Cullen's jaws closed on Rafe's throat. He heard a sickening crunch and he yanked his head back tearing Rafe's throat from his neck. Cullen fell back from Rafe's body, spitting the bloody mass of flesh out. Cullen sat there breathing heavily for a moment before he came to his senses and looked around for Aislinn. He let his wolf slip back and took on his human form, feeling some of the tension ebb.All around them the sounds of battle were coming to an end. Slowly the Arnauk and Tairneach left were gathering around the stone circle for orders. They stood uneasily together. Bodies riddled the ground. The smell of blood was so thick that the lycans couldn't scent the difference between each other. Mates sensing loss searched through the crowd for each other in fear crying out mentally for their missing half. There was a growing group of were-cats being herded together to be dealt with when Jenna and Cullen were able to give their joint attentions to the problem.Jenna appeared and stood
Keith approached them tentatively. He could tell from the expressions and the way Aislinn was holding Brinah that he needed to be careful. He knelt next to Cullen. "You got hit hard. Are you able to make to the cabin on your own feet?"Cullen didn't answer. He just stared at Aislinn's back."Alright," Keith said on a long tired breath. "I'll send someone over to get you back to the cabin. I know you haven't bothered to pay any real attention but you don't look like you should be conscious." He cleared his throat and looked at Aislinn's stooped form over Brinah's body. He lowered his voice, hoping he wouldn't upset Aislinn more. "Didn't Brinah say that she made something to help with healing people?"Aislinn couldn't help but hear the conversation. Her ears seemed impossibly better than they had been before. She wished she could turn off all her senses. It was overwhelming. Without looking at them she grabbed the bag that Brinah had been carrying and shoved it toward them. Then went ba
Cullen threw his bedroom door open before most of the rest of the pack was up. He couldn't believe that all his injuries seemed to have healed overnight. Whatever that stuff Brinah had made was he figured he should get it put on tap.The only lycans who were awake that early after the night they had were the omegas, who were getting breakfast ready and finishing the clean up, and the others who hadn't slept the night before. Most of them were people who had lost mates in the fight. Cullen felt a strange guilty, bitter jealousy. At least they had mates to lose, he thought angrily.Cullen went down to his office. There were several handwritten notes on his desk. Cullen recognized Keith's scrawl. The first one said, "Don't wake me up on pain of death alpha boy!" Cullen couldn't help the grudging grin. He tossed that one in the garbage, considering going and waking Keith up on principle. The second one said, "The feds showed up after you went to bed. I handed them the cats for safe keepin
The girl beamed at Aislinn as though nothing else in the world could have made her as happy as having brought Aislinn these clothes. The girl was being so sweet that Aislinn thought to take advantage of it. "Do you think you might be able to help me with one more thing?"Milis nodded happily. "Of course.""Well I was wondering where the bathroom is," Aislinn said hastily. "But when I get done with that." She paused and tried to think of how to put it. Fuck it, Aislinn thought angrily. There is no delicate way of saying I'm ignorant and don't know how to control this curse that's been dumped on me. "I don't know how to change this back to normal," she said uncomfortably.Milis' happy look turned to uncertainty. She shifted and seemed to think about how Aislinn had said that. "Normal?""Human looking," Aislinn responded. But that didn't seem to help Milis return to the happy helpful girl she had been moments before.She nodded and looked at Aislinn sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I think y
"I thought we already had this discussion. I do remember telling you at one point that it wouldn't matter," Cullen said in his most sincere tone. His stomach was turning he was so nervous. But if he didn't take this opportunity he didn't know if he'd get another one. "Besides, I do find you incredibly beautiful. And it's not just because of what you look like or smell like. I like the way you make me think and feel. You're intelligent and capable. I never knew what I wanted until I met you."Aislinn looked up at him. She wanted to believe him so badly.Sarah's words echoed in Cullen's mind. She better be right, he thought. Knowing that if Aislinn ripped his heart out they'd be finding a new alpha for the Arnauk. He cleared his throat and Aislinn could see a nervous schoolboy looking at her through his eyes. "Aislinn Brianne Stevens," he said with a lopsided grin using her full name. She finally smiled back and it gave him courage to continue. "Tá grá agam duit."Aislinn felt her heart
Aislinn's hand came up to his face and she traced his features. Where Aislinn's face was more human than beast Cullen's was just the opposite. His nose and mouth protruded from his face too far to make kissing as Aislinn knew it possible. She was considering how to go about it when he leaned in and licked her lips. His voice was a grumble monotone not meant for speaking, "Mmmm, I coullldnn't lleet mmy betterr hallf haavve all the funn," he said.Aislinn could see the pleasure in his eyes as he began pulling at her clothes. She was amused at his impatience. He may have been big and strong in this form but he didn't have any dexterity, finger-wise. He ended up ripping her bra off when he couldn't get the clasp. From the tone of his growl she knew the he wasn't finding the clothing dilemma at all amusing. He ripped at his own shirt and then his jeans getting them off. Considering how tightly he had grown into them there really wasn't any other way.His gaze on her was intense. Aislinn fe
Aislinn could feel that he was trying to change the subject. He didn't want to mar what had just happened between them. She decided that she agreed and let him move on. "Oh, then why are you so amused by the idea? I just realized that we're going to have an awfully hard time lying to each other," she joked.He smiled. "Do you intend to lie to me?""No, but we've built such a wonderful relationship on misunderstandings at this point. I'd hate to completely change the dynamic now," Aislinn said sarcastically."Too late. It appears as though you will know each and every time I say something stupid what I actually meant. No more excuses." He squeezed her tight.She nuzzled against his arm. "So what happened to needing to set up a ceremony and now not being a good time?""Well, it kinda got away from me," he said honestly. "Maybe I made my wolf wait too long. Or maybe I just wanted you so badly I couldn't help myself."Aislinn could feel the truth in what he was saying and was near tears o
Jenna walked down the stairs into what had been a basement wine cellar. But Rafe had turned it into more of a dungeon torture chamber. She was considering having the place burned. It smelled of blood and terror. Along the wall where there had once been numerous wooden racks holding bottles of carefully chosen, rare vintage wines were now rows of naked, battered, whimpering women."Let them all go," Jenna said without emotion.Large lycan's circulated through the room pulling chains off of the tired, beaten, women. Jenna may have been a bitch but even she saw some things as going too. She'd have her revenge but not like this. She still owed Cullen Arnauk for embarrassing her at their mating and the idea that two men had wanted Aislinn over her had Jenna seething with jealousy. Not to mention she felt like she still had something to prove. But kidnap and torture wasn't her style.The women were given clothes and ushered to the great room to wait for cars to take them back to the Madadh-