Tuesday Truth AND Teaser 6/5/18 RAGT and Gina’s Wolf

A two part post tonight. First, I am hitting the road tomorrow morning at 6:00 to head down to Lori Foster’s Annual Reader & Author Get Together. RAGT begins on Thursday afternoon, but it’s about about 14 hour drive from North Dakota to Ohio, so my friend Jessica and I make it a two day trip. I have packed all the things, (I hope) including the charms I an handing out as part of the Sparkling Authors 2018 game. Find each of the seven featured authors, and we will give you a charm. When you have all seven, come find one of us to be entered to win a $100 gift card.

I look forward to this trip every year. If you are going please come find me. I’d love to meet you!

Today’s snip is quite short, but again, this is best stopping place. Well, maybe it’s a little mean to leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger, but I promise in the end Gina and Cole will get their happily ever after. As usual, this is not edited so you will probably find all sorts of typos.  Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Cole swept her up in his arms like a baby and ran faster than before. “Hold on,” he ordered, and for once she obeyed without complaint.

He was warm, but she barely noticed it. His speed was astounding. This was why her stepfather and the vicious major wanted to cut him open. They wanted to know how he could do things like this. She wanted to hide her face against his neck, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the lights behind them.

“How many, Gina?” he asked, and now she could hear strain in his voice.

She counted the lights bobbing behind them. One, two, four…

“Six,” she shouted. “That’s at least six men, but maybe twelve, if they all have a sidecar.”  That wasn’t likely though, was it? Then again, even six was too many. They would all be armed. Even a wolf with magical speed and strength couldn’t defeat six armed men. The headlamps were growing. The roar of the motors was louder. They couldn’t be more than a mile behind them. “They are getting closer,” she moaned.

“I can take twelve,” he said. His breathing was heavier, a little bit ragged, but his pace stayed the same.

Not if you’re exhausted, she wanted to say. Not if the men on motorcycles had guns. These men wouldn’t hurt her, but they would kill him. “Put me down. You can move faster without me. Go ahead to Omaha and bring back help.”

“Huh.” Derision rang in the grunt. “I’ll never leave you behind. Hang on.”

Somehow, he increased his speed. Being carried by a man running at full speed wasn’t comfortable but she’d rather be squeezed, bruised, and bounced around then be taken back to President Todd and the Allersons. She looked once more over his shoulder. The motorcyclists were close enough now for her to see the round outline of their helmets.

“Hurry, Cole,” she screamed. “They’re right behind us.”

Chapter Six

The sound of barely controlled terror in his mate’s voice forced more speed from his weary legs. Cole knew his boast that he could take twelve men was an empty one. Deep inside, his wolf cringed at the memory of the pain and confusion that followed the bullet through his head. Omaha was only a mile and a half away, a mere five minute sprint for him if he were rested and not carrying a burden. No, never a burden. Gina was his one chance at love and a family. He would save her. He had to save her. He made his legs to stretch farther and faster.

The outline of Omaha’s wall was a murky shadow in the dark ahead. So close. Not close enough. The shine of the motorcycle lights gleamed on the road beneath his feet. So close. Too close. He was running, but it was a terrible effort now. His lungs were on fire, his ankles threatened to turn with every step, his arms were clenched around his mate in death grip.

“Drop me,” Gina screamed in his ear. “They won’t hurt me. You can run faster without me.”

He’d already said he would never leave her. He didn’t have enough wind to repeat himself. “No,” he grunted between pants.

The roar of one motorcycle was bare yards behind him now, the others close behind it. His speed was failing. His strength was almost gone. Defeat rose in a bitter wave to crash over his heart. But his mate was clinging to him, breathing in almost silent sobs against his neck, so he spit on defeat and kept running. His legs didn’t want to obey. His feet and thighs screamed with every step. The thought of his mate―his mate!—being forced to marry someone else kept him going. I won’t let them have you, Gina, he swore silently. I will save you or die trying.

It would be better to live, but with Omaha silent in the dark ahead and the stepfather’s army nipping at their heels, death looked more likely.

I failed you, mate. His footsteps were wavering now, his heart close to bursting with exhaustion. He forced himself to continue staggering forward, but he knew his race was lost.  I’m sorry, Gina. So sorry.