Then there was Macy. She was nothing but respectful and kind, intuitive to a fault in the best of all ways, and ready to set the record straight with the correct information and all the facts.
From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, all he wanted to do was be better, be worthy,be her Mate. And for a time, he'd been in Heaven. He'd held her in his arms. He'd kissed her lips and been her Mate in every way but the official one.
Then things changed so quickly that his head still spun when he thought about it. Called away to the Dragon Intelligence Agency headquarters in Houston, Jack was immediately put on a long-term assignment. He’d been sent undercover without so much as a minute to call Macy and let her know what was happening.
Heck, even he hadn’t realized that ‘long term’ meant ten years. Or that being undercover meant absolutely no contact -even when he wasn’t working at his pretend job – for fear of being revealed as an undercover agent.
Now, he was afraid she’d forgotten him. That somehow, his Mate had moved on and found someone new.
“Shut up, Lad,”Felim snarled."You can smell her need and desire and the lust only you can quench. It rides on the wind. The Mating Call is riding her as hard as it's diggin' its heels into you. So focus. Do the job that needs to be done. Then you will be free to be with your Mate, Eejit!"
The Ancient Dragon King was right. The only thing standing between Jack and Macy was the bastard who’d sat on the DIA’s most wanted list almost since the Law enforcement agency’s inception.
He was the one they called the Lupine Master. The genetically enhanced and grossly botched scientific experiment of the mad and twisted Dr. Ibrahim Nightshade. The Lupine Master was to be the ultimate weapon for the Hive before he found out what they'd done to him, went rogue, and vowed revenge.
Left for dead when the doctor was apprehended by another Agency within the Paranormal shadows of the government, the Omega Wolf turned raging monster hadn't surfaced until almost a decade later. Leaving the bodies of his victims covered with indisputable evidence as his calling card, his mishmash of DNA, along with his ability to shift from man to Wolf to Hybrid to Warrior Wolf to… to… Well, truth be told, no one had any idea what the Lupine Master could actually do. Suffice it to say, that was just one of the details that made the Super Shifter damned near impossible to catch.
It was as sad as it was horrific. The few notes they’d salvaged from Dr. Nightshade’s burnt-out lab didn’t tell the whole story, but they definitely painted a heinous and macabre nightmare. At least eleven different types of DNA were spliced, diced, and irradiated into the once docile Wolf in record time. He was part mammal, part insect, and even had some arachnid added along the way. As if that wasn’t enough, they’d been able to identify a little bit of serpent DNA, a hefty dose of Silverback Gorilla, and a dash of Jellyfish the scientist could only imagine was done just for kicks.
Unfortunately, years of interrogating Dr. Nightshade got the DIA nowhere. The mad scientist refused to give up any of his secrets or the name of his benefactor. The only viable comment the Agents in charge got before he committed suicide was written in blood on the walls of his cell…
My son will rule the world. My son is more than any of you can ever hope to be. Die knowing you never had a chance.
"And now the son of a bitch is in Valentine. He's in my desert. Way too close to my Mate and my family,"Jack spat.“This shit will not stand.”
“There ya’ are,”Felim cheered, the brogue of his homeland – the Isle of Skye in Scotland – deeper, thicker, and more pronounced than it had been just seconds before."Now, stop mooning over Macy and get a move on. There'll be time for that lovey shite when the job is done."
One more look. That was all Jack needed. Just one more glimpse of her delicate features, the tilt of her chin, the mesmerizing curve of her lips…
All he had to do was use the enhanced vision given to him by the Great Goddess, the Universe, Fate, and Destiny, and it didn't matter how far or how fast she'd flown down the road.
Anyone who'd found their Mate would definitely believe it was an appropriate use of Magic and Power.
And there it was. The punch to the gut in the best possible way that Jack felt every time he laid eyes on his Mate.
His skin flushed. His fingers tingled with the need to touch her long, brown hair. He longed to look into her big brown eyes. To run his hands over her enticing curves.
Five-foot-eight-inches of unconquerable spirit and determination, she was everything any Dragon could ever want in a Mate. And he – Jackson Matthew Thorntree II was blessed to know she was all his.
As long as Macy believed what he had to tell her and forgave him for disappearing all those years ago.
“Now, all I have to do is capture the Lupine Master, deliver him to the Powers That Be, and I can claim that woman as my own, renew that Mating mark, and make it all official. Just thinking of being with her again…."
A change in the wind. A gust of hot, desert air and the all-too-familiar scent of musty fur, harsh chemicals, and cold, hard hate hit the Guardsman in the face. Stole the thoughts from his mind. Had him snarling, "Head home, Heath. Head home no…."
“Arroooooooooooo!” The deep, taunting howl slashed through the evening sky just before the threat echoed in Jack’s brain,“And now I know why Texas is so important to you, Dragon scum. Why you longed for the desert. Why every time I got close to you, the scent of hot sand and creosote invaded my senses. She truly is beautiful, Agent Thorntree. Now, the race is on. Can you catch me before I get her?"