Driven By Hunger
Ellora’s Cave ♦ Release Date: March 2010
eISBN 9781419927676 ♦ Novella ♦ Paranormal
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Sequel to LINE OF SIGHT and HOT MOON RISING but may be read as a stand-alone story.
Hunger drives the wolf. Hunger for food, for domination, for sexual satisfaction, and for revenge when one of their own is harmed. Rand not only satisfies his hunger with Hannah, his new mate, he also teaches her there’s no limit to the carnal pleasures they can enjoy. He is both frightened and enraged when Hannah is kidnapped by Rogan Mueller, an insane geneticist who wants the female shifter for his bizarre experiments. Now Rand hungers for revenge.
Derek, alpha of their pack, has been seeking his mate for a long time. Fate delivers Riesa, a psychic who can give him clues to Hannah’s whereabouts. With Riesa, Derek feeds his sexual appetite, strengthening his ability to lead his pack on a rescue mission.
Two very hot couples, one very dangerous situation and lust-filled fire that will either save them—or consume them.
Read an Excerpt
This excerpt contains explicit sexual material and is intended for readers 18 years of age and older.
Derek Sawyer looked at the woman sitting across the table from him. She was already upset, so when he spoke, he chose his words carefully. Being the alpha of their pack held a great responsibility and he’d spent many tense years keeping them together when their families were destroyed and they’d had no place to go but a deserted orange grove. Now trouble was stalking them again but he didn’t want to show the frightened woman how edgy he was.
“You know how careful we have to be. We’ve all talked about it.” He fiddled with his coffee mug. “Now that we live in real houses instead of the old orange grove, and many of us have jobs, we have to be extra vigilant.”
Hannah Raines lowered her eyes to her tightly clenched hands, tension lining every inch of her body. Her sun-streaked hair fell forward, shielding her delicate face and her unique silvery-blue eyes. When she spoke her voice was so low he had to strain to hear her.
“I know that. I’m sorry.” She raised her eyes to Dylan. “But there I was at the convenience store, watching two men hitting a woman and trying to drag her into their car. What was I supposed to do? In human form I would never have been able to help her. Only the wolf saved her.”
“How many other people were around?”
“I think only two other cars in the parking lot and one was empty.”
Dylan shook his head. “So at least two people saw you besides the men you killed. Right?”
“Yes.”
Her answer was so soft he had to strain to hear it. “Did anyone follow you?”
“No, I don’t think so. I ran off and hid behind a Dumpster two buildings away. I didn’t go back for my car until I was sure everyone had left.” She blushed. “I was naked, you know.”
Of all the women in their very small pack, Hannah was the shyest. At meetings she was always restrained, keeping in the background. Even her job, working for Alexa Farrell designing websites and brochures, allowed her to keep to the comfort zone of her home. The lust that drove the rest of them didn’t seem to be as strong in her. As the alpha, it was his responsibility to see to her welfare and help her realize the full extent of her sexuality. She had not mated yet because of it, but Derek was confident she soon would. In his role of alpha he had taken her to his bed, not to mate, but to teach, and she was both a willing student and an increasingly eager participant.
“Tell me about the car that had someone in it. That’s probably our biggest worry. What color was it? Did you get the license plate number?”
She held out her hands, palm up. “Dark blue. Four door. I did see part of the license plate—DG. But that’s all. I’m so very sorry, Derek,” she repeated, now twisting her hands together. “You’ll have to tell the others, won’t you?”
He had no choice. Alexa, a shifter married to sheriff’s deputy Jesse Farrell, had helped them settle in this group of cottages at the edge of the small town in Palmetto County, Florida. They could live as humans but shift and feel free to roam the woods under cover of darkness. Or in the privacy of their own homes. But now Hannah had exposed not only herself but the rest of them to danger. He would have to call a meeting so everyone would be on guard. He would do his best not to humiliate Hannah but everyone had to be aware of the situation.
He reached out and took both of her hands in his. “They must be prepared.”
Derek felt the sizzle of lust that struck him these days whenever he touched Hannah. From a closed blossom she had unfolded to a fully bloomed flower in his bed, even becoming on occasion the aggressor. Perhaps what she needed to prepare her for the coming meeting was another session with him. Something to take the edge off and give her the feeling of strength their sessions lately seemed to provide.
She didn’t move away from his touch. “When are you calling the meeting?”
“Tonight. After everyone’s finished dinner.”
She tightened her hands beneath his even as she looked away from him. “Maybe I should just leave. It would take the danger away from everyone.”
“No!” Derek took a breath and let it out slowly. “No one is leaving. We have stayed together when life tried to force us apart and now we are the foundation for a new pack. We’ll handle this, Hannah. I promise you. And no one will blame you for what you did.” He shook his head. “It was just rotten luck and bad timing, is all. But the group will stand behind you and protect you.”
Hannah looked up at him. “I trust you, Derek. You’ve been so good to me.” She sighed. “I wish…”
But he knew what she wished. That the bond had been there to make them mates. It hadn’t, however, although she was quickly learning the art of erotic love. What existed between them was nothing more than pure lust. At least they could enjoy that until he had to let her go.
He looked at his watch. Two hours. Plenty of time for what he had in mind. And he was sure it would take the edge off her anxiety.
