Out of the Storm (26 page)

Epilogue

Three months later

Gracie Santos loved her new job.  Working as the assistant manager for The Forum Shops at the Prairie Winds Club was a dream come true.  After her best friend and boss, Tobi, and her two husbands returned from their honeymoon, it had been a full-on push to get the small shops stocked, the displays put together, all the advance notifications sent out to the club’s growing list of members.  Gracie had found herself struggling to overcome her embarrassment each time she’d opened a box and helped with displays of dildos and a variety of other “toys.”  She and Tobi had ended up on the floor in fits of giggles more than once as they’d tried to imagine what some of the items were supposed to be used for. 

While Tobi, Kyle, and Kent West had been on their honeymoon trip, Micah Drake and Jax McDonald had moved her into the small guest cabin at the back of the Prairie Winds property.  All three Wests had apologized because it was the smallest of their cabins, but in Gracie’s opinion, it was perfect.  The front porch ran the length of the one bedroom structure and had a comfortable patio set where she often relaxed with her morning coffee.  The kitchenette was tiny but had everything she could want including a microwave that worked and that was far better than the apartment she’d been forced to vacate when the building had been sold. 

Everything in the little guest house was clean and updated, and the only time it felt small was when Jax or Micah were there.  Both men were big, but at six foot eleven, Jax made even the largest room seem small.  Smiling to herself as she shelved the last items from another box of new merchandise, she heard the voices of men as they approached the shop she was working in.  Gracie grabbed up the empty cardboard box and made her way around the corner into the back room.  The Wests had given numerous tours of the shops during the past month and she wanted the small space to look pristine when they entered. 

Just as she was ready to round the corner to reenter the shop she recognized a voice she had hoped she would never hear again.  The voice of a man who had promised her the sun and the moon, but had delivered hell on earth.  The voice of a man who she’d barely managed to escape once.  Backing slowly to the rear exit of the small shop, Gracie managed to open the door without making even a whisper of sound.  As soon as she was outside, she tried to calm her racing heart because she knew fear wouldn’t help her escape. 

Turning to make a run back to her small cabin to pack, Gracie ran directly into a rock solid chest.  She screamed and instinct kicked in as she fought to escape.  And just as the darkness was closing in around her, she heard Micah Drake’s voice, “Gracie?  What the hell? 
Stop!
” but it was too late, she had already let the darkness take her.   

Books by Avery Gale

Published with JK Publishing, Inc.:

The Wolf Pack Series

Mated – Book One

Masters of the Prairie Winds Club

Out of the Storm

Published with Siren-Bookstrand Publishing:

The ShadowDance Club

Katarina’s Return – Book One

Jenna’s Submission – Book Two

Rissa’s Recovery – Book Three

Trace & Tori – Book Four

Reborn as Bree – Book Five

Red Clouds Dancing – Book Six

Perfect Picture – Book Seven

Club Isola

Capturing Callie – Book One

Healing Holly – Book Two

Claiming Abby – Book Three

I would love to hear from you!

Website: http://www.averygalebooks.com/index.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avery.gale.3?fref=ts

Twitter: @avery_gale

Excerpt from Mated

The Wolf Pack Book One

by Avery Gale

Jameson Wolf had been almost ready to head home when he’d taken one last look out of the front windows of his office.  Looking down over the sidewalk below, he wondered why the waiting line was so long on a frigid Friday night.  He’d started to turn back to the room when his eye caught on a flash of red.  Damn it to hell, he’d always had a thing for auburn haired women.  Redheads were rare among shifters so he took a closer look.  It might have been her long flowing mane of red curls that caught his attention, but there was something about her saucy attitude that drew him in.  Watching her, he saw her easy rapport with the tiny blonde beauty she was with and he liked the fact that she seemed oblivious to the fact that she turned the head of every man near her.  

Making his way down the steep circular staircase he was assailed by the overpowering scents of both humans and his peers who had braved the biting cold January night in the wind swept city.  He saw the red-haired beauty enter through the heavy doorway a split second before the scent of his mate barreled over him.  It was as if every neuron in his brain had been suddenly struck by lightning and was now crackling with electrical energy.  His vision tunneled and his sole mission became to find the owner of that scent and mark her as his. 

As he neared the red-haired beauty who had caught his eye earlier, the exotic fragrance he’d been following became more and more potent. 
Could I actually be that lucky after all these years? 
Stepping up behind her he took a deep breath letting her scent soak deeply into his soul.  Even though he loved the fresh citrus smell of her hair, it was the essence of her that was nearly over-powering in its allure.  It pulled him in and made every one of his senses come sharply into a pinpoint focus.  He’d heard his friends describe this moment, but he had truly believed that their words had been little more than romantic folly—until now. 

When she turned toward him, he became instantly aware that she’d been planning to escape.  There was a look of panic in her eyes—what he didn’t understand was what had spooked her.  Awareness and anxiety were coming off her in heavy, crashing waves.  He could smell fear in humans and shifters, but that wasn’t what he was picking up.  No, she wasn’t afraid of him, but she wasn’t thrilled to have been found either. 
Interesting
.  Mating scents are an almost overwhelmingly powerful draw for both male and female shifters so there was no doubt she had known her mate was near.  So why was she trying to leave?

Both Jameson and his brother, Trevlon, were the Alphas of their pack and had been since their fathers were killed by rivals seven years ago.  They had always known they’d follow pack tradition and share a mate, but they hadn’t had any luck finding her despite having traveled all over the globe searching. 
How has this beauty flown under our radar?  She is exactly the type of woman we are both attracted to. 
“What is your name, beautiful?”  Jameson knew his words had come out as more of a growl than a question, but considering how close he was to claiming her right here in the middle of the club, it was the best he could do.  He relaxed a bit when he saw her deer in the headlights look. 
Good – I’m happy to know she is as slammed by the attraction as I am. 

“Kit.”  He heard the wobble of nervousness in her voice and could tell she had barely been able to squeak out the word so he just waited.  He saw her draw in a deep breath through her mouth and almost laughed at her ineffective attempt to avoid breathing through her nose.  He tried to suppress his smile when she repeated the gesture because it was a futile attempt to escape the scent of her mate. 

Once a shifter found their mate, their bodies were taken over by overwhelming sexual urges that lasted for weeks.  He’d seen pack members all but disappear during that time because they could barely leave their bedrooms.  He waited patiently as she finally seemed to come back to awareness and answered, “I mean, Kathleen, my name is Kathleen Harris.”  She was trying to look around him, which was amusing because she couldn’t be more than five feet three or four inches tall and that was including the ridiculously high-heeled black leather stiletto boots she was wearing. 

He was sure she hadn’t meant to give him her nickname because it was likely something she reserved for those she considered close friends, so when he addressed her again, he used it deliberately.  “Well, Kit, follow me, please.”

He turned on his heel and started back toward the staircase when she reached out and grasped his forearm.  “Wait, I can’t go with you.  I don’t even know you.  And my friend will be looking for me.”  The instant she touched him he’d felt a jolt of electricity arc between them and then tiny bolts of lightning streaked up his spine. 
Damn, her touch did that through the fabric of his shirt, what would it feel like when they were skin to skin
?

The twin bond between him and Trev had always been incredibly strong, so he wasn’t at all surprised when his phone rang.  “Where are you?  Are you okay?”  Typical Trevlon, straight to it—he couldn’t be troubled to utter a polite greeting. 

“Standing in front of a woman I want you to meet.  We’re in the bar, but we’ll be on our way upstairs as soon as we locate her friend to let her know where we are heading.  Meet us in the office in five.”  Jameson disconnected the call and turned to one of his staff that was walking by.  He quickly gave the man a detailed description of Kit’s friend and instructions to stay close to her and keep her safe until she was ready to leave the building.  At that time, he was to accompany her to the office.  Jameson stood six foot seven inches tall in his boots, so he could easily see the tiny blonde on the other side dance floor and directed the young man to her.  Jameson was glad it had been Charlie who’d been the first to walk by.  He trusted the young shifter to do exactly as he’d been told. 

Turning back to Kit, he realized for the first time that he had taken the hand she’d used to grab his arm and was holding it in his own.  He’d been rubbing small circles over the inside of her wrist with his thumb.  As his gaze met hers he felt her pulse speed up and watched as her pupils dilated.  “Come along, Kit.  We need to talk.”  This time he did smell fear so he pulled her into his arms and leaned down so his words would be painted over the soft shell of her ear like a warm brush of air, “I won’t hurt you—ever.  Be brave, sweet kitten.”

Excerpt from Cadence of Love

Breaking Protocol Book One

by Willow Brooke

Leland Reynolds and Brody Williams had been driving through from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on their way home to the family ranch in Justice, Montana.  They had just gotten off a plane after a two-year tour in Afghanistan, and had departed from the Army after twelve years of service.  When they reached the edges of Mulberry, Oklahoma, they decided that a good night’s sleep in a hotel would do them both some good.  The dusty terrain of the panhandle had them both in need of a shower, meal, and a beer. 

Brody pulled the canary yellow Ford F-150 King Ranch into the circle drive under the awning at the front door of the Lazy Inn.  “Let’s get checked in and then go find a food joint.  I think my stomach is eating itself.” 

“Agreed.  I need meat and taters.  I didn’t see a steak house on the way in, but maybe the front desk can point us in the right direction.  I’ll get the duffles.  You go get us a room.  Make sure it has
two
beds this time.  I don’t want to wake up with you spooning me again,” Leland grumbled, the obvious grumpiness from lack of food and the long drive setting in. 

“I thought you liked my
snuggles,
Lee Lee,” Brody taunted, snorting a snicker at the now scowling Leland.

“The fuck you say.  Nothing ruins a wet dream like having another man throw his arm around you in the middle of the night.  I still have nightmares about it, bro.”  He managed a snicker, lightening up from the gloomy mood he had been in for the past two hundred miles. 

“Aw, well it is nice to know you dream about me.  I’ll be right back.  Do me a favor, get the dick out of your ass, and get in a damn good mood.  You are bringing me down, asshole.”  Brody walked into the hotel, leaving Leland to untie their luggage and dismount it from the bed of the truck. 

Leland swore under his breath at the knots that were over extravagantly tied in the ropes.  Brody always tended to go overboard when it came to tying stuff, and he didn’t disappoint this time.  When the last heavy green bag was tossed on the sidewalk, Leland hopped down and grabbed his cell phone out of the cab. 
No missed calls.  Fucking figures. 
The only family he had left was his son of a bitch asshole father, who stayed drowned in the bottom of an Evans Williams bottle every day of his life.  Leland had paid the old man’s bills for the past six years after the death of his mother, and didn’t get so much as a thank you, fuck you, or hate you.  He called every week and talked to the answering machine, knowing his dad would hear it from his permanent spot in the old green recliner.  The man had always been mean to him and his mother, but he had promised his mom on her deathbed that he would take care of him, and so he did. 

He tossed the phone back in the seat and sat down, turning up the local country station to fade into the new tune.  As he listened to the words, he smiled.  He hadn’t kept up with the new music releases while deployed, and found himself nodding to the song.  When it ended, the man on the radio said it was called “All Over the Road” by Easton Corbin.  He made a mental note to download it when he got home.  The chorus had made him laugh.  It said something about her pretty little lips on his neck, and the first go round he could have sworn it had said dick instead of neck.  The song would never be the same now.

After a glance at his watch, he pulled the keys and walked into the hotel to see what the holdup was.  Brody was leaning casually against the counter, grinning like a cheetah in a bunny farm.  “What’s taking so long?  Is no one working or something?”