Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Jasper chuckled, and the sound was anything but amused. “My mission is you.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip and, for two seconds, considered asking for his help. “I really am in the middle of something here.”
Truth be told, it had been a lot of fun evading him all these years. She’d known from his grandma, Nia, that he had been busy on missions with the family. The Maxwells were an odd lot in that they were probably the best werewolf hunters on the planet. Werewolves were like shifters but without brains. They were animalistic and only aimed to kill. They craved blood.
“You’re finished hunting werewolves?” she asked.
He nodded. “For the time being, even though we haven’t hunted down the Kurjan scientist who created the newest virus to turn shifters into werewolves. His time will come. We have another focus right now.”
How unfortunate, and what terrible timing. “Lovely. Is that why you chased me down?”
“I’ve known where you were plenty of times, but I have to admit, you’ve become pretty good at evading me.”
She’d felt him drawing near and hadn’t wanted to lose her freedom. Plus, she had several jobs she’d needed to complete, and her damn heart to protect. “Why now?”
“The war ended between the Kurjans and the Realm,” he said simply. “They’re allies now, which means our treaty with the Kurjans is over.”
“What treaty?”
He studied her face as if looking for a falsehood. “My grandmother never said anything to you about that? I know you talk.”
Leah shook her head. “No, Nia hasn’t said a word.”
“I’ll explain when we get to Montana.”
She set her stance. “I’m not going to Montana.”
“I don’t believe I asked,” he said calmly.
Heat filled her head, and her ears started to burn. Her temper was rare but glorious when it arrived. “I am sorry about that.” She pulled a weapon from the back of her jeans.
“Nice gun,” he murmured. “Much better than the one you had in 1944.”
“Yeah, this one shoots green lasers and takes down immortals—temporarily, anyway.”
He appeared way too unconcerned about the weapon pointed at him. “Put the gun away, Leah. I’m only giving you one warning.”
Oh, that was it.
Just then, the outside door opened, and the youngest Maxwell brother walked in. Klyde had black hair and coppery brown eyes that were usually mellow. He was as tall and broad as his brother, and amusement tugged at his lips. “Hey, Leah, how’s it going?”
She winced, but his smile calmed her a bit. The last time she’d escaped the Maxwell brothers, Ivy had shot him. It had been a good move to help Leah. “You’re not still pissed about being shot, are you?”
His gaze moved to the weapon she held steadily in her hand. “Ivy shot me, not you. Although I wouldn’t like a repeat.”
“This is between us,” Jasper said.
Klyde winked at her. “Sounds like fun. I have intel that might be good. Be ready to leave in about thirty minutes. Is there still spaghetti?” He stomped down the hallway in his thick, black motorcycle boots, crushing several Legos.
“You’ll have to pay for those,” Jasper called out. “Benny was clear. No damages.”
“I already have a new set in the back bedroom that we can drop all over the place when we leave,” Klyde returned cheerfully, disappearing into the kitchen.
Jasper studied Leah. “As I was saying, you have three seconds to put down the gun.”
* * * *
Jasper couldn’t believe the woman dared to point a gun at him. He’d barely arrived in time to save her from a Kurjan she’d been hunting. Where the hell had her brain gone? “You understand you don’t have any extra strength yet, right?”
She rolled her stunning eyes. “Yes, Jasper. Although you did tell me that Maxwell mates gain extra abilities and strengths, unlike most mates.”
“Well, now.” He stepped around the sofa and closer to his wayward mate. “Just so you know, that usually takes centuries. It also takes regular contact, which is about to be our new normal.” He was finished going to bed alone every night. The fact that she now hunted danger of the immortal sort dispelled any doubts he might’ve harbored. “It’s time to come home, Leah.”
Her chin lifted.
That was it. He snatched the gun from her.
She blinked, her mouth falling open. “What the heck?”
“I gave you three seconds.” He tossed the weapon onto the dark blue sofa where it bounced next to a couple of stuffed animals. “We need to talk.”
Red spiraled into her pretty face. She’d always been lovely but had grown even more so through the years. She had those dark chocolate eyes, and her hair was thick, a myriad of different browns to black that fell gracefully to her shoulders. Taller than most of the females in his family so far, she had curves to spare. Perfect for him. “Stop staring at me.”
“All right.” He ducked his head again and tossed her over his shoulder, turning and striding to one of the guest bedrooms, sidestepping Legos the entire time. This close to her, touching her, had his entire system roaring with heat.