The second influx of passengers began boarding and when she turned to greet them Thomas gazed out the window and stared at the plane landing in the distance.
For years he’d existed in Ava’s shadow as the brother who could never do as well as the younger child—the consummate fuckup and deviant—while she was lavished with praise and adulation. It probably stemmed from DNA and genetics. After all, how much could you love a child if he or she wasn’t truly your own? Obviously not all that much.
If only her parents could see her now.
Even after he’d read the file he couldn’t believe that Ava was attached to a shifter—a goddamn werewolf—of all things. It seemed absolutely improbable, but in light of everything else, not impossible. Their parents had always been quirky, their habits perpetually secretive.
“Excuse me.”
Thomas turned from the window toward the brisk voice and found himself face-to-face with an obese man dressed in an expensive business suit. His rounded belly nearly made contact with Thomas’ shoulder as he struggled to put his carryon in the overhead compartment, the unsightly swell jiggling as he strained.
So much for the daydream he’d had of a beautiful, educated woman taking the empty seat beside him.
The oversized man eventually got his eggs in a basket and plopped his wide girth into the adjoining seat. He squirmed a bit, ensuring his weight distributed evenly, Thomas assumed, and went for the suitcase he’d placed on the floor. His heavy breathing reminded Thomas of a taxed pig, forced to make a run for it just prior to the slaughter.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” The attendant was forced to lean over the man seated in the aisle when he grunted and told her what he wanted. Then she turned to Thomas.
“No, thank you.” Thomas tried to provide a smile but produced a thin grimace instead.
A heavy vibration pulled his attention from the attendant and he lifted his hips to pull his cell phone from his pocket. The name on the small screen changed his grimace to a grin. Well, surprise, surprise. He pressed the small red key and waited until the phone shut off before sliding it back in his pocket.
There was no way for Aldon to know what he had, although now Thomas understood the strange man’s—the vampire’s—interest in him. It was rather fucked up, in retrospect. The bet he’d placed during a lengthy card game with Aldon had forced him to steal the locket from his unknowing sibling and sell it to Craig Newlander in the first place.
Serendipity was indeed alive and well.
A couple of layovers and he would be in a safe place in Mexico. The money he’d obtained from Ava for the cabin would allow him to live comfortably until he could put the locket on the market and wait until the highest bidder claimed their prize. Afterward he would take his fortune and relocate to a place he would never, ever be found. For once he would have the chance to start over, to live the good life, to become an important person who people turned to.
The captain’s voice came over the intercom and he relayed the weather they were due to pass through and the expected arrival time at their destination. Placing the locket inside his empty pocket, Thomas relaxed in his seat, closed his eyes and began dreaming of his bright, happy future.
Epilogue
“Hurry up with those drinks, slacker.” Ava swatted Brett with the hand towel she’d swiped from beneath the counter, landing a blow directly to his left ass cheek, and a warning growl echoed in her head.
Haven’t I warned you about touching other males, mate?
Ripping her attention away from the friend standing beside her, she met the lethal stare of the imposing eye candy who rose from his seat amongst his newly acquired pack and started stalking her from across the club.
Technically I didn’t touch him.
Even across the distance she could see Diskant’s annoyed scowl. It was close enough.
Brett unknowingly interrupted their conversation, unaware that he was in the line of fire. “Since my best bartender left me high and dry and I’m the lone slinger, I’m afraid you’re just going to have to suck it up.”
“Okay, if you say so,” she responded quickly and stepped from the bar, rushing to intercept the two hundred-plus pounds of possessive Omega striding in their direction.
It was still difficult to believe that only two weeks had passed since Diskant had ascended to Alpha, taken control of the pack that he’d been born into and assumed responsibility of the wolves who’d decided to stay behind instead of continue forward with Trey to eradicate those responsible for cutting their numbers in half. A lot had changed in such a short span of time, in ways she never would have believed possible a month before, and it was only the beginning.
I should take you over my knee and tan that pretty little ass of yours in front of everyone. If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re intentionally provoking me.
I’m not provoking you, Neanderthal. And you wouldn’t dare.
They met halfway, a collision of groping arms, eager hands and hungry mouths. That saintly attribute referred to as modesty had long since fled, replaced by a hunger she couldn’t—and didn’t want to—control. When Diskant touched her there was nothing else. She had no pride, no restraint, no concept of right and wrong. He centered her, grounded her and provided all of the things she needed even when she wasn’t sure what they were.
Diskant groaned. You’re driving me mad.
His large hands cupped her ass, kneading the globes. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding against him, turned-on by the feel of his fully erect cock pressing against her. Damn if she didn’t want him here and now. She didn’t care who saw, who watched. This man was all hers and she wanted everyone to know. There would never be another for him just as there would never be another for her.
“Good lord, Ava.” Delmar’s deep, disapproving voice broke through the sexual haze. “Get a fucking room.”
Diskant pulled away and nailed the bouncer with an annoyed look. Then he turned, striding back to the booth, keeping her trapped in his arms. She heard the chuckles of the pack as she approached. They teased her with familiar taunts, displaying the camaraderie they shared. They were more than a unit, their connection far stronger.
“They’re here,” Nathan said in a tone that was anything but joking, causing the group to quiet down.
Diskant turned and lowered her to the ground, allowing Ava to see Trey, Emory and the wolves accompanying them. There were over a dozen of them, some of whom were males who had lost their mates in the explosion. Their expressions were grim, lines creasing the outlines of their mouths, jaws and chins shadowed by thick stubble. Caden brought up the rear, remaining close yet apart, just as he had since he and the pack had come to an understanding, struck a tentative truce and bartered an agreement for his aid in tracking down the Shepherds responsible for his wife’s death.
Ava’s gaze unerringly drifted to Zach. Long gone was the playful shifter who’d snatched Katie by the waist and whispered sweet promises into his mate’s ear. She felt his pain, his anguish, and she intuitively reached out with her mind and the pack connection, soothing him though he wasn’t aware of it, calming the wolf and providing some small semblance of peace. His stern frown eased and he paused for a moment, no doubt stunned by his reversal in feelings.
I wish he wouldn’t go. The thought went out before she could stop it, her connection with Diskant so strong it was almost impossible to completely shield herself from him.