#wolfpackreads #wolfpackbookbuzz #shifters #PNR #romance #LisaKessler #SedonaSalvation #FatedMates
Jett Kendrick has one last mission: to save the Sedona Pack and all werewolves from being exposed to the world as monsters by their own government. The debilitating psychic power he gained from the military’s super-soldier research is now their last chance at safety. He’s weary, but more than ready to meet the task.
Instead, he meets Hope Hanson.
Hope has spent her life training for this moment, for the day the monsters came for her father, Senator Hanson, but she had envisioned a war, not this sexy solo warrior with battered determination in his eyes. Since Hope was a child, she could call lightning with her mind, but the deadly gift might not be enough to protect her from the secrets her father has hidden away.
Secrets that forged Jett into the solitary hunter he’s become.
When Jett discovers the woman hunting him is his one true mate, he’ll be forced to face dark decisions in order to protect shifters across the globe. Maybe this time fate has finally made a mistake, because loving her isn’t an option. Jett’s on a collision course with destiny.
Love and salvation were never part of the deal...
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Teaser -
“Did your father ever tell you about the research he funded with a biotech company called Evolution Defense?”
“No.” I shook my head, almost afraid to hear his answer. “Were they working on werewolves, too?”
“Yeah. They had federal funding for two projects. One was to genetically engineer werewolf DNA to give human super soldiers our heightened strength and senses without the need to shift.” He paused, watching me.
That sounded like my father. He wouldn’t abandon the work completely, just redirect the research to take the useful aspects of werewolves that he thought were more controllable and infuse them into human soldiers.
Jett went on. “But the other project seemed to be closer to the vest. He was working with a scientist, Dr. Deidra Harlow, and she was experimenting on ‘curing’ psychic abilities. I can’t help but think your father was only funding it to find a way to cure his daughter.”
My vision blurred as I struggled to blink back an unexpected wave of tears. “Oh.” I got up from the window seat, eager to escape. “There has to be another explanation. I… He wouldn’t. I…”
I couldn’t complete a sentence and I didn’t want him to see me cry, so I walked away. I went to the coat closet, yanked my parka off a hanger, and put it on as I punched in the security code. Leia wandered onto the porch when I opened the door, sniffed, and ran back inside. She wasn’t a fan of snow, and without her sweater on, it was too cold for her anyway. I closed the door and started walking out onto the snowy walkway from the door to the driveway. The snow became deeper with each step. I wasn’t going to make it much farther.
The door opened behind me, and I quickly wiped the unwelcome tears from my cheeks.
Jett’s voice was soft, almost tender. “I’m sorry, Hope. I shouldn’t have dumped that on you all at once. I just thought you should know the truth.”
The truth. That was why I’d brought Jett up here, but this wasn’t the truth I’d expected to uncover. I’d thought I was going to vindicate my father and his mission, but now it was all jumbled into a mess. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to sort it all out and find my footing again.
I turned around to find Jett standing on the threshold, barefooted, in a sweatshirt at least a couple of sizes too small for him, and a strangled sound somewhere between laughter and a sob escaped my throat.
He offered his hand to me. “Come back inside. We don’t have to talk about your dad.”
I walked toward him and looked down at his hand and back up to his face. “You’re nothing like what I expected.”
He nodded, his lips curving up slightly at the corners. “I hope you’re not disappointed.”
I shook my head and took his hand, enjoying the warmth that crept up my arm from the simple touch. Unlike Spence, this felt like the attraction in my books. Like we were magnets being pulled together.
He drew me in closer until my breasts almost brushed against his chest. “There’s more I should tell you but…I don’t think I can.”
I lost myself in his eyes and tipped my chin up, aching to be even closer. “Why not?”
“Because…” He wet his lips. “All I want to do is kiss you.”
My heart pounded in my ears. He probably heard it. I swallowed the lump in my throat, half of me screaming inwardly to run and the other half pushing me to rise on my toes and kiss him.
My voice came out in a breathy whisper. “I want that, too.”
He laced his cold fingers with mine. “What about your fiancé?”
I’d almost forgotten I’d been engaged. I whispered, “He’s seeing someone else.”
Jett leaned in closer. “He’s an idiot.”
His lips touched mine as my eyes drifted closed. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed me tight against him. I brought my other hand up and slid my fingers through the back of his hair. His tongue parted my lips, and I moaned as he explored my mouth. I tilted my head, hungry to lose myself in his arms.
I was so consumed by the cyclone of passion he’d just kindled that I barely noticed when my feet left the ground. He carried me back into the house, kicking the door closed behind him. He put me back down and slowly broke the kiss.
His eyes wandered over my face as if he was committing it to memory, and then he stepped back, his hands falling back to his sides. “I should put on some socks and shoes. If you show me where you keep the wood pile, I’ll get a fire going in one of these fireplaces.”
I blinked. A fire? Other than the one suddenly roaring inside me?
I sucked in a breath and took a step back. “Um. Yes. I can do that.” My brows pinched together. “We did just kiss, right? I didn’t dream that?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
His chest expanded in the tight hoodie, and I realized he was trying to catch his breath. He was playing it cool, but he looked just as winded as I felt. So why were we stopping?
I blurted out. “Then why are you thinking about socks and shoes?”
He ran a hand through his hair. A shaky hand. What was I missing here?
He met my eyes. “Because if I don’t think about something else, things are going to get out of hand really fast, and…I have more to tell you.”
Until this moment, I’d never truly wanted anyone. Not like this. I hadn’t realized it before, but this desire he’d just stoked with a single kiss was all-consuming.
I took a step closer. “What if I don’t want to talk?”
A muscle clenched in his cheek. “Have you forgotten what I am? I’m still a werewolf, Hope.”
His words hit me like a slap back into reality. Gradually, I started to nod. “I know.”
“I meant what I said last night. I will never hurt you. Not if I can help it.” He reached over to cup my cheek, his thumb stroking my skin as I met his eyes. “But I want you so damned bad I…I don’t have words.” He dropped his hand and walked away. “I better get my shoes.”
I sat down on the stairs, no longer trusting my legs to keep me upright. My entire body felt hot and achy. I’d never been turned on like this before. It was tough to think straight through the haze of desire. Jett was a werewolf, that hadn’t changed, but the way I felt about it was. He wasn’t a monster.
And if what he’d told me about Evolution Defense was true, my dad had lied to me about much more than werewolves.
