N. Walters - Isaiah's Haven

He’d given up looking for such a female years ago.

Her song ended and Meredith smiled as the crowd applauded. Then she announced the last call for the bar. Isaiah glanced at his watch. It was later than he’d realized. The crowd began to thin out as people finished their drinks and left.

Isaiah sipped the last of his beer until the glass was empty. He didn’t want to leave, which was starting to piss him off. He forced himself to stand, but instead of heading for the doorway, he headed toward her. Meredith. He couldn’t leave. Not without speaking to her.

As if she sensed his attention, her head jerked up and she stared at him. Her eyes widened the closer he got. He knew he was big and probably looked quite menacing right now. Arousal was riding him hard and it was all he could do to control his primal nature, his need to toss her over his shoulder and drag her off into the night with him.

Her eyes were a stormy blue. That’s the first thing he noticed about her when he stopped in front of her. He took a deep breath and stilled. He could smell the light scent of her perfume, something sweet and sultry. It was mixed with the smells of the bar and tinged with fear. But beneath it all was something spicy. He could almost taste it on his tongue. It caused his already erect dick to get even harder.

He stared down at her in amazement. “You’re a werewolf.”

Meredith stared at the gigantic stranger as a combination of fear and arousal streaked through her. She’d noticed him the minute he’d walked into her place and had steered clear of him. Any man who made her uneasy was to be avoided at all costs.

Michael and Benjamin had noticed him too and had warned her away from him. As much as she loved both of her sons, they could be as overbearing as any male at times. But she knew their concern came from their love for her, so she forgave them when they overstepped their bounds. She was an adult after all.

She had to tilt her head back to look at the male, which in itself was amazing. She was five-eleven and was wearing three-inch heels, and he was still about four inches taller than her.

And wide. He had shoulders a mile wide. His shaggy mahogany brown hair fell wild around his shoulders, giving him an untamed look. His eyes, which were devouring her, were deep brown, almost black, the color of bittersweet chocolate.

He’d never be called handsome. His features were too rugged for that. He was compelling and sensual. He exuded a latent male sexuality without even trying. He’d garnered quite a few looks from the women here tonight, but he’d ignored all of them. She knew because she’d been watching him.

He made her breasts tingle and swell. Just looking at him made her cream her panties. This was a man who looked like he just might satisfy her in bed.

He was also a threat to her and her family. No one could know they were werewolves. That was how they’d survived all these years. They blended with the human population, not making waves and taking care of any problems that arose. She sensed this man was a huge problem.

She forced herself to laugh. “I think you’ve had one too many to drink tonight.” As if on cue, her sons flanked her.

The stranger’s eyes flickered to both men and then back to her again. Behind him, she watched Hank usher out the last of the patrons and the few humans on staff and close the door. Whatever happened, it was only family here now.

“It’s time for you to leave.” Michael stepped forward. He was almost as tall as the stranger, but she sensed he was nowhere near as dangerous. She placed her hand on her son’s arm to restrain him.

“My name is Isaiah.” He held out his hand to her. “Isaiah Striker.”

The name was strong and suited him. She nodded, but didn’t dare touch his hand. His mere presence was arousing enough. She didn’t know what would happen if she touched him. It was embarrassing enough for her to know her sons were standing so close they could smell her arousal. Sometime she damned their preternatural senses.

She had no reason to be embarrassed. They were werewolves and their natures were primal and basic at times in spite of their humanity. She was coming into heat soon. It happened once a year and she knew the signs. These past few nights, she’d felt the familiar tension spiraling through her body and cursed it.

And though it was much more manageable than it had been when she was younger, she still felt the urge to mate with a male. And the one standing in front of her was a prime specimen who would attract any female, werewolf or human. Thankfully, the days of her having to permanently mate with one was long over. These days she usually locked herself in her apartment and took care of the problem herself with her handy vibrator until it passed.

He lowered his hand back to his side, but his eyes never left her face.

“Is there a problem?” Hank strode up to stand just to the side of the stranger.

“No problem. This gentleman was just leaving.” She pleaded with Isaiah with her eyes. If he insisted on repeating his claim of her being a werewolf, he wouldn’t get out of here alive. There was only one of him and three male werewolves. Was he a hunter or just a human who believed in such things?

She took a deep breath. She needed to be calm. What she got was a blast of pheromones and a jolt of arousal. A spicy scent filled her nose and made her sex clench with need. She almost moaned aloud as a shiver of need wracked her body and her nipples tightened. How had she missed this? He was a werewolf.

Impossible . She blinked in astonishment. In all the years they’d been here this had never happened. Male werewolves tended to stay away from the city, not liking the crowds or the closed-in space. It was one of the main reasons why she lived here with her sons and her adopted family.

Oh God! Hank . He was only a half-breed and many full-blooded werewolves were as bad as the bounty hunters wanting them dead. Teague, Neema and Kevin were all half-breeds as well. Their safety depended on her keeping control of this situation at all costs. She straightened her shoulders. If he thought to threaten her family, he was mistaken.

“You need to leave,” she repeated. “Now.”

He shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly. It made him look sexier, if that was even possible.

Hank reached out to grab Isaiah’s arm.

“You don’t want to do that, pup,” Isaiah warned.

Hank froze with his hand in the air. Benjamin growled low in his chest. Kevin came out from the back office, adding to the growing tension. “What’s going on?”

Isaiah was still trying to process the fact that the woman he lusted after was a female werewolf, and a beautiful one at that. She was also coming into heat. There was no mistaking that enticing spicy perfume. No wonder he was attracted to her.

What was even more surprising was that she wasn’t the only werewolf here. They all were. The odor from all the human patrons, the liquor and the food had masked their scent. Now that they were the only ones left, there was no disguising it.

It was crazy to see a group of werewolves living in a city surrounded by the myriad sights and sounds which assailed their senses daily. Bounty hunters frequented the cities for supplies and new recruits. Not to mention that vampires, witches and demons preferred to live in the city. And while the different species weren’t exactly at war, they weren’t sending each other Christmas cards either.

Around him several of the males began to growl. As if drawn by the tension, a lean red-haired male pushed through the kitchen door, wiping his hand on a white towel as he came. The sleeveless shirt he was wearing displayed an array of tattoos running up and down his muscular arms. With the trio of gold hoops in both ears and his eyebrow piercing, he looked like trouble. He was followed by the slender, curly-haired female Isaiah had seen waiting tables earlier in the evening.