head.

“No,” she admitted. “You would be the first.”

A wave of purely primal satisfaction washed over him at the thought.

Mine, his beast roared.

He did his best to suppress it, but the urgency of the need he had suppressed for so long could no longer be denied. He lost control, and shifted.

CHAPTER 11

Becky’s body was still shuddering from the aftermath of her climax when she felt something pressing at the entrance to her body. She looked up to find Endark’s face taut, his fangs appearing when he tried to give a reassuring smile. She realized he was probing her untried entrance with his finger at almost the same time he explained. The thick digit pushed deeper, creating an oddly tantalizing pressure. She grabbed his shoulders as her excitement began to build again. The tension on his face didn’t lessen, and she saw the exact moment when he realized that she was a virgin. He shuddered.

She was about to tell him that it was more from lack of opportunity—and a suitable partner—than any desire to save herself for marriage when he shuddered again, his body rippling beneath her fingers. The weight of his body increased, pushing her down against the mattress as silvery grey fur suddenly appeared beneath her hands, spreading rapidly across his body. His fangs extended, longer and sharper than she’d ever seen them, while his features began to change, growing harder and fiercer as the male on top of her transformed into someone entirely different.

Shocked, she cried out, and he immediately drew back. She had the briefest instance to realize that even the hand between her thighs had changed, and then he was gone. She was still staring at the empty space where he’d been when she heard the door slam. A moment later, Danny called out.

“Endark? Becky? Is something wrong?”

She quickly pulled Endark’s discarded shirt over her chemise and hurried to the bottom of the ladder.

“Everything’s all right. Endark just had to… go out for a little while.”

Her knees were still shaking, but she was proud of how calm she sounded.

“In this weather?” Danny asked skeptically, then shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t bother him as much. Must be a Vultor thing.”

He said good night again and disappeared.

As soon as he did, she collapsed onto the chair next to the fireplace—the one that Endark had created for her. Danny’s words rang in her head. A Vultor thing. All those rumors about the Vultor suddenly made a lot more sense. Endark had never looked entirely human, but neither had he seemed as fearsome as the stories made out. But in this new form, she could understand why people would be terrified.

Why I would be terrified, she amended ruefully. It all happened so quickly, and she suddenly wondered if he’d been suppressing the change the entire time they were together. She replayed the incident in her mind. His features had certainly been terrifying enough, but as she thought about it again, she realized that one thing hadn’t changed—his eyes. They had still been the same brilliant blue but more importantly, the warmth and affection with which he usually looked at her hadn’t changed.

“He’s still in there,” she said slowly to herself.

His appearance might have changed, but the male she had so quickly grown to care for had not. Where had he gone? And was he coming back?

Yes, he would be back, she decided as she settled down to wait. She couldn’t believe that he would leave her and Danny on their own.

Time passed with agonizing slowness as she kept her eyes fastened on the door. She kept expecting him to reappear, but nothing appeared in the window except the heavily falling snow. She did her best to stay awake, wanting to talk to him, but in the early hours of the morning, exhaustion won out and she drifted into an uneasy doze.

The faint click of a closing door startled her awake, and she looked up to see Endark standing just inside the door, staring at her.

He was once more in his usual form, but a thick layer of snow covered his head and shoulders—his bare shoulders. She gave a sympathetic shiver as she jumped up and went to him.

“Are you crazy? I don’t care how tough you are, you’ll catch your death of cold walking through a blizzard without a shirt.” She grabbed his hand and tried to urge him towards the bathroom, but he wouldn’t move. “You need to take a warm shower and wash off the rest of the snow.”

He still didn’t move, just stared at her as she stopped trying to urge him into the bathroom.

“What’s wrong, Endark?”

“You are asking me that?” His voice was hoarse, strained. “Are you not terrified of me?”

“No, of course not,” she said honestly. “Although it was definitely a shock. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We do not discuss Vultor matters with outsiders. Not that you are an outsider,” he added hastily. “The stories that are told about the Vultor are bad enough—”

“I’ve been hearing those rumors most of my life. Now that I know you have a different… form, they make a little more sense. Not that you are as dangerous as they suggest, but why the Vultor are described the way they are.”

“A Vultor can be extremely dangerous,” he said quickly. “I am… different.”

“You certainly are,” she agreed. “In the best possible way. Now why don’t you go and take a shower?”

Between the warmth of the cabin and his own body heat, the snow was already melting over his shoulders, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure he was warm all the way through.

“I should not have shifted. I lost control.” His tortured expression did not lighten. “I had hoped that finding my mate would calm my beast side.”

The faint hint of desperation she heard in his voice when he spoke of their mating suddenly made sense.

“You mean you thought that I would calm him?”

He nodded, and she thought about what he had said—and what he had not said.

“Does it make a difference that I have not officially accepted your claim?”

A growl immediately escaped his lips, and he looked even more tormented.

“You see? I cannot always control him.”

“I don’t mind the growling,” she said thoughtfully, then stepped closer, close enough that the front of her body brushed against the front of his. “It makes his position clear. It seems a lot simpler than human, or half-Vultor, relationships usually tend to be.”

“Yes, my other side is very sure about what he wants. As am I.”

Warmth filled her, and she put her arms around his waist, holding him tight. He hesitated for a moment, then put his arms around her, holding her with the same firm, gentle grip he always used.

They snuggled together for a moment, and then she leaned back and looked up at him.

“We should tell Danny.”

“Do you think that is wise? I do not wish to damage his trust.”

“You will damage it much more by not telling him the truth. And if you’re worried about how he will react, don’t be. I’m almost positive that he will simply think it’s really cool.”

He finally went to take a shower, but rather than going back to bed, she returned to her chair by the fire to wait for him.

He spotted her as soon as he emerged and frowned, that hint of desolation back in his gaze.

“You did not need to wait for me,” he said stiffly. “I had every intention of sleeping on the floor there.”

“And that’s why I waited for you.” She rose and took his hand once more. “I was afraid that’s what you intended to do. I want you back in our bed.”

He purred, and she laughed.

“But just to sleep. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

He gave her a cautious look before slipping under the covers, and she gave him a reassuring smile. As soon as he joined her, she snuggled against his side, just as she had done what seemed like a lifetime ago but was only earlier in the evening. As always, the brush of his skin against hers renewed her arousal, and he purred again. She smiled and patted his chest, now covered with nothing more than a dusting of fine, dark hair.

“Later,” she promised, and closed her eyes.

CHAPTER 12

Endark lay awake long after Rebecca had fallen asleep. He still couldn’t believe that she had accepted his other side so easily and that she was once more curled trustingly in his arms. But her acceptance did not change the fact that he had lost control. His other form was too violent, too dangerous. He could hurt her far too easily.

Never, his beast growled, and he winced. No, he would never hurt her intentionally, but those aggressive impulses sometimes escalated and she might be caught in the side effects.

When he first fled the cottage, he’d simply run, trying to work off his confusing mixture of emotions. Once he calmed enough to be really horrified about what he had done, he had crouched in the woods, watching the cottage. He’d been afraid to return, afraid to see fear and loathing in her eyes. Instead, when he finally found the courage to return, she’d welcomed him.

At breakfast the next morning, he steeled himself to tell Danny the truth. He was braced for rejection, but she was correct. Danny was excited rather than terrified, and he peppered Endark with questions until Rebecca finally put a stop to them.

“I should limit you to one question a day.”

“Ten questions?” Danny bargained, and she laughed.

“I’ll compromise on five. That is, if it’s all right with you, Endark?”

“Of course. I am happy to answer any questions that either Danny or you have.”

Danny shot her triumphant look, but she shook her head.

“Five questions. I’m sure we can find other things to talk about.”

“You mean like when you and Endark are going to get married?”

A stunned silence filled the room.

“Why do you think we’re getting married?” he asked carefully.

“You said that’s why you took her, didn’t you?”

“I did, but I also said that I would allow her to take her time.”

Danny waved a hand. “It’s been long enough.”

“You wouldn’t object?” Rebecca asked.

“Nah. I like it here. It’s a lot better than old lady Watson’s.”

“We could find another place in town,” she said, and he had to bite back a growl.

He knew she was only making sure that Danny understood all the options, but he hated the thought of her returning to Wainwright. Partially because if she went, he would have to follow her. He didn’t want to leave his brothers, or the ranch, and he knew he would face a lot of hostility, but it would be worth it to stay with her—with them.

“I’d rather live here.” Danny scowled. “I don’t like Wainwright.”

Rebecca shot him a worried look, but she didn’t pursue it. Instead, she smiled at Danny.

“Thank you for telling me how you feel. If we decide to get married you’ll be the first to know.”

If? He suppressed another growl.

After breakfast, the snow let up for a while, so he went to check on the sheep and Danny went with him. As he shoveled fresh fodder into their boxes—with Danny’s enthusiastic if somewhat inept assistance—he thought about the earlier conversation and Rebecca’s worried look.

“Why don’t you want to live in Wainwright?” he asked.

Danny gave him a suspicious look.

“Why? Do you want to live there?”

“Not at all. But it’s a human town and you are human.”

The boy hesitated, then scuffed at the ground with his foot.

“That doesn’t mean I fit in. They think I’m stupid to like books and they play mean tricks.”

“I didn’t fit in either,” he said, remembering how hard it had been—how hard it could still be. “But once I found some friends, some true friends, it didn’t matter as much.”

“I don’t have any friends,” Danny muttered.

“You have your sister and you have me.”

“Family doesn’t count.”

Warmth filled him at Danny’s response, but he shook his head.

“Family does count, very much.”

“Yeah, okay.” The boy shrugged, then grinned. “But I’d still rather stay here.”

So would he. He only hoped Rebecca felt the same way.

The rest of the day passed in the same way as the previous ones—until it was time for bed. She was stripping off her outer clothing when he joined her, and she paused to give him a curious look.

“You said you can shift at will, right?”

It had been one of Danny’s first questions.

“Generally, yes. I control the shift.”

“Then you could shift again now? I only caught a quick glimpse of your other side last night.”

“I said, generally. I lost control last night and I can’t take the chance of losing control again tonight.”

“You keep saying you lost control,” she said thoughtfully. “And maybe you didn’t expect to shift, but it seems to me that you were still in control. You were worried so you left, even in that form, and I’m sure you were the one who chose to stay out in the cold. I think you were in control all along.”

Her words echoed in his head like a thunderclap. Was she right? And if she was, what about those times over the past few months when his temper snapped or when the violent impulses rose to the surface? What if it had been because of his human side and not his Vultor side?

He was still thinking about it when she put her hand on his chest.

“Shift for me,” she whispered, and how could he deny her anything?

The change rippled over him. Her eyes widened, and she took a half-step back before immediately returning.

“I’m not afraid,” she promised. “It’s just such a shock to see it happen.”

She stepped even closer, running her hands over the soft, thick fur on his chest. He purred with satisfaction, and she tilted her head inquiringly.

“Can you speak when you’re like this?”

“Some,” he admitted. This form was not really intended for speech, and his beast preferred action to words. In fact… Making sure to keep his claws carefully sheathed, he put a careful arm around her waist to hold her against him.

“Mmm, this is nice. You feel like a life-size stuffed animal.”

A growl escaped, and she laughed.

“I mean that in the nicest way,” she said reassuringly and patted his chest again.

Her fingers stroked through his fur, and she tilted her head.

“It turns out I’m just as bad as Danny. I keep thinking of questions. Are you actually bigger in this form? Or does the fur just make you look larger?”

“Fur.”

“That seems logical to me—or at least as logical as anything else about it.” Her fingers trailed down across his stomach, toying with the edge of his waistband.

“And is this the same?” she whispered, running a quick finger along the rigid bar of his erection.

His beast growled. He recognized the hunger in the sound and immediately shifted back.

“I wasn’t done exploring,” she protested.

“Another day,” he promised.

“You didn’t answer my question. Is your… your cock the same?”

The adorable pink blush covered her face again, but she didn’t look away.

“Essentially. I have a knot in both forms.”

Her eyes widened. “A knot?”

“The base of my cock expands. It is part of the mating process, designed to lock a male and female together for breeding purposes.”

“Breeding?” she squeaked.

“Don’t worry,” he said quickly. “Drakkar has provided birth control to any of the males who desire it. He’s our medic,” he added when she looked confused.

“I see. I’ve never heard of a knot before.”

She shivered as she spoke, but he did not think it was out of fear, or at least not entirely, since he could also catch the increased scent of her arousal.

For the first time, he really considered the practical aspects of their mating. She could barely take his finger. His cock would be a stretch, but his knot? Could her small body actually handle it?

“I don’t think you need to worry about it.”

“Why not? You said it was part of the mating ritual. Have you changed your mind?”

His beast’s growl and his own attempt to rebut her words both tried to emerge at the same time, and he had to stop and take a deep breath.

“Of course not. A mate bond is for life.”

“I see. And the knot is part of that bond?”

“It is usually considered as such, but I do not need to knot inside you to know that you are my mate.”

“I’d be willing to give it a try.”

“You’re too small,” he growled at last.

“Women’s bodies are designed to adapt.” She gave him a provocative look, then sauntered towards the bed, her hips swinging. “Maybe you just need to prepare me.”

“Prepare you?” he growled, too aroused to care how much of his beast was coming through.

“Stretch me so that I can take all of you,” she whispered.

His cock was already throbbing painfully against his pants and at her words, he almost lost control. Somehow he managed to yank his body back under control as he prowled towards the bed.

“One stretching exercise, coming up.”

Her sweet breasts rose and fell with her rapid breathing as she watched him approach and the rich scent of her arousal filled the small room. This time he was determined to remain in control. He worshiped her breasts until both peaks were stiff and swollen, before bringing her to climax with his thumb across her clit. He didn’t attempt to approach her entrance until after that initial climax but he carefully placed his finger where he had the night before and pushed. Her channel was still incredibly tight, but she definitely accepted him more easily. Excellent. Perhaps this could work after all. He kept going until his entire finger was deep within her body, and tried to add a second digit.

She gasped, her body shuddering. It was too soon. He returned to her small pleasure bud, working the swollen nub until a second climax swept over her body, relaxing her enough to take the tip of a second finger. It took a considerable amount of patience and two more climaxes before she could fully accept both fingers. The scent of her arousal filled his head and his cock throbbed painfully against his pants, but he could think of nothing he would rather be doing. After her fourth climax, she pushed weakly at his shoulders.

“I think that’s enough for tonight.”

“Of course. I don’t want you to be sore tomorrow.

She nodded, already half-asleep as he pulled her up into his arms, and he smiled. They had time to explore.

CHAPTER 13

Three days later, Becky frowned at the bed in frustration. In her opinion, the preparations had gone very well. She could take all three of his fingers if not exactly with ease, certainly without discomfort. She’d come to adore the stretching sensation and couldn’t wait until she felt the full length of his cock. As much as she enjoyed their sessions, she was ready for more. Unfortunately, Endark was being recalcitrant because of his determination not to hurt her.

There had to be something she could do to encourage him, but what? She returned to the main room, absently tidying up the already neat space. The storm finally appeared to be passing, with several periods each day when the skies would clear for an hour or more. Endark had warned her that the calm periods could be deceptive, but he and Danny had taken advantage of the clear skies to visit the flock, leaving her at loose ends. She’d used all of the dark serge and had no other sewing projects to occupy her mind.

If only I had more fabric, she thought wistfully, then remembered the other fabric he had taken from her workshop. The sensuous green silk had originally been intended for a formal dress, but when she retrieved the material and let the silky fabric slip across her hand, she had an entirely different idea. She grinned and set to work.

That night, she sent Endark to bed first while she ducked into the bathroom to change. She studied herself in the mirror, then nodded. She had created a very simple nightgown, but the neckline dipped dangerously low and the silky fabric offered provocative hints of the body beneath. She hurried back to the bedroom. As soon as he saw her, the blue flames appeared in his eyes.

“Where did that come from?” he growled, and she recognized the rumble of his beast in his voice. Good. She always enjoyed it when he let some of that wildness come through.

“I made it, of course. Do you like it?”

She twirled in front of him, knowing the movement would send the hem high enough to reveal the bottom curve of her ass and a teasing glimpse of the auburn curls between her legs.

“Like is not the word,” he said, the wild growl still there.

She opened her mouth, but before she could respond, he grabbed her and pulled her down on top of him. He groaned as he ran his hands up over her silk-covered stomach to her breasts, stroking his thumbs back and forth across her nipples. The cool slip of the silk against the sensitive nubs sent a shiver down her spine, a shiver that only increased when she looked down and realized his claws had started to emerge. He followed her gaze and immediately started to pull his hands away, but she caught hold of them and held them in place.

“Touch me,” she whispered, and with a helpless groan he obeyed. Once her nipples reached full, stiff peaks, he delicately ran his claws across the throbbing buds, the spike of sensation making her cry out as an unexpected climax swept over.

He had placed her over his cock, and she found herself rocking her hips against the massive ridge of his erection, seeking to prolong the pleasure. He growled his approval, his fangs extending, and she reached between their bodies, unfastening his pants and freeing his erection.

Oh my God. She had touched him before but only through his pants, and it was the first time she had seen his naked cock. Her mouth went dry as she stared at the thick length. No wonder he had been so worried about preparing her.

“Rebecca…”

He began, but she didn’t wait to hear what he had to say. She curled her hand as far as she could around his cock and gave him a firm stroke. Another growl erupted from him, and she grinned. She slid forward and the wide shaft parted her folds, the slickness of her climax easing the way. She shuddered as his cock head pressed against her clit. Her body already hovered on the verge of a second climax, but this time she wanted it with him inside her.

She looked up to find him watching her.

“I’m ready.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she said impatiently, sliding back down the thick shaft.

Then suddenly she was on her back and he was looming over as he lifted her hips to notch his cock at her entrance, the broad head pressing against her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and tried to pull him inside her, but he was staring at the place where their bodies were about to join.

“Gods forgive me,” he muttered, and pushed.

Oh, God. A startled wail threatened to escape, but she kept her lips clamped together as he pushed firmly and inexorably inside. His cock felt far larger than his fingers, but her body was already responding to the stretching fullness, a massive climax hovering just out of reach.

“Good girl,” he encouraged her as her body struggled to take him. “I know you can take all of me.”

With a final thrust of his hips, he proved it, filling her completely. She could feel every inch of him inside her, molding her body around his thick shaft, hovering on the knife edge between pleasure and pain. She was too overwhelmed to move, but then he swept his thumb across her clit and her vision sheeted white as her climax rolled over her, as massive as she had anticipated. She heard him groan, felt him start to move, but she was too awash in sensation to respond. All she could do was cling to him as he began to thrust, harder and deeper with every stroke as her body adjusted. Her climax never seemed to end, wave after wave crashing down over her, until he gave a muffled roar and she felt the burning heat of his seed filling her over and over again.

The base of his shaft began to swell, stretching her impossibly further, and he muttered a curse under his breath. He started to pull back, but she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

“Stay.”

He obeyed and even though her eyes watered at the massive girth of his knot inside her, she was filled with triumph. She’d taken him, all of him.

MATE, Endark’s beast purred.

Equal satisfaction filled his human side, even though once again his control had failed. He hadn’t intended to give her his knot, but she’d clung to him so urgently when he tried to pull away that he hadn’t had the strength to resist.

“Are you all right?” he asked, looking down at her.

Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, but her smile was radiant.

“I feel wonderful. How about you?”

Could anything have been more perfect than the tight grasp of her body around his cock, the silken heat enclosing him completely?

“I never thought I could feel so… complete.”

“How long does this last?” she asked, giving an experimental wiggle, and they both groaned.

“For quite a while if you keep doing that. But honestly, I do not know. I have never been mated before.”

“And now we are?”

“As far as I am concerned, we were mated from the moment I carried you away from Wainwright.”

Her expression turned thoughtful as she studied his face.

“Is being mated the same as being married?”

“No,” he said immediately, and an odd look crossed her face. “Your human marriages can be broken. A mate bond can never be broken.”

“I see.”

“What does marriage mean to you?”

“Love. Commitment. A shared future.”

“A mate bond means all those things.”

“Then—”

“Then what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He was quite sure it wasn’t nothing, but before he could ask her anything else, she slid her hand between their bodies, running a delicate finger over the place where their bodies were locked together. He shuddered with pleasure and felt her tighten in response. They both groaned again.

“Are you ready for more, sweetness?”

Her eyes widened. “More? You fill me completely—how can there be more?”

He put his hand over hers and guided her finger up to her clit, the small nub completely exposed by the thickness inside her.

“Touch yourself,” he ordered.

“But I’ve never…”

“I’ll help you.”

He guided her finger over the swollen bud, and she shuddered. He could feel her channel trying to tighten around him, but he forced himself to concentrate on her pleasure.

“Do you like that?” he purred.

“God, yes.”

He started to pull his hand away, but she stopped him.

“I like it when it’s both of us,” she whispered, then slid his finger directly over her clit.

His fangs extended as he let her use his hand to discover what she liked. But she was too primed to last long and when she pressed his finger against the swollen flesh, she exploded. Her climax rolled through both of them, her channel milking him in long pulses and drawing another wave of seed from his embedded cock as she cried out his name. He wrapped his arms around her and cradled her against his chest, his fangs aching with the need to taste her.

“You were right,” she murmured eventually. “There was more.”

“Yes.”

She peeked up at him, a teasing smile on her face.

“But that was it?”

A mating bite immediately sprang to mind, but he was not about to sink his fangs into her delicate flesh. So far, he had managed to retain control—barely—but he suspected the taste of her sweetness would make that impossible. He hesitated a moment too long, and her mouth formed a pretty little O of surprise, distracting him. She was as small there as she was everywhere else, but he couldn’t prevent himself from imagining his cock sliding between those pretty pink lips. His cock tried to respond to the image, but she clasped him too tightly to move.

“You mean there is more?” she asked.

“Another time,” he promised, tucking her head back against his chest as he gently stroked her hair.

She fell asleep almost immediately, barely waking when his knot finally loosened and he slipped free. He cleansed her gently, wincing at the pinkness of her swollen folds, then gathered her close again.

He expected to fall asleep immediately, but instead it eluded him and he found himself staring into the darkness. Their mating had been everything he could possibly have hoped for, and yet something troubled him. Why had she seemed disappointed when he said that the mating bond was not the same as marriage? It was far more permanent.

The thought continued to trouble him until he fell into a restless sleep.

He awoke to a hot little mouth licking his shaft.

“Rebecca?”

“You were expecting someone else?” she murmured against him, her breath teasing the damp flesh.

“Never.”

“Good.” She hesitated. “Now I’ve never done this before, so you’ll have to let me know if I do something you don’t like.”

“I will like everything,” he promised, and he did.

He liked the way she licked him like a frozen treat. He liked the way she caressed the still sensitive base of his shaft where his knot formed. He liked the way she tried to fit him into her mouth. He’d been right—her mouth was far too small for his cock—but when she managed to stretch it around his head and suck, he exploded in waves of shuddering ecstasy. And he especially liked the way she tried to swallow every drop.

“I believe you have a natural talent, sweetness,” he murmured when he could speak again and she blushed adorably.

“You said there was more so I decided to experiment.”

“I very much approve,” he said solemnly and bent his head to kiss her.

He intended to show her more, but then they heard Danny coming down the ladder and he regretfully decided it would have to wait.

CHAPTER 14

The weather cleared again that afternoon, and Danny accompanied Endark on his rounds.

“Do you like taking care of the sheep?” the boy asked.

“Yes. They are not very intelligent but they are pleasant companions. And I find it… amusing that I am caring for prey animals.”

They worked together in companionable silence, and he found his mind returning to his question of the previous night.

“What do you know about marriage?” he asked Danny.

“It’s stupid and it makes women cry.”

“Why is it stupid?”

“You have this ceremony where you have to get all dressed up, and the bride and groom say a bunch of stuff about how they love each other and then it’s done. Sometimes there’s a party afterwards,” he added with a shrug.

It seemed strange to him as well, and unnecessary. Why would such things be done in public when the male and female already knew about their bond. Or did they? Danny had mentioned love, just as Rebecca had the night before. Was it possible that she didn’t really understand what the mating bond meant?

“Do you think you could remember the words they say?”

“Maybe. Why?”

“I think your sister would like to hear them.”

The boy’s face lit up. “I knew it! You are getting married and we never have to go back to Wainwright.”

“I have always considered us mated—married, as you call it, but I think this ceremony matters to Rebecca.”

“I’ll try and remember the words,” Danny said eagerly. “And maybe they’re in one of those books.”

“Excellent.”

The two of them spent the trip back to the cottage plotting, and then Danny disappeared into his attic. He waited until Rebecca was cooking before slipping a small piece of paper to Endark.

“Here. This should be pretty close.”

He took a quick glance and nodded. They were the same promises that were part of a mating bond, but if his suspicion was correct, she needed to hear him say them. Did the other things Danny had mentioned matter—the fancy clothes and the guests and a party? Since there was little he could do about them, he decided to start with the words. If it weren’t enough, he would have Nelly help him arrange it once the weather cleared. But perhaps there were a few things he could do…

After they ate lunch, Danny took Rebecca off to show her the first pasture while he made his preparations. He gathered berry laden branches from under the snow and arranged them on the mantle and on all the window sills. He found a bottle of wine that Drakkar had given him and opened it. And then he put on his uniform. It didn’t hold good memories, but it was the only even remotely formal clothing he owned.

He lit all the candles he could find, then paced nervously until he heard Rebecca and Danny approaching. As soon as he did, he went to stand by the fireplace.

Her eyes widened as soon as she stepped into the cottage.

“What’s going on? Why does everything look so nice?”

“Because this is our wedding day.”

Her face turned pale, and Danny squeezed her arm.

“It’s okay, sis.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I think you wish to be married as well as mated. I want us to exchange wedding vows,” he said honestly. As he read the words and made the preparations, he realized why this mattered to her. He wanted to speak his vows to her and hear her response.

“Are you sure?” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

“I am very sure.”

Danny tugged on her arm, leading her over to him.

“I’m giving you away,” he said, his face bright. “And I’m being the minister. Is that okay?”

“I think it’s absolutely perfect.”

Danny put Rebecca’s hand in his, then moved in front of them, his young face solemn. As the sun set over the mountains, he led them through their vows.

“I love you, Rebecca,” he said solemnly.

“Oh, Endark. I love you too.”

Triumph roared through him as he pulled her closer.

“I should have told you before instead of assuming that you knew. I see the benefit of this ceremony now.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, but her smile blinded him.

“I hoped you did. I just wasn’t sure.”

“You never need to doubt my love for you, sweetness.”

“Or my love for you.”

“Hey,” Danny interrupted. “That’s not part of it.”

“It should be,” he murmured as he bent his head to kiss her.

“And it’s not time for that either.”

Rebecca kissed him back, all too briefly, then smiled at her brother.

“It’s always time for kissing.”

“Yuck.”

They both laughed and even Danny grinned. He hugged his sister and after a brief hesitation, also threw his arms around Endark.

“Happy wedding day,” he said, then picked up a pan of muffins and headed for the ladder to his room.

“What are you doing, Danny?” she asked. “Don’t you want to celebrate with us?”

“Nah. The book said you should be alone. Tonight,” he added. “Tomorrow I want breakfast.”

He disappeared into his room, and Rebecca turned to Endark.

“I can’t believe you did this,” she said.

“I wanted you to know how I felt.”

“Thank you.” She looked around at the empty room, then up at him. “Are you hungry?”

“Only for you.”

“Good. Then I think we should go straight to our wedding night.”

His cock stiffened immediately at the provocative look on her face.

“Is this a special human event as well?” he asked as he followed her into their bedroom and closed the heavy drapes.

“Yes. It’s the opportunity for… more.”

She slipped her dress off over her shoulders, then the rest of her garments until she was naked and glowing in the candlelight. He had been too busy watching her to undress, but as his hands started to unfasten his jacket, she shook her head.

“My turn.”

She took her time, undressing him slowly and tracing her fingers across each inch of skin she revealed. He didn’t even realize he was purring in a long, continuous sound until she put her hand on his chest and smiled.

“You’re vibrating again.”

“You are pleasing me very much.”

“I did some reading today as well,” she said casually.

“That’s nice.”

He was far more interested in the lush warmth of her breast now filling his palm.

“I didn’t find anything on the Vultor, but I did read something interesting about mating bonds. That sometimes they are marked by a mating bite.”

He froze, and she smiled up at him as she brushed the long red hair away from her neck.

“Is that also more?”

“Yes,” he growled. “But I’m afraid I couldn’t stay in control if I marked you.”

“I’m not.”

He couldn’t move, afraid of falling on her like a ravening beast, but she gave him another provocative smile and danced her fingers across his cock. His control snapped.

He hauled her up against him, kissing her with fully unleashed hunger. She responded just as eagerly. When he caught the sweet taste of her blood and realized he’d nicked her with one of his fangs, he tried to pull back but she growled adorably and pulled him closer.

He pushed her down onto the bed and marked her, leaving love bites on her breasts and her inner thighs, as he plunged his fingers inside her, preparing her. She came once and then again before he decided she was ready. He flipped her over on her stomach, running his hands down the graceful lines of her back and the sweet curve of her ass before lifting her hips. She looked so small, so perfect that he almost hesitated, but then she wiggled her ass at him and he forgot his doubts, entering her hard and fast.

He felt her convulse around him, and he forced himself to slow, bending forward over her body and kissing her bare neck.

“I love you, Rebecca.”

“I love you too. Now mark me,” she demanded, but he refused to be hurried.

He plunged slowly in and out of her, prolonging their pleasure as he teased her neck, kissing it and scraping it with his fangs, until she was writhing beneath him and he couldn’t wait any longer. His hips snapped forward, hard and fast again, and this time he didn’t stop, thrusting into her over and over as she urged him on. His mouth fastened on her neck as a line of fire streaked down his spine, and as his climax overtook him he bit down, the delectable taste of her blood making him come and come as his knot expanded and her sweet cunt fluttered helplessly around him and he collapsed over her.

“Best wedding night ever,” she whispered breathlessly, and he found the strength to laugh.

“Oh, it’s not over yet, sweetness.”

“I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

Despite her protest, he felt her quiver.

“You will enjoy every moment,” he promised, and he kept his promise.

BECKY WOKE UP FEELING SORE, satisfied, and completely happy. Perhaps not the most conventional wedding night, but she couldn’t imagine a more perfect one. She raised a cautious hand to her mating bite. As she had expected, it was definitely tender. What she hadn’t expected was for even that brief touch of her fingers to create a spark of arousal. This was going to be… interesting. She winced a little as she dressed, but it was a pleasant—and arousing—reminder of the previous night.

Endark had already left. The day had dawned bright and clear, and he and Danny had gone to feed the sheep. He had promised they would return as quickly as possible. He had urged her to sleep in, and she had for a while, but now she decided to have breakfast waiting for them when they returned.

She was pulling out pancake ingredients when the door opened. She looked up eagerly, expecting to see Endark and Danny. But although the big male filling the doorway was clearly Vultor, she had never seen him before. The fine hairs on the back of her neck prickled with alarm.

“This is a private residence. Please leave,” she said, thankful that her voice remained calm.

The stranger grinned, showing elongated fangs. Then he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

CHAPTER 15

Endark was approaching the cottage with Danny when he caught a whiff of a scent he hadn’t encountered in years. His beast growled and he froze in his steps, lifting his head to test the air.

“What is it?” Danny asked curiously.

He inhaled again. A Vultor? Here? There were certainly other Vultor living on Cresca, but the Vultor packs tended to stay far away from any humans. The only exceptions were those who chose to work at one of the ports, but even then, they tended to be loners.

“I thought I detected another Vultor.”

“Maybe it’s someone you know?”

“I don’t recognize the scent. If someone was looking for me, why wouldn’t they have followed—”

Terror suddenly spiked through him, and he saw the same realization on Danny’s face.

“Rebecca!”

He ran for the cottage and Danny followed him, moving with surprising speed for a human. Even before he entered the cottage, he knew something was wrong. There were no sounds of life, and her scent had already faded. That didn’t stop him from tearing through the house hunting for her, including both the attic and the cellar. Danny joined him in the search, all the color wiped from his face.

“Where is she?” he whispered

“I think another Vultor has taken her,” he growled. His fangs and claws extended at the idea, and he made no attempt to restrain them. “I’m going after her.”

“I’m going with you.”

“You can’t. It could be very dangerous.”

“I don’t care,” Danny said fiercely. “She’s my sister. And if you don’t let me come with you, I’ll follow you anyway. You know how good I am at tracking.”

He swore, but one look at the determined young face convinced him of the futility of arguing. The only way to prevent Danny from following him would be to lock him up—and what if something happened? Or what if those who had taken Rebecca returned for the boy?

“Very well. But you will obey my orders, do you understand?”

Danny nodded, then followed him back outside as he searched for the trail. The lingering scent led him to the wooded slope that rose up behind his home, as if they were heading into the high mountains. But why? And why had they made it so obvious? Unless they thought his mixed heritage had weakened his senses, they must’ve known that he would follow. Which meant…

“I suspect that this is some kind of trap,” he told Danny as they moved swiftly through the woods. Trap or not, he was getting his female back.

Danny bit his lip, but didn’t slow down.

“A trap for you? Why?”

“I have no idea. My father’s pack made it very clear that I was not welcome amongst them.”

“Maybe they changed their mind?” the boy suggested doubtfully.

“If they had, they would have approached me openly. And I don’t recognize the scent.”

Scents, he mended silently as the trail became clearer. At least one, and possibly two other Vultor had passed this way. Then another scent reached him—woodsmoke. Whoever had taken Rebecca was making no attempt to hide their tracks. His beast wanted to charge ahead, but he forced himself to slow instead, moving carefully until they were downwind. The trees were thinning now, ending in a rocky plateau high on the mountain.

He guided Danny towards a thick patch of undergrowth from which they could observe the plateau without being seen. Danny’s breath caught, his hand clenching on Endark’s arm.

Rebecca was there.

A wave of relief washed over him at the sight of her. She was seated on a rock close to the taller boulders at the rear of the plateau and appeared to be unhurt. There was a scarf wrapped around her mouth and both her hands and feet were tied, but at least the bastards who had taken her had wrapped a cloak around her shoulders and she was close enough to the fire to benefit from its warmth. The only other person he could see was a Vultor perched on his heels in front of the fire. But even though he couldn’t see anyone else, he knew that at least one other person was present.

Danny’s body quivered impatiently, as eager as Endark to free her, but he remained at Endark’s side. Good male.

“What do we do now?” the boy whispered.

“I’m going to go find out what this is about. I need you to stay here and watch. If something goes wrong, then you’ll need to go for help.”

“I’m not going to leave Becky, or you.”

“I appreciate that, but if something happens to me, you have to get help for Rebecca. Fetch my brothers. Head straight down the mountainside to the valley floor, then follow the river until you reach the main building.”

He cast a quick look at the sky. Still clear. If Danny did have to go for help, at least the weather shouldn’t hinder him.

“All right,” Danny said reluctantly.

“Good. Stay here and keep watch. I’m going to approach from the side so they don’t realize I’m not alone.”

“Please don’t let anything happen to her.”

“I will do everything I can,” he promised, before he squeezed the boy’s shoulder and faded back into the woods.

As soon as he was far enough away from Danny, he changed direction, heading straight for the plateau and making no attempt to conceal his approach. Whoever had arranged this was waiting for him and there was no point in attempting to be stealthy. When he stepped out onto the rock surface, the Vultor was still alone.

He saw the relief cross Rebecca’s face when she saw him, and he had to dig his claws into his palms to prevent himself from racing to her side. He could detect the scent of at least one other male, and he couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

He forced himself to concentrate on the Vultor as he tried to evaluate the situation. The second scent was oddly similar to that of the male he could see. Brothers perhaps? Did they think that would fool him? And if they thought so poorly of him, why did they want to speak with him?

“You finally made it,” the other Vultor said, his voice lightly mocking. “I was afraid we hadn’t made the trail easy enough for you to follow.”

That answered the first part of his question—they obviously considered him inferior. But that still left the question of what they wanted with him.

“Why?”

“I am Seren. I was sent to speak to you. Without interruption,” he added. “This seemed like a good way to get your undivided attention.”

“What do you want from me?” he asked grimly.

“I understand that the former owner of this ranch is dead.”

“That is correct. We purchased the ranch from his estate.”

Seren sighed. “It was not his to sell.”

“What do you mean? From what I understand, he lived on this ranch for almost forty years.”

“We had an arrangement with him, for the span of his lifetime.”

“What type of arrangement?”

“Our pack used to live in these mountains. Many years ago, a flyer crashed here. The pilot died and the passenger, a young human female, was severely injured.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Endark saw Rebecca lean forward, but he had to keep his focus on the Vultor.

“Our former alpha rescued the female and nursed her back to health, then proclaimed her as his mate. Before she would accept his claim, she insisted on speaking to the owner of the ranch. She had been promised to him.” The male sighed again. “Apparently, humans are more forgiving than Vultor. The man not only let them both live but promised that after he died, the ranch would be passed on to her and our pack. His only condition was that they leave the area so he would not be faced with her betrayal every day.”

Endark frowned. He had never met the previous owner, but from what he understood, he was quite old when he died.

“Is she still alive?”

The male hesitated, then shook his head.

“In that case…”

“But she has a son.”

He didn’t have much experience with wills, but he had seen quite a few contracts during his time in the military.

“I’m afraid that that does not necessarily mean that he would inherit.”

“The land belongs to us.”

A second Vultor appeared. He had a heavy, muscular body, but Endark could see the signs of someone who overindulged in human pleasures. His features were similar enough to Seren’s to confirm his earlier suspicion that they were related, but unlike the first male, this one seemed far more volatile.

“He owes us,” the second male said harshly.

“I’m not sure why you think that he owes you because his female betrayed him,” he said coldly.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Seren wince, but anger flashed across the newcomer’s face, vicious enough that his beast wanted to snarl in return.

“We want our fucking land. And unless you make it happen, it will be the last you see of this human.”

Anger roared through him so quickly that he felt dizzy.

“You know she even had the nerve to claim she’s your mate.”

“She is,” he growled.

The newcomer spat on the ground.

“She’s attractive enough. For a human.” His voice dripped with disdain. “I can understand why you might want to fuck her, but to mate her? You are already an abomination, and now you wish to weaken our species further with more inferior blood. It cannot be permitted.”

“It is not your decision,” he said, his fangs extending.

“These are my lands, and you will obey my rules. If you do, I might even let you keep her—after I’ve had my fill of her.”

“Never. These are not your lands, and you will never lay a finger on her.”

The male snarled and flew at him, shifting as he attacked, but Endark transformed just as quickly to meet the threat. He had a quick flash of gratitude that this wouldn’t be Rebecca’s first introduction to his beast, and then there was no more time to think. Despite the extra weight, the other male was fast and vicious, but he suspected he’d never fought anyone other than another Vultor. Between his years alone and his time in the military, he’d faced hundreds of different opponents.

He whirled around and went low, slicing a deep gash across the other male’s leg. He hesitated for a second, giving the other male a chance to concede, but he howled in pain and frustration and attacked again. He half-expected Seren to join the fight but the other male remained in place next to the fire as they tore at each other. The fight was fast and brutal, but the outcome was never really in doubt and he had no wish to prolong it. He feinted to one side, then stepped closer, fastening his arm around the other male’s neck and snapping it.

He let the limp body fall to the ground, then snarled at Seren by the fire. The male raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and he dismissed him, rushing to Rebecca’s side. He snatched off her gag, and sliced through her bonds before pulling her against him with a sigh of relief. She was safe and back in his arms where she belonged.

She gave a choked sob, pressing frantic kisses to his mouth, and he kissed her back, determined to mark his claim. He finally realized he was still in his shifted form and quickly shifted back raising his head to check on her.

“Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” she said, her eyes bright with tears. “I knew you’d come.”

“Becky!” Danny yelled, flying across the rock towards them.

He flung his arms around her neck with a choked sob, and Endark put a protective arm around both of them before turning to glare at the other Vultor.

“Did you know that was going to happen?”

“No. But I’m not entirely surprised.” Seren stared down at the fire. “Our pack is divided. Tormud is—was—the son of the original alpha.”

“The son of Josiah’s bride?” Rebecca asked.

The male hesitated again, then shook his head.

“No, and that’s part of the problem. She died in childbirth, and Devlin went mad with grief. He fathered Tormud on an… unwilling female and then insisted that he was really his mate’s son. He filled the boy’s head with stories of his heritage and how it had been stolen from him. He killed himself when Tormud was still in his teens, but the damage had already been done. Tormud believed that he would inherit and convinced many of the pack that this land would be our home one day.”

“But that’s crazy.”

The male shrugged. “As you say. Not everyone believed it. But Tormud had alpha blood and he found followers. Perhaps they will let it drop.” He raised his head and looked directly at Endark for the first time. “Or perhaps they will seek revenge.”

The warning was quite clear.

“I see. We will be ready.”

He saw the flash of acknowledgment of his own warning in the other male’s eyes as he nodded.

“I must return to the pack.” He glanced over at the fallen body. “But if you will assist me, I will perform the funeral rites here. Returning with his body would only inflame his supporters,” he added when Endark started to object.

He had a valid point.

“Very well. Rebecca, you and Danny should return to the cottage.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” she insisted, giving Soren a suspicious glare.

He made no attempt to argue—after the events of the morning, he was just as glad to keep her in sight. He and Seren began to gather more wood, and after a few minutes Danny helped them. They built the fire into a raging bonfire, then Seren placed Tormud’s body in the flames. The two of them chanted a quick prayer to the gods before stepping back.

“He was my cousin, you know,” Seren said quietly to Endark.

“Does that mean you are in line for the alpha position?”

“No. Our mothers were sisters. My aunt was the one Devlin… used to father him.”

Seren’s voice was carefully neutral, but Endark suspected that there was a lot more to the story. He had forgotten how complicated relationships could be between members of a Pack.

“I suspect you would have been a good alpha.”

Seren shrugged, suddenly looking tired. “Perhaps. But we will never know. I must remain until the fire dies and collect the ashes, but I am sure you wish to take your female home.”

“I do.” He hesitated, then added, “If you wish to return and speak to me, you have only to come to my door.”

“Perhaps I will.” He shook his head. “I suggested that to begin with, but Tormud insisted on making a more dramatic statement. I hope that without his influence, the pack will calm. I will do what I can to help.”

“Thank you.”

He held out his arm in the Vultor way. Seren looked surprised, but then he clasped it.

“I hope that we meet under happier circumstances next time.”

“As do I.”

He nodded, then went to where Rebecca and Danny waited at the edge of the plateau. Time to go home.

CHAPTER 16

Becky smiled at Endark as he returned to her side. He looked surprisingly peaceful for someone who had fought a deadly battle only a short time before.

“Is everything all right? Do you think there will be any more trouble?”

“I don’t know. I need to talk to Artek about increasing our defenses. The sooner we make the trip down to the main house, the better.” He hesitated, then added, “I told Seren that I would talk to him if he wished to return.”

“Have you had much contact with other Vultor before?” she asked as the three of them turned and started back down the mountain side.

“Not really, although my father tried to teach me their ways. He took me to visit his old pack once when I was a child. It did not go well. I also tried to make contact with them after he died.”

He didn’t add anything else, but from the expression on his face, that had been equally disastrous. She squeezed his hand.

“Then maybe it will be nice to have a Vultor friend.”

“Friend? I do not believe I would call him a friend.”

“Perhaps not now, but we’ll see if he takes you up on your offer.”

He shrugged and tugged her closer.

“As long as I have you and Danny, I am content. And my brothers,” he added.

“That’s because we’re the best,” Danny said triumphantly, and Endark laughed.

“Indeed you are.” He bent down and murmured in her ear. “And I intend to show you just how much I appreciate you later tonight.”

She blushed and laughed, and Danny gave them both a disgusted look.

“Cut out all that mushy stuff.”

“I’m afraid that will never happen,” Endark said solemnly, and her brother rolled his eyes.

“I need someone else to hang out with.”

“Then you’re in luck,” she told him cheerfully. “We’re going to visit the main ranch house.”

“Who’s going to be there?”

Endark tilted his head.

“Artek and Nelly will be there, and I’m not sure who else. I suspect Benjar will be there as well. You will like him—he frequently acts like a young male.”

“Was he one of the ones who came to town? What does he look like?”

Endark described him, and Danny nodded.

“I saw him. He was running away from the house carrying someone, and I thought it was you.” Her brother’s eyes widened. “It must have been Miss Julie.”

“I’m not sure that sounds like a very good match,” she said doubtfully, but Endark shrugged.

“Would you have thought that we would be perfect for each other?”

She laughed. “I suppose not.”

Danny continued to ask questions about who might be at the ranch house, and Endark described the rest of his brothers, clearly revealing his affection for them.

As it turned out, they didn’t need to visit the ranch house in order to meet one of Endark’s brothers. When they returned to the cottage, a large blue-skinned male with dark horns was studying their tracks. She recognized him as Nelly’s new husband.

“Artek.” Endark frowned. “What are you doing here? Is anything wrong?”

“I intended to ask you the same thing.” Artek directed a quick, assessing glance at Becky and Danny. “I found your tracker in the cabin. Why did you remove it?”

“I cut it out before I went to town. I knew that if I did not find my mate, there was no hope for me.”

“But you did find me,” she said quickly, squeezing his hand again.

“And me,” Danny added, glaring at Artek.

“I’m very glad for all of you. Will you accompany me back to the house? There are matters we need to discuss.”

“Yes. I have news for you as well.” Endark hesitated. “Do you think we could persuade Frantor to join us? I believe we will have need of his skills.”

“I’m afraid not. Especially not with so many new people.” Artek smiled at Becky. “There are four other brides currently visiting us.”

“Really? It will be nice to see some of the women. I wonder if I should change,” she added looking down at her pants, then shrugged. She was already so far outside the acceptable behavior for Wainwright that it didn’t matter. “Never mind. Let’s go. How far is it?”

A smile lurked in Artek’s eyes.

“A reasonable distance, especially under these conditions,” he said as he led them along the tree line. “But I believe this will make it easier.”

There was a makeshift sleigh waiting for them with a wagon box attached to two long runners. Both Endark and Danny laughed when they saw it and she gave them a puzzled look.

“What?”

“It’s the same sleigh he used to kidnap you,” Danny said. “At least this time you can enjoy the ride.”

And she did. The sleigh slid easily across the deep blanket of snow, the brilliant blue of the sky above accentuating the beauty of the valley and the surrounding mountain peaks. They pulled up in front of the main ranch house—a massive building with two long wings flanking an angular center section. She climbed out eagerly as the doors were flung open and Nelly rushed out.

“Becky! It is you. I thought it had to be based on Benjar’s description but I couldn’t be sure.” Nelly gave her a fierce hug, then pulled back to look at her face. “And you are well? Happy?”

“Very much so,” she said firmly.

“Come and say hello to everyone.”

She gave Endark a quick glance, and he nodded.

“I will find you after I’ve talked to Artek.”

“All right. Danny?”

“I want to stay with Endark.”

Endark nodded again, and she smiled at them both before following Nelly through a massive living room with a view out over the valley to a large kitchen. Her friend Pearl was standing by the stove, arguing over a dish with her sister Ruby, while Julie was trying to read them the actual recipe. She had expected to find Julie, but she almost didn’t recognize her. The girl’s face glowed with a happiness she’d never seen before as she looked up and saw her.

“Becky! Oh my goodness,” Julie exclaimed. “My mother lost her daughter and her seamstress in one night? I’m not sure who she’ll miss more.”

“I’m pretty sure that would be you,” she said dryly, but the girl’s smile faded briefly.

“I’m not. I was never a very satisfactory daughter. I didn’t fit into her world.”

“But you fit in here?”

“Oh, yes—although it took a while.”

Before she could ask any more questions, Pearl hurried over to hug her and Becky returned the hug enthusiastically.

“I didn’t know you were here. I guess it’s just as well I didn’t need you to watch over Danny for me.”

“Why not? Is he here?”

She gave a rueful smile. “He came after me.”

Pearl laughed. “I guess that’s what siblings do. I came looking for Ruby.”

“And got side-tracked by a big purple alien,” Ruby said dryly.

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s kind of a long story.”

Pearl urged her to a seat at the kitchen table before recounting her adventures, lavishly embellished by Ruby. A few minutes later, another woman entered. Barely more than a girl herself, she was carrying an adorable baby.

“Drakkar got pulled into some super secret meeting with the others,” she said, shaking her head. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Nelly said. “Do you know, Becky? Oh, and this is Kitty and her daughter Lola. Drakkar is her husband. Kitty, this is Becky. She’s a seamstress.”

“It looks like you’re one too. I love your dress.”

Kitty laughed. “Can you believe that my mate made this? He’s much better at sewing than I am.”

“Maybe we can exchange some tips,” she said, and they all laughed as Pearl came over to take the baby and the conversation changed to clothes.

Everyone was relaxed and smiling, but she suddenly noticed Nelly looked a little pale.

“Are you all right?” she asked quietly. “It must have been hard out here on your own with Artek and his brothers. You look a little tired.”

“Not because of that.” Nelly gave her a radiant smile. “I’m pregnant.”

“That’s wonderful. Especially so quickly.”

She gave a speculative look at the other women, and Pearl blushed.

“I just found out that I am too,” she admitted softly.

“I’m so glad,” Becky said, squeezing her hand. She knew how much her friend had longed for a baby.

“Well, I’m not,” Ruby said quickly. “I’m having way too much fun to worry about a baby.”

“You can have fun with a baby,” Kitty protested, smiling down at her daughter. “You just have to be a little more creative.”

Creative? She was almost tempted to ask, and she saw Ruby’s mouth open before Pearl nudged her sister. Becky decided to keep quiet as well, and turned to Julie instead.

“What about you?”

“No, not now. We have things we want to do first,” Julie said quietly, and she nodded.

“I feel the same way. And I want to make sure Danny feels settled as well.”

As if her words had summoned him, Danny came bounding into the kitchen, followed by all of the other males. All of them immediately joined their respective brides, and she found herself smiling as Endark put his arm around her shoulders. Although she knew that the Vultor might still represent a threat, for now everyone was safe. Everyone…

She looked around the room again.

“Isn’t there another brother?”

Nelly sighed. “Yes. Frantor. Artek said he was badly wounded in the war, and now he avoids everyone. I’ve never even seen him. I wish he’d found a bride.”

Pearl frowned. “I thought he did. Didn’t you say you took Florie to him, Benjar?”

Everyone turned to look at Benjar, who looked as innocent as it was possible for a huge feline male to look.

“Yes. I didn’t want him to be alone,” he said piously.

“You left a woman with him?” Artek growled. “And no one has seen any sign of her since then?”

“No one has seen any sign of him either,” Benjar protested. “Maybe they’re enjoying being alone.”

Artek sighed and rose to his feet, nodding at Callum.

“I think we’d better go talk to him. I’ll let him know about your concerns as well, Endark.”

The two disappeared, and a brief silence fell before Nelly jumped up.

“This seems like a good time to make some cookies. Who wants to help?”

Danny and Benjar immediately volunteered, but before she could join them, Endark tugged gently on her hand and led her out of the kitchen, across the huge living area, and down a long corridor to a door that opened into a big bedroom with a view out across the river to the peaks on the other side of the valley.

“This is my room when I stay here.”

It was as barren as his cottage had been with only a big bed directly across from the windows, and she gave him a curious glance.

“It doesn’t look like you were here much.”

“I wasn’t. I was struggling for control and I always seemed to end up getting into an argument—usually with Benjar.”

“And now?”

“He can still be annoying but it doesn’t bother me. You gave me that, sweetness.”

“I’m glad, but why do I suspect that’s not the only reason you brought me here?”

“Would you like to stay here in the main house? I can see that you are enjoying being around the other females.”

“I am, and I would like to visit often, but I’m happy in our cottage.”

She saw the almost imperceptible release of tension in those big shoulders and realized he hadn’t wanted to move any more than she did. But he’d been willing to do it, for her. Her heart ached with love—and the rest of her body for an entirely different reason.

“Does the door have a lock?”

“I suppose so. Why?”

She ignored the question. “Do you know how long it takes to make cookies?”

“Not really.”

“Thirty minutes if we’re lucky, twenty if we’re not. Do you think we can make it?”

The familiar blue flames lit his eyes as he realized what she was saying.

“Yes,” he growled.

“Then lock the door.”

As he turned to obey, she looked at the bed, and then at the big windows. Smiling, she slipped out of her pants, unbuttoned her shirt, and walked over to the windows. Perfect. The stunning view of her new home filled her vision as she stepped closer to the window. The cold glass brushed against her already erect nipples, and she shivered with pleasure as she looked over her shoulder at him.

“Come here.”

He prowled towards her, his beast evident in the predatory walk. As soon as he reached her, he dropped his head against her neck, licking her mating mark and sending a streak of excitement to her already swollen clit. His big hands cupped her breasts, their warmth a shocking contrast to the chill still teasing her nipples. Then he pushed her more firmly against the glass as his hands dipped lower, testing her readiness. He purred his approval at finding her slick and ready, then pulled her hips back and lifted them as the thick head of his cock nudged her entrance.

“Ready?” he growled.

“Oh, yes.”

He plunged inside her in one long, hard stroke, the shocking thickness sending her flying into an equally shocking climax, but he didn’t even pause, filling her over and over with those long, demanding strokes, demanding more and more from her helpless body. One hand slid round to stroke her clit as he bent over her, his fangs grazing her mating mark. She cried out again, shuddering in his arms, and he roared, his seed flooding her as his knot began to swell, filling her completely as their bodies locked together.

“Love you,” he said against her neck, his voice hoarse and almost unrecognizable.

She could feel the softness of fur against her back, and she smiled again.

“I love you too, Endark. All of you.”

And even knowing that it would prevent his knot from subsiding, she deliberately tightened her channel around his thick length. He rocked against her as his fingers returned to her clit, and she sighed happily as her arousal came rushing back.

The cookies had been made, baked, and eaten by the time they finally rejoined the others.

EPILOGUE

Ten months later…

ENDARK WALKED up the familiar path to his cottage as the sun began to set, striking bright notes of color on the leaves that were already beginning to turn. He paused to look back out over the valley, beautiful in fall. But then he found it beautiful in every season, even during the long, snowy winters. After all, he had found Rebecca during the winter.

So much had changed since then, not least of which was his cottage. They had added a new bedroom and bathroom to one side for some desperately needed privacy, expanded the kitchen and dining area, and added dormers to the attic to accommodate Danny’s rapidly increasing height. It sometimes seemed as if the boy grew an inch overnight. But despite all the changes, Rebecca managed to make the cottage feel as warm and cozy as ever.

My brilliant mate, he thought and smiled.

“Rebecca? Where are you, sweetness?”

“In here.”

He followed the sound of her voice to the area of their bedroom she used as her workroom. He had already decided that his next addition was going to be a dedicated space for her sewing.

He expected to find her working, but instead she was sitting on the window seat looking out over the valley, an odd expression on her face. For a moment, he wondered if something was wrong, but when he bent down and kissed her she responded as eagerly as ever, and when he lifted his head she smiled up at him.

“How was the shearing?”

“Very successful. We increased our yield over last year.” He laughed. “Pearl and Nelly are already busy with plans for processing the wool.”

“Those two are an unstoppable force.”

“You are equally as formidable,” he assured her, joining her on the window seat.

“Maybe. Where’s Danny?”

“He went home with Benjar,” he said, trying not to make a face. While he was grateful for the friendship the two had developed, he worried about Benjar’s influence. “Gilmat would have been just as happy to see him.”

“He spends plenty of time with him too.”

He couldn’t argue. In fact all of his brothers had taken the young male under their respective wings and he had blossomed under their attention.

“I know. Just as I know that Benjar would never let anything happen to him. He just has the craziest ideas.”

Her eyes were warm with affection. “Maybe. But I’m here because of one of those ideas, remember?”

“You’re right. It’s a debt I can never repay.”

“Maybe you repay it by letting Danny spend time with him. I think Benjar really appreciates having someone look up to him for a change,” she said gently.

He sighed and lifted her onto his lap.

“I’m sure you’re right. And he is spending the night so we’ll have the evening alone together…”

To his surprise, she gave an oddly nervous laugh. Normally she was the first to want to take advantage of the rare times when they were completely alone. He waited for an explanation, but she only settled back into his arms.

The setting sun filled the room, glowing on the pale yellow fabric on her worktable.

“That’s a pretty color yellow,” he said thoughtfully. “You should make yourself a dress in that color.”

“It’s funny you should say that. It is for me.”

“Good. You always spend more time working on clothes for other people rather than for yourself.”

She shrugged. “I have plenty of clothes. I don’t—didn’t—really need anything else.”

“And now you do? Are we going to a fancy party I don’t know about?”

“Not exactly.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re talking in riddles?”

Instead of responding, she jumped up.

“Since we’re alone, we should play a little game.”

He knew she was changing the subject, but he couldn’t resist the teasing look she gave him.

“What did you have in mind?”

“How about some Hide and Seek?”

He growled approvingly, his skin already rippling with anticipation.

“Run.”

She squeaked and obeyed, darting away with her usual speed. He cast off his shirt and boots, then shifted. He did his best to wait patiently, but the knowledge that his mate was running from him, even as part of a game, always aroused his predatory instincts. Tired of waiting, he growled and headed for the door.

As he left the cottage, he noticed that the temperature had already begun to drop. While it didn’t bother him, he wasn’t going to let her catch a chill. Their outdoor games wouldn’t last much longer.

He cast around for her scent and found it easily. She was making it easy on him tonight, which meant she was more interested in being caught than being chased. Nonetheless, he roared loud enough for her to hear and loped after her. He caught her just as she reached a large boulder that overlooked the valley. She backed up against the rock, her eyes wide, but it wasn’t fear he smelled on her.

He shifted back to human and stalked towards her.

“Are you trespassing on my land, little human?”

“N-no.”

Her stutter sounded absolutely perfect, but he could see her nipples thrusting against the thin cloth of her shirt. He let his claws extend and sliced open her shift, growling again when he realized she wasn’t wearing any undergarments. Her nipples were already taut, dark red peaks.

“What do we have here? Are you trying to smuggle rubies off my land?”

“No.”

“Then what are these?”

He delicately scraped his claws across the tempting little buds, and she cried out. Fuck, she was on the verge of climax already. He plucked at her nipples again, and she writhed against his hands, then reached forward and curled her palm around his cock.

“I’m ready.”

“I haven’t even searched you yet,” he protested. “I was sure I was going to find another ruby hidden between your legs.”

She shuddered, then lifted her skirt to reveal more bare, perfect skin.

“I’m ready.”

How could he resist? He lifted her into the air then pulled her down over his throbbing cock. Fuck she felt good, even hotter and silkier than usual. He could already feel her fluttering around him and knew that neither one of them would last long.

“Fast and hard,” she demanded, and he obeyed, plunging into her with long, hard strokes, She climaxed on the third stroke and he didn’t last much longer, pulling out as soon as he started to erupt, his seed splattering against her clit and the soft curve of her stomach as she shook in his embrace.

She clung to him for several moments before she raised her head.

“You pulled out.”

“As much as I enjoy walking back to our home with my knot locking us together—” a procedure that always resulted in multiple orgasms for both of them “—the weather is turning cooler and I don’t want you to catch cold.”

“But what if this is the last time?” she sniffed, clearly on the verge of tears, and he immediately panicked. His mate rarely cried.

“What is it? What’s wrong? Is that why I saw Drakkar fly across earlier?”

“Do you miss anything?” she asked crossly. “Take me back to the house.”

Yes. I have to get her out of the cold air as soon as possible.

He carried her back to the house as quickly as possible, his heart pounding.

“Into the bedroom,” she sniffed when they arrived, then picked up her new gown and thrust it at him. “Here.”

“Why are you giving me your gown?”

“Do you notice anything about it?”

“Umm, it’s very pretty.”

It was—a soft cloud pale yellow with a ribbon to fasten beneath her breasts.

“Not that.”

She actually stomped her foot as he stared at her in amazement.

“Rebecca, what is going on?”

She turned and paced to the window and back.

“You know I’ve never ever been with anyone other than you, right?”

“Yes.” And he enjoyed that fact far more than he should.

“I want you to remember that because I have something to tell you.”

“What?” he growled.

“I’m pregnant,” she wailed.

His immediate rush of delight was followed by confusion.

“I don’t understand. Drakkar gave me something to prevent pregnancy.”

“I know! That’s why I sent for him. I had all the signs, but I didn’t see how it was possible.”

“What did he say?”

“He laughed and said you had very determined sperm.”

He briefly considered and then immediately discarded the idea that she had been unfaithful to him. It just wasn’t possible.

“Determined sperm, hmm?”

“Yes.” She gave him a hesitant smile. “He said he’d work on the formula, but it was a little too late this time.”

“We’re going to have a baby?” he repeated.

“Yes. Do you mind?”

He put a tentative hand over her stomach, then grinned.

“I am absolutely delighted. What about you? I know you wanted to wait.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Once I got over the shock, I was thrilled—and worried about how to tell you. Do you believe me?”

“Of course I do.”

She gave a relieved sigh, then bit her lip. “Do you think Danny will be okay with it?”

He laughed. “I suspect he will be overjoyed by his new role, just as I am.” A thought suddenly occurred to him and he frowned. “You should never have let me chase you.”

She huffed. “That’s why I said it might be the last time. I knew you’d go all protective and not let me have any fun.”

“Oh, sweetness. I assure you that there is plenty of fun to be had right here.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes,” he purred. “Especially since you are even more sensitive than normal.”

He tweaked her nipple and she gasped, her eyes growing heavy with pleasure.

“I will spend the next nine months proving it to you,” he promised.

He kept his promise.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Thank you so much for reading Endark! I didn’t realize that a book with fated mates and mating bites and knotting was also going to turn out to be so shamelessly romantic - and I loved every minute of it! I hope you did as well!

Whether you enjoyed the story or not, it would mean the world to me if you left an honest review on Amazon – reviews are one of the best ways to help other readers find my books!

As usual, I have to thank my readers for coming on these adventures with me - I couldn’t do it without you!

And, as always, a special thanks to my beta team – Janet S, Nancy V, and Kitty S. Your thoughts and comments are incredibly helpful!

Up next!

Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers

continues with Frantor

Can a lonely woman heal the cruel scars of an alien warrior’s past? Is there any hope for a future with someone who only comes to her under cover of darkness?

Click here to order Frantor!

If you’d like to read about another half Vultor shifter hero, check out Her Alien Farmhand!

This is a standalone story also set on Cresca.

Can a desperate woman and a lonely alien shifter work together to defeat an unknown enemy?

Click here to order Her Alien Farmhand!

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OTHER TITLES

Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers

Artek

Benjar

Callum

Drakkar

Endark

Frantor

The Alien Abduction Series

Anna and the Alien

Beth and the Barbarian

Cam and the Conqueror

Deb and the Demon

Ella and the Emperor

Faith and the Fighter

Greta and the Gargoyle

Hanna and the Hitman

Izzie and the Icebeast

Joan and the Juggernaut

Kate and the Kraken

Lily and the Lion

Mary and the Minotaur

Nancy and the Naga

Olivia and the Orc

Pandora and the Prisoner

Quinn and the Queller

The Alien Invasion Series

Alien Selection

Alien Conquest

Alien Prisoner

Alien Breeder

Alien Alliance

Alien Hope

Exposed to the Elements

The Naked Alien

The Bare Essentials

A Nude Attitude

The Buff Beast

The Strip Down

Folsom Planet Blues

Alien Most Wanted: Caged Beast

Alien Most Wanted: Prison Mate

Alien Most Wanted: Mastermind

Alien Most Wanted: Unchained

Monster Between the Sheets

Extra Virgin Gargoyle

Sweet Monster Treats

Cupcakes for My Orc Enemy

Cyborgs on Mars

High Plains Cyborg

The Good, the Bad, and the Cyborg

A Fistful of Cyborg

A Few Cyborgs More

The Magnificent Cyborg

The Outlaw Cyborg

The Cyborg with No Name

Treasured by the Alien

Mama and the Alien Warrior

A Son for the Alien Warrior

Daughter of the Alien Warrior

A Family for the Alien Warrior

The Nanny and the Alien Warrior

A Home for the Alien Warrior

A Gift for the Alien Warrior

A Treasure for the Alien Warrior

Cosmic Fairy Tales

Jackie and the Giant

Horned Holidays

Krampus and the Crone

A Gift for Nicholas

A Kiss of Frost

Blind Date with an Alien

Her Alien Farmhand

Stranded with an Alien

A SciFi Holiday Tail

Sinta

Anthologies

Pets in Space 7

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling author Honey Phillips writes steamy science fiction stories about hot alien warriors and the human women they can’t resist. From abductions to invasions, the ride might be rough, but the end always satisfies.

Honey wrote and illustrated her first book at the tender age of five. Her writing has improved since then. Her drawing skills, unfortunately, have not. She loves writing, reading, traveling, cooking, and drinking champagne - not necessarily in that order.

Honey loves to hear from her wonderful readers! You can stalk her at any of the following locations…

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