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๐๐๐บ๐บTwo excerpts from A Pack of His Own volume 1:๐๐๐บ๐บ
From Hunterโs Claim
A strong, well-remembered hand closed around Charlieโs automatically outstretched right. Then the man before Charlie pushed that hand aside and grasped Charlieโs left, white cane and all.
Charlie laughed as lean, muscular arms pulled him close and tightened around his back. It was Luis. His nose had been right.
โI was planning to see you here,โ Luis whispered in Spanish, his voice richer than the thrum of the best-played bass. โBut I didnโt think it would be so soon.โ
Charlie drank in Luisโs scent, relishing how Luis held him. Then he pulled back slightly, though he was still safe in Luisโs embrace. โItโs good to see you.โ That was an understatement, and he was hard-pressed not to resume the kisses heโd run from in March. He had no right to such a warm welcome, and for a breath his heart lodged in his throat.
Then another smell — a stench compared to Luisโs heady aroma — invaded the library, and Charlie stepped away completely. He held up one finger. โUn momento.โ
Luis retreated several paces, and Charlie blinked at the psychic vampireโs discretion. Luis hadnโt possessed anything close to circumspection or respect for duty when theyโd worked together in Tampa.
Charlie went to the library doors, meaning to close them, but the werewolf heโd smelled stood before him. He made the conscious switch to English, realizing he must be overwhelmed by Luisโs presence if the change needed to be willed rather than instinctive. Or maybe Iโm intoxicated again. As heโd been when he and Luis had tumbled into bed for a single, blissful hour. Maybe it wasnโt the Lady Lavender drinks that got me drunk in March. It couldโve been Luis.
From Trackerโs Fate:
Jeremy frowned as he put the first of the pans under the running water and squirted soap in. It would do no good to attempt inviting more information through silence; Ethan was an old hat at keeping things to himself. โWhat is a haint anyway? Besides a chicken-fried Southern ghost?โ
โThe words ghost, zombie, half-vampire, and weird distant cousin of the wendigo can all apply to haints.โ Ethan slapped his palm down on the lid of one plastic container, producing a hollow click that strangely resembled the noise a handgun made when cocked.
Jeremy decided that probably had to do with the acoustics in the huge kitchen. โThat is not helpful,โ he answered in a dry tone he hoped would make Ethan laugh.
The SearchLight tracker snickered; the tension in the room dropped. โThankfully we went in with our eyes a little open to the possibilities, orโฆโ Another lid clicked into place.
Jeremy scented the air, searching out โชLuis Delgadoโฌโs unique aroma. He thought the psychic vampire was outside. Perhaps with Charlie. โDid this haint bite you or stab you?โ
โBite. I fell on her from above before she could claim another victim. But she twisted under me like a snake. I saw her eyes just before she showed her fangs. As we were told, she was starving.โ Ethan approached the sink with slow, dragging steps. โI had to kill her.โ
Jeremy considered the tense line of Ethanโs shoulders. SearchLight trackers were, by definition, spies, stalkers, information gatherers, and more than occasional executioners. Not a single one had been pressed into service. โDo you regret becoming a tracker?โ he asked as he squirted soap into the hot water. He began dumping dishes into the mix almost indiscriminately, ninety percent of his attention being for Ethan. I could almost be attracted to this quiet-speaking werewolf with so much fire in his soul. Almost, however, was the operative word. Ethan could laugh as well as any other wolf, but his reticence sometimes annoyed Jeremy.
The two of us would not make a good match, Jeremy told his lonely heart.
Ethan opened and closed a nearby drawer, his movements gentle and slow. โI used to love it.โ He flipped a towel over his shoulder. โDid your run help?โ
Jeremy scowled. โYouโre an ass.โ He faced Ethan, forgetting the dishes. โHow long, exactly, were you going to wait before telling me youโve decided to follow my every movement?โ
Ethan nodded toward the faucet. โMaybe you should turn that off.โ
Snarling, Jeremy did so. โWell?โ he demanded, his anger increasing when he saw Ethan wasnโt flinching. Not that Iโm trying to scare him, but heโs a less dominant wolf. He should cower before me. Jeremy cursed, hating himself for wanting Ethan submissive to his will. He whirled back to the sink and plunged his hands into the nearly scalding water. He seized a pan and a sponge and tried to take out his building fury on something inanimate. โYou are a tracker, but that doesnโt give you the right to spy on me.โ
โLuis and I returned from Albion half an hour before dinner. Neither of us was in a position to hunt you.โ
Jeremy thudded the still soapy but degreased pan into the second sink for Ethan to rinse. โThen how do you know I was running?โ
โYou smell of Queen Anneโs lace, a mix of wild grasses, and the exhaustion that comes from changing too quickly and too often from your human guise to that of the wolf.โ Ethan rinsed off the pan and set it in the drainer. He did this with exquisite care. โPlease donโt accuse me of treating a pack member like a rogue haint.โ

