Fatal Call (New Breed Novels Book 4) by Martha Bourke Page B

Dies.”
    “It’s good to be back, my brother. What the fuck is up with these weird little ambushes?”
    “No idea, but they seem to like me the best.”
    Diesel barked a laugh. “Quit braggin’.”
    Pax smiled. “Now there’s a popularity contest you really wanna win. You ready to head in?”
    Diesel put his head on the male’s shoulder. “I need you to carry me.”
    “Fuck off.”
     
    Rose sat curled up in the white wicker chair opposite her bedroom window and watched the sun begin to rise. She looked over at her mate who was still sound asleep in the soft morning light. Mate. Goddess, the mating had been… Heat hit her cheeks. She’d had the occasional run in with a male, but it had never ever been like that. Even though she ached everywhere, she knew she’d take him inside her again in a heartbeat. But that wasn’t what was bothering her. What was really worrying was how badly she wanted to be in her bed with him right now. Last night all seemed like a dream somehow. Mating was something that always seemed to be for other females. Never for her and certainly not now. God, she wanted those strong arms to pull her against that enormous chest of his. Damn it. She should never have been with him at all. This wasn’t fair. He knew nothing about her. She wasn’t suitable to be anyone’s female, much less the mate of a warrior. Her mind wandered back to the night before. Falling asleep in his arms had felt so natural. So right. Did the Goddess really make mistakes?
    “Rose?”
    She was sent back to reality with a jolt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were awake.”
    Xavier patted the bed. “Come here.”
    She stood up and crossed the room, her feet sticking to the hardwood floor, her heart pounding faster and faster with every step. He sat up and she noticed his t-shirt was gone. Her eyes took in the beautiful, warm dark skin covering those pecs and abs. He was incredible. But the more she saw of him, the tighter her hand clamped down on the front of her robe.
    Then the male put his hand on her shoulder blade and she did the worst thing imaginable.
    She flinched.
     
    X looked up into Rose’s eyes trying to understand what was happening. “Are you okay?”
    He was pretty sure she hadn’t recoiled in disgust. Unfortunately, that pretty much left only pain. “Rose, did I hurt you last night?”
    She quickly shook her head. “No, Xavier, of course not.”
    He touched the side of her face. “You’re sure?”
    Not that he would’ve known the difference. With the fucking protective instinct yammering away in his head, he could barely think.
    She nodded and gave him a little smile.
    He leaned back against the headboard and drew her into his arms. God, she felt good. They fit so perfectly together. In that moment, X couldn’t imagine what it was he’d been running from.
    He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I wish we’d had a chance to talk.”
    “What about?” she asked.
    “Just the whole New Breed thing. Any female that mates with one of us usually leaves a lot behind. Jobs, friends, family. I mean, you’ve got Harvard. You’re where I was headed at MIT when my second transition hit.”
    She looked down at her lap. “To be honest, Harvard is pretty much all I have. I was the only shifter in my family, so I’ve outlived pretty much everyone. I have a couple of coworkers who are good friends, but that’s about it.”
    For some reason Evy came to mind, and X found himself almost thankful Rose didn’t have a whole family to leave behind. He brushed her hair aside and looked at the mark of the Japanese Crane on the back of her neck. It was so delicate, as if rendered by the brush of an artist. The bird’s crown was in red. He’d never seen color on any other mark.
    He traced it lightly with his finger. “Your mark is so unique. I’ve never seen one like it.”
    She nodded and leaned back against his chest. “I haven’t either. I figured it couldn’t be genetic. For a while, I read a lot