| www.loradarling.com All rights reserved. |
Excerpt
| Josie by: Lora Darling all rights reserved |
It was the unbearable itching that roused Josie from her deep slumber. It burned across her back
and clawed at her flesh, as if making the attempt to touch her bones. She moaned and rolled over.
The damp earth seeped into the thin cotton of her t-shirt and the discomfort finally gave her the
strength to open her eyes. Where was she? Blinking against the sparkle of stars above her, she
shifted her head to the side and saw a familiar length of gold fur over muscle. Reaching out, she
stroked her fingers through the soft bristles expecting to feel the steady rise and fall of breath, or at
the very least, a low growling rumble of pleasure.
She felt and heard nothing.
“Michael?” Her voice rang out across the still, silent night, bouncing off some unseen obstacle
before crashing back into her ears. Not caring who or what heard her, she continued to caress the
furred back of the magnificent beast lying at her side, but none of her strokes garnered any type of
response. Real fear pushed her onto her elbows and she leaned close enough to bury her nose in
the scent of wolf.
“Michael, can you hear me?” She whispered this time, knowing in her heart of hearts that her
words, no matter how loud, would not be heard.
Josie snatched her hand away just in time to catch the sob that tore from her lips. The sight of
Michael’s lifeless body brought back all the horrific memories of the last few hours: the fear, the
flight, the horrible sound of gunshots, the pain. Her survival instincts screamed at her to get off her
ass and find a place to hide, now. What if the hunters came back? What if they weren’t satisfied
with only one kill? She was halfway to her feet when she realized she had never changed out of her
human form. If the hunters came back they’d see a woman alone, not a wolf. The prospect didn’t
add to her sense of safety one bit.
Josie’s damp jeans clung to the back of her thighs, and her t-shirt provided no protection against the
chilly night breeze as she stood and looked down at her best friend, lover, and mate while trying to
decide what to do. How would she survive without Michael? He was everything to her. He had
brought her into this world and she feared her ability to survive a single day without him. What if
the pack expected her to take a new mate? How long would they give her to mourn? That last
question didn’t matter, because no matter how long, it wouldn’t be enough.
The sound of distant voices and snapping twigs jerked Josie’s gaze toward the horizon. The noises
were coming closer and she recognized them as the same ones that had interrupted her tryst with
Michael earlier in the evening. What should have been a private, blissful encounter had turned into
a frightful fight for their lives. Dropping to her knees, she buried her face in Michael’s fur,
memorized his scent, and said a silent goodbye. “I love you,” she whispered before pulling back. A
hot tear rolled down her cheek, but she swiped it away. There was no more time for grief.
With more tears burning in her eyes, she straightened up, sniffed the air, and decided to head north.
It was away from the approaching voices and also away from the pack. She couldn’t fathom facing
any of them now. Not yet.
Link to download e-book
and clawed at her flesh, as if making the attempt to touch her bones. She moaned and rolled over.
The damp earth seeped into the thin cotton of her t-shirt and the discomfort finally gave her the
strength to open her eyes. Where was she? Blinking against the sparkle of stars above her, she
shifted her head to the side and saw a familiar length of gold fur over muscle. Reaching out, she
stroked her fingers through the soft bristles expecting to feel the steady rise and fall of breath, or at
the very least, a low growling rumble of pleasure.
She felt and heard nothing.
“Michael?” Her voice rang out across the still, silent night, bouncing off some unseen obstacle
before crashing back into her ears. Not caring who or what heard her, she continued to caress the
furred back of the magnificent beast lying at her side, but none of her strokes garnered any type of
response. Real fear pushed her onto her elbows and she leaned close enough to bury her nose in
the scent of wolf.
“Michael, can you hear me?” She whispered this time, knowing in her heart of hearts that her
words, no matter how loud, would not be heard.
Josie snatched her hand away just in time to catch the sob that tore from her lips. The sight of
Michael’s lifeless body brought back all the horrific memories of the last few hours: the fear, the
flight, the horrible sound of gunshots, the pain. Her survival instincts screamed at her to get off her
ass and find a place to hide, now. What if the hunters came back? What if they weren’t satisfied
with only one kill? She was halfway to her feet when she realized she had never changed out of her
human form. If the hunters came back they’d see a woman alone, not a wolf. The prospect didn’t
add to her sense of safety one bit.
Josie’s damp jeans clung to the back of her thighs, and her t-shirt provided no protection against the
chilly night breeze as she stood and looked down at her best friend, lover, and mate while trying to
decide what to do. How would she survive without Michael? He was everything to her. He had
brought her into this world and she feared her ability to survive a single day without him. What if
the pack expected her to take a new mate? How long would they give her to mourn? That last
question didn’t matter, because no matter how long, it wouldn’t be enough.
The sound of distant voices and snapping twigs jerked Josie’s gaze toward the horizon. The noises
were coming closer and she recognized them as the same ones that had interrupted her tryst with
Michael earlier in the evening. What should have been a private, blissful encounter had turned into
a frightful fight for their lives. Dropping to her knees, she buried her face in Michael’s fur,
memorized his scent, and said a silent goodbye. “I love you,” she whispered before pulling back. A
hot tear rolled down her cheek, but she swiped it away. There was no more time for grief.
With more tears burning in her eyes, she straightened up, sniffed the air, and decided to head north.
It was away from the approaching voices and also away from the pack. She couldn’t fathom facing
any of them now. Not yet.
Link to download e-book
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |