Sedona Sanctuary is HERE! #paranormalromance #shifters

BLURB: Miller Sloan may not be an active duty general anymore, but he still has one final mission to complete. If he succeeds, the top secret government research on shifters will remain classified. Failure is not an option. He’s lost too much along the way to give up now. But without a pack, or a mate, or family at his side, his iron will is starting to falter.

Rayne Lowry has always been a free spirit at heart, but never more free than today. After accepting her early retirement package from the FBI, she’s now on an extended vacation to plan the next chapter of her life, and what better place for self-reflection than Sedona, Arizona?

Her plans did not include a chance encounter with a silver fox who is hiding something. Her years as an FBI profiler make his secrets irresistible, but it’s the deep well of regret in his eyes that lure her in. When she’s called to consult on one last case, Miller is a potential suspect, and she’s left wondering if she’s falling in love with the enemy, or have they both finally found sanctuary…

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EXCERPT:

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Was your plan to lie to me about werewolves this entire time? We’d catch the killer, say our goodbyes, and I’d never know the killer was actually harvesting werewolf organs.”

“I wasn’t going to lie so much as omit.” I looked at her. “Do you wish my plan had worked?”

“Are you asking if I wished I didn’t know I was sitting beside a werewolf?” She paused, and I caught myself holding my breath. Finally, she shook her head. “I’m probably still in shock, but no. I’d rather know the truth.”

“You can’t tell anyone.”

She laughed, looking up at the graying sky as the clouds gathered above us. “Who would believe me?” She sobered. “Does the military know?”

“Yes.” I hesitated and rethought my answer. “No. Well, most don’t. That’s part of what got me mixed up in this Salem mess. Mathias has some information about Senator Hanson that I might be able to use to keep him from declassifying some top-secret research trying to use werewolves to create super soldiers.” I paused. “Research I participated in…”

It felt better to get it off my chest than I’d realized it would. I’d never told anyone about it before.

“Senator Hanson?”

My sensitive ears had no trouble catching the way her heart rate surged. What was I missing?

She went on. “That would explain the press conference the other day.” Her eyes met mine. “How screwed will you be if he can get the research declassified?”

“Royally fucked.” I ran a hand down my face. “There’s video footage of experiments that would make people see us as predators. We’ll cease to be human beings, and they’ll be afraid of us and what we can do.”

“And people kill what scares them.”

“Exactly.” I nodded. “If I can catch this killer for Mathias, I can use what he knows to leverage the senator and ensure the werewolf research remains top secret.”

“Wait.” She paused for a second. “Does Mathias understand the stakes? Why would be be holding this over you to force you to help him with the fate of all werewolves at stake.”

I ground my teeth and looked over at her. “I can’t say for sure, but if I had to guess I’d say he’s embarrassed that he lost two of his pack. It’s an Alpha’s job to keep his wolves safe.”

“So, he hangs werewolves around the world out to dry?” She shook her head. “What a dick.”

I chuckled and nodded. “Agreed.”  

We sat in silence as the daylight faded. She reached over and rested her hand on mine. The simple, tender contact broke me. I’d been everyone’s adversary for so long I wasn’t sure how to handle comfort.

I turned my hand over and clasped hers without taking my eyes off the autumn leaves, as if she might turn into a pillar of salt if I looked at her. Time stretched out as the moody sky colored above us.

She threaded her fingers with mine and squeezed until I finally turned to meet her eyes. Her tone was soft and introspective. “I hope I’m not dreaming.”

“Are you sure about that?” I scoffed, trying not to smile. “You could wake up and not be holding hands with a werewolf.”

She shrugged a shoulder with the sunset in her eyes. “I was referring to you telling me the truth.”

I sobered. “I didn’t lie to you. I just—”

“Omitted. Yeah.” She lifted her left arm, showing off an intricate tattoo of a dragonfly where a watch would usually go, and instead of a watchband, the wings wrapped around her wrist. “I got this after I lost my mom. It’s a symbol of transformation and a reminder to live life to the fullest. Dragonflies were her favorite.”

Her voice softened as she lowered her hand and broke eye contact. “I didn’t find out until she was dying that she’d been ‘omitting’ my father my entire life.” A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, but she made no move to wipe it away. “It still feels like a betrayal every bit as much as a lie. She thought she was protecting me, but that doesn’t change that the person I loved most in the world didn’t trust me with the truth.” She looked at me again. “I’m telling you this because I need you to understand. If you’re going to lie to me, I’m going to leave.”

The pain in her eyes stabbed at me like a dagger to the chest. I reached over and cupped her cheek in my hand. Her skin was soft and warm as I wiped the tear away with my thumb. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I am and what I was dragging you into here. I convinced myself you’d be safer not knowing.” I got lost in her deep-blue eyes, my heart racing like a damned thoroughbred. “If I agree to no more omissions, then there’s something else I need to tell you.”

“Should I brace myself?”

I almost smiled as I nodded. “Probably.”

She tightened her hold on my other hand. “You’ve met Bigfoot?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “I have not.” I took a breath and forced out the words. “Last night, when we shook on our deal…my wolf recognized you.”

I studied her eyes as she took in my words. “Recognized me… But we’ve never met before.”

“I’m trying to tell you that you’re…you’re my mate.”

A crease formed in the center of her forehead, but she didn’t laugh or run away. I held my breath as she moved back. I lowered my arm, grateful she hadn’t taken her other hand out of mine. “How is that possible? What does it even mean?”

“I don’t know how it works, but when we touch our mate skin to skin, the wolf inside recognizes her.” My mouth went dry. “If I hadn’t been sitting last night, I might’ve fallen over.”

“I remember your eyes dilated.” She looked down at our joined hands. “And what happens if you find her and she says no thanks?”

“Then I let her go.” My heart sank as I released her hand and leaned over, resting my forearms on my legs, hoping she couldn’t see the disappointment in my eyes. I shouldn’t be disappointed. I’d never expected to find her and I sure as hell hadn’t been looking.

I didn’t tell her all this to force her into anything, no matter how much my wolf protested. We barely knew each other, and she didn’t have the same instincts I did. I’d told her because I need her to help me with this mission. That’s all.

But my heart still ached as if I’d put it in a meat grinder.

“Would you find someone else?”

“Not to love.” I shook my head. “Fate chooses our mate, the other half of our soul. And just as wolves only have one true mate, so do werewolves.” I sighed as I forced myself to meet her eyes. “I thought my mate would have already found a nice guy and be married with kids by now. I almost hoped she had. You deserve so much better than me.”

She raised a brow. “You have a pretty low opinion of yourself.”

I broke eye contact, clenching my jaw. “I’ve ruined a lot of lives, and if that research gets declassified, I’ll seal the fate for shifters all over the world. Those little boys you met at Asher’s tour company are werewolves, too. None of us asked for this. We were born this way. But once the world sees that video footage, none of it will matter. You shouldn’t be stuck with the man who brought on the extermination of werewolves.”

She ignored my judgments. “What if your instinct is wrong? You barely know me.”

I shook my head slowly. “I’ve seen werewolves and their mates all over the country, and so far, fate has never fucked it up.”

She raised a teasing brow. “I could be the first.”

I chuckled, amazed she could coax it out of me. “I can’t remember laughing as much as I have since I met you.”

Already, I didn’t want to lose her, but how could I ask her to stay with me? Our world was getting more dangerous every day.

She tipped her head down, staring at her hands. “How about we stop this killer, make sure that research stays top secret, and then, if we’re still breathing, we can figure out where we stand with this mate thing?”

I straightened up and reached over to catch her chin. When her eyes met mine, my wolf clawed his way into my consciousness, his instincts blending with the emotions churning in my heart. “Whatever happens, I will never ever regret finding you.”

Her lips parted slightly, drawing my attention to her mouth. I lifted my gaze to hers, and I leaned in closer until her breath warmed my lips. She didn’t pull away, and I lost my grip on my self-control.

Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids as our lips met. A moan escaped her throat, and my tongue reached for hers. I wrapped her in my arms, and she tilted her head. I deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth. Blood rushed to my groin, making my pants way too damned tight. We were in the middle of a park, but I wanted to pull her onto my lap. I wanted to be even closer.

I broke the kiss, resting my forehead on hers and whispered, “I’m so fucking glad you never found someone and got married.”

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