Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

your
first
name?” Christ, killing this guy would be doing the world a favor.
    “Well, yeah. It’s a common name and I didn’t want to worry about having to remember something else.”
    “You’re right. So how’d you get here?” Edward often used the abandoned barn to conduct business. It was on his land but miles south of his home and not many people outside of his circle knew about it. Not even his own boss with the APL.
    “I stole a car and parked it at your place. When you weren’t home, I figured you’d still be here. I’m really sorry I’m late, man. If you just give me another chance, I’ll get her. I’ll take her from work or something.”
    After what had happened, December McIntyre was going to be under lockdown by her brother and probably that filthy animal, Liam Armstrong. They wouldn’t be able to get her for a while. This date was supposed to have been their golden opportunity to take her.
    He had someone else in mind, though. And his boss would be very pleased if he brought the other bitch in. They’d already tried once with her, but the two men he’d hired had decided to deviate from his orders and gotten themselves killed. But if he could bring her in, it would be an even better score than the McIntyre woman. “We’ll figure it out. Cut yourself some slack. It was your first real assignment.”
    Mike looked surprised by how well Edward was reacting. His shocked expression was priceless. Edward nodded toward the other side of the barn. “Come on. I rode here on a snowmobile. It’s parked outside. You can ride back with me.”
    Edward reached into his pocket and quietly withdrew his knife. The curvature of the blade was perfect for whathe planned. As Mike headed toward the other side of the barn, Edward made his move.
    “Thanks. I really thought you’d be pissed about—”
    From behind, he grabbed the front of Mike’s face and head in a tight grasp. He cut deep, hard, and fast. The sound of his knife slicing across Mike’s throat was a bare whisper. In a quick, practiced move he cut one carotid artery and the jugular vein. Mike’s hand flew to his throat, but it was useless. He gurgled a cry as crimson liquid spurted everywhere. Through his fingers, down his shirt, onto the dirty ground. Edward stepped back to avoid the mess.
    He might not like to get dirty, but he loved to watch the life drain from someone. There was something priceless about seeing the fear and knowledge in a dead man’s eyes that his life was over.
    Once Mike finished twitching, Edward wiped his blade on the back of Mike’s coat and went to get his shovel. He’d have preferred not to kill him here, but he couldn’t stand listening to him any longer.
    A fresh wave of resolve swept through him as he carved the grave into the icy ground. The sheriff’s sister might be off-limits for the time being, but he wasn’t through with targeting the Armstrong pack. Not by a long shot.

Chapter 3
    T hrough her slat blinds, December could see light starting to peek in. Without looking at her digital clock, she knew it was just barely sunrise. Normally she liked to sleep in on Saturdays, because she opened her shop up an hour later than usual. That so wasn’t happening today.
    Not with Liam sleeping in her guest room. She should probably be more concerned or scared that some maniac had tried to inject her with God knew what last night, but Liam’s dark, dominating presence in her house was much more frightening. Okay, maybe not frightening. But it made her much more aware of…everything. Namely, herself and all the sexual feelings he stirred inside her.
    She wasn’t scared of him. Just scared of her feelings for him. Instead of staring at the ceiling for another hour, she threw off her comforter and headed to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her curls stuck out wildly thanks to a rough night of tossing and turning. For amoment she contemplated putting on makeup or taming her hair, then scoffed at herself. Let Liam see her this way. Maybe it would help him get over her.
    She opened the bedroom door and jerked to a halt.
    Stretched out on the rug covering the hardwood hallway, Liam lay on his back—
shirtless
—directly outside her bedroom.
    His dark eyes popped open when she gasped. Something told her he’d already been awake, though. In one quick swoop, he assessed her from head to foot and smiled. Despite her pajamas she felt practically naked