The women, her sisters, all leaned forward and touched her. In that way of wolves, they gave comfort and support through caresses and hugs and then broke away.

Unshed tears shone in the eyes of everyone at the table. “You’re so strong. I love you, Tegan.” Megan’s voice was shaky but clear.

“Ditto.” Nina used her napkin to dab her eyes.

“Yep,” Lay agreed. “But what did he mean when he said it was coming? Love?”

Tegan sighed. “I don’t know, Lay. Partly, yes. But something else and I think it might have something to do with Pellini.”

The table silenced for long moments until Nina said, “Then we’ll have to be ready.

And then we’ll kill him and he’ll stop being a threat to the people I love.”

“Amen,” the others echoed.

Chapter Two

Tegan Warden walked confidently into the club’s front doors. In the months since she’d moved back to her house she’d found solace in a few things and the Club De Sade held one of them. Tonight, her fiery red hair cascaded around her face and shoulders in fat curls, in contrast to the sleek black lace-up vest she wore, br**sts nicely pouring over the top. A creamy expanse of her stomach showed just above the low waist of her leather pants. High-heeled boots completed the outfit.

“Yo, Tegan! Honey, you look fine tonight!” Max, the nearly seven-foot-tall bartender, whistled low as she approached.

A smile curved her lips. “Oh Max, why can’t you play on my team?”

“Because my team is better.” Max’s partner and the owner of the club, Ryan Post, hopped onto the stool next to where she stood. “It’s been a week. You promised to call me! How are you this evening, buttercup?” He kissed her cheek when she leaned down to hug him.

“I’m looking for someone to play with. It’s been a very rough week. Pellini seems to be moving again. Big time Pack politics and my brother, ugh! He’s all up in my business now. I love him, you know that, but Lex could drive a saint insane.”

“Now, don’t get me wrong, I love male werewolves. They’re terrific in bed, but they are a bit…overbearing sometimes.” Ryan winked and grinned. The gleam of one of his incisors marked his otherness. The Club De Sade was run by vampires, which was fine with Tegan. It was private, membership only and those who were allowed in were extensively screened. It was safe for paranormals to play there, that’s what she was always concerned with.

“Human or Were? Vampire perhaps?” Ryan asked.

“No wolves! The politics of dealing with a wolf who’s lower in Pack rank is too annoying. Other than that, I want someone who can wield a flogger with expertise, Ryan.

The last time I came in, the Were who flogged me had the worst hand ever. Like he’d never even seen a flogger before. And honey, I do not want to educate a Dom. I’m not a tutor for God’s sake.”

Ryan laughed. “Hmm. Well, we’ve got a relatively new member. I’ve seen him in action a few times. Human. Quite yummy. He’s looking for a regular submissive though.”

“Regular?” A shiver went through her and she flashed onto her dream. She knew she got her belief in that sort of stuff from her grandmother but she felt like Lucas was there, pushing her.

“Get that note of terror out of your voice, Tegan. You admitted that you wanted to move on. He wouldn’t want you to be alone for so long. You were meant to be cherished.” Ryan and Lucas had been good friends. In fact, Tegan and Lucas had gotten involved in D/s through Ryan. Ryan had been a regular fixture in her life until Lucas’s death and then she didn’t see him very often, although he kept in regular contact. When she’d shown up at his and Max’s apartment three months before, he’d welcomed her back into the world with a big hug and a glass of wine.

She could have made a flippant remark to hurt him but she knew he was right. Still, how could she replace what Lucas had been to her? He’d been her everything, her best friend, her partner, her mate. When he’d died, she knew she’d be alone as her anchor had already found his mate. At least she stayed anchored and should she ever find anyone again, she’d be spared the necessity of the tri-bond.

So all she did was shrug.

“Why don’t you at least let me see if he’s available this evening? If it works, if you click, great. If not, what’s the harm?”

Heartache. Devastation. Loneliness. Connection.

“Okay. I’ll wait here.”

He smiled, hopped off the barstool and headed toward the back where the play rooms were.

“I think you’ll like Ben, he’s a nice guy. Tough but not the kind of Dom that talks in all caps and stalks around like he’s got lead balls.”

Tegan nearly choked on her club soda as she laughed at Max’s comments. “You know me well.”

He shrugged with a grin and turned to fill drink orders.

Before long, Ryan came out and beckoned Tegan toward the back. Once in the hallway it was a lot quieter than out in the main bar area.

When he raised his hand, she saw the blindfold he held. “He wants you to be blindfolded the first time. I’ll observe even though I’ve watched him before and you know I’d never let you play with anyone I didn’t trust. The safeword is rubberband. I’ve informed him you’re more high capacity than most other women and that you’re Were.

I’ll be there on the other side of the glass.”

A shiver of delight at the hint of danger slid through her system unbidden. She hadn’t allowed anyone to blindfold her since Lucas. “All right. If he gets out of line I’ll just rip his head off.” And she could. Even the strongest human couldn’t stand against a werewolf.