Michael motioned to a female, who I assumed was the mother of his champion, judging from her age and the proud look she shot her son. She handed Michael a leather sack. Michael drew a name and called, “Calliope McShane.”

Applause rose from the crowd. A young female with sable hair emerged from the crowd and climbed to the stage. The New Jersey Alpha hugged her before surrendering her to her grinning mate.

Adam leaned in. “That’s the Jersey Alpha’s daughter.”

The New Jersey Alpha stepped forward then. He repeated the same process of drawing a name from a bowl offered by his champion’s mother. “The mate for Logan Remus, New Jersey’s champion, is Mackenzie Romulus!”

The crowd went wild. I tensed and grabbed Adam’s hand without thinking. Only after our skin touched did I realize my error. I froze, waiting for him to reject it. Instead, he squeezed my cold fingers between his warm ones. We might have problems, but right then we were united in our concern for our friend.

Two large males “escorted” Mac onstage. She hadn’t changed much since I saw her after the Roller Derby bout. Same petite frame, same brunette hair, same fierce scowl. Michael stared her down with a stern look that clearly indicated any outburst on her part would result in severe repercussions.

My stomach cramped for her. It was bad enough her uncle had just decided she was going to marry a stranger against her will in the name of pack diplomacy. It was even worse that she was in love with Georgia and believed the vampire had rejected her. It was a good bet that Michael didn’t mention that Georgia tried to fight for her.

Of course, Mac being Mac, she didn’t pay heed to her uncle’s warning look. The pair commenced with a whispered argument in front of the entire audience of werewolves. I couldn’t help admiring her spirit. Most females would have been cowed by everything happening. But Mac faced her uncle like an Amazon, all clenched fists and chin held high.

“Is Sabina here?” Mac said suddenly, turning toward the crowd. My stomach dropped. Oh, shit, this wouldn’t be good. “Sabina!”

I looked up at Adam. “What should I do?”

Already, werewolves were turning this way and that, trying to locate the person Mac was searching for. With my red-and-black hair, I stuck out like a sore thumb among the brunettes and blondes in the crowd.

“Come on,” Adam urged. “I’ll go with you.”

If I wasn’t so unsure of what was coming, I might have considered his offer a sign of hope. But as it was, I was too busy trying to ignore the stares of hundred of werewolves, who in about five minutes were going to morph into slathering hell beasts.

Adam and I surged through the crowd at the same instant Mac stepped forward.

“I’m surprised you showed your face, mixed blood,” Michael called.

I shrugged. “You know me—I hate to miss a party.” I might have been nervous, but any sign of fear would make me a target in this group of predators.

Michael turned his angry gaze on Mac. She raised her chin. “I’ll do what you want, Uncle. But first I need to speak with Sabina.”

The weres holding her tensed for the Alpha’s order. Finally, Michael succumbed to the pleading in his niece’s eyes. “Make it fast. The moon is almost at its apex.”

Mac didn’t waste time. She pulled away from her captors and jumped off the stage. Grabbing me, she dragged me to the edge of the stage, where there was a tad more privacy. By the time we stopped, she was panting, out of fear or urgency, I didn’t know.

“When this is all over, I need you to do me another favor. I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to repay—”

I waved a hand to interrupt. “Don’t worry about it. Anything I can do to help.”

She nodded solemnly. Her eyes glistened with tears like a woman about to face execution. “I need you to find Georgia and give her this letter.” From the bodice of her gown, she removed a small envelope. “I know I can’t stop what’s happening. I know it’s my fault. But I can’t do my duty without knowing she’ll get this.”

My own eyes stung with the weight of the responsibility. I considered telling Mac then about how Georgia had fought for her. But in the end, I held my tongue. I worried that if I told Mac how Georgia’s heart had broken in the end, she’d have a harder time facing her own bleak but inevitable future.

“I promise I’ll get it to her, no matter what.” I clasped the envelope gently and held it against my chest.

“Thanks, Sabina.” She paused, biting her lip. “I know you and I have had our problems, but I just want you to know that I respect the hell out of you.”

I swallowed the lump of emotion in my throat. Praises of my own rose to my tongue, but I knew it cost Mac a lot of pride to say what she had. Adding to the lovefest would only make her more uncomfortable. So instead, I just smiled. “Ditto, werebitch.”

Something shifted in the air. I looked around. Every were I saw looked up toward the moon. Crap. They were all about to change. “Mackenzie!” Michael growled.

Mac grabbed me in a hard, impulsive hug. I squeezed her back, hoping to lend her some of my own strength. “Take care of yourself,” I whispered. “Don’t let them break you.”

A round of growls emerged from somewhere within the crowd. Every were in sight was already in the throes of the change. “Get out of here,” Mac said. “I can’t do this if you’re watching.” With that, she ran back to the stage and jumped up.

I rushed over and grabbed Adam by the arm. “Let’s go.”

All around us, the werewolves growled as their bodies contorted. The sickening sound of joints popping to accommodate their new forms echoed like gunshots. Onstage, Mac had fallen to her knees. Her face stretched grotesquely as a muzzle grew where her mouth used to be. She howled, lifting her misshapen face to the moon. Unlike the joyful shouts of her brethren, hers was filled with mourning.

Adam wrapped his arms around me and began whispering the spell. Over his shoulder, I couldn’t help but stare at Mac.

Her eyes glowed gold. She rose to her new height, topping six feet easily. Her body had expanded to twice its normal size. She raised her arms to the sky and howled her anger. She started to run toward the edge of the stage. She was about to leap off like she intended to run, but an impossibly large male with a skunk streak grabbed her from behind. Logan. He sunk his huge teeth into her neck and bent her over.

The magic rose just as Mac’s terrible growl ripped through the night. I closed my eyes. Hot tears leaked from my clenched lids. The air popped and the wind rose. Finally, we escaped.

28

Adam flashed us back to our apartment. After the turmoil of the scene we had just left, the silence smothered us. The only sounds were our panting breaths and the pounding of my heart in my ears. I was pressed against Adam’s chest, clinging to him like a drowning woman on a buoy.

The winds of interspatial travel had dried my tears into stinging tracks on my cheeks. Adam’s heart thumped against my ear. My own chest felt tight, oxygen hard to come by. Rage and pain rose inside me like a tempest. The feelings overwhelmed me until I felt I needed to hit something or burst.

Adam tipped my chin up. “You okay?” he whispered.

I shook my head, unable to speak. Part of me wanted to run from him, to find someone to punch. He must have recognized the need in my eyes. He’d seen it there countless times before during battles and heartache. I tensed to pull away from the intimacy. I felt too raw and exposed. Too unpredictable.

Sensing I was about to retreat, he tightened his hold. I looked up into his eyes and stilled. His irises glowed with strong feelings of his own. Just as he’d recognized the emotions in me, I knew his, too. We stood there like that, the weight of our feelings and regrets hovering in the slim space between our faces.

I’m not sure who moved first. But two seconds later, we slammed into each other like a head-on collision. Need prevented the reunion from being sweet or gentle. Our hands groped for fastenings, ripping at buttons and zippers. The room filled with our harsh, mingled breaths and the sounds of ripping fabric.

We were wild things, unleashed. Alternately pleasuring and punishing each other. I wasn’t sure which I preferred but it didn’t really matter. All I cared about was the release and the miracle of being close to Adam again. I couldn’t get close enough, though. I needed more.

Somehow we ended up on the floor, even though the couch was only a few steps away. We couldn’t wait for comfort. Didn’t need it. Our skin slicked with sweat, we glided against each other with fevered movements. Soon, but not soon enough, he reared up over me and drove into my core. My back arched to meet his punishing thrusts. Nails dug half-moons into his back, drawing blood. He groaned and strained to go deeper, as if he could fill me with his whole self.

I wanted him to.

But I wasn’t content to lie submissive. Not this time. Wrapping a leg around his flank, I flipped him over. His back hit the hardwood with a slap. I clasped him between my thighs and rode him hard. His eyes glowed with an emotion so strong it burned me—love, hate, both?

I bent over him and kissed his mouth. His whiskers rubbed my skin raw but his tongue was soft and hot. I sucked on him, nipped his lip with my fang. The taste of his mouth and the metallic flavor of his blood nearly sent me over the edge. Hunger rose in me like a beast, demanding to be sated.

I wasn’t thinking. Instinct ruled now. And the need to feed from my lover was stronger than I’d ever experienced. It had been months since I’d fed from Adam in that cramped bedroom in New Orleans the first time we’d made love. But now I took the bridle off the hunger I thought I’d tamed.

My tongue lapped the hot skin over his jugular. The taste of his salty skin and the scent of fresh blood made my eyes cross. I slammed my fangs into his throat like a snake strike. Adam’s sweet, hot blood flooded my mouth. I was so drunk on him that I didn’t realize he’d gone still.

“No!” His hips bucked and his hands pushed me off him. I fell to the floor, dazed. Cold air hit me like a slap in the face.