Free Morgan by Ashley Malkin Page B

await our friend Eamon’ s arrival. ”
    “He lives?” Ignaty couldn’t mask his shock that his brother was still breathing.
    Artur chuckled humorlessly. “He may not call it that. Once he has healed sufficiently he will be eager to please me. Eamon has been placed in a cage and is on the way here. I will see what Yefim discovers in Colorado before I risk moving Eamon again.”
    “Yes, Alpha.” Ignaty ended the call and snarled loudly at the thought of having to use the beast Eamon. He hated his Alpha’s fascination with the creature. With any luck, both Artur’s pet and his brother would both die in this town of Eminence.

Chapter 11

    Evan held Morgan on his lap, her small body nestled tight to the bare skin of his chest. She was relaxed and trusting in his hold, something he never imagined he’d enjoy, but he did. Most people saw his scarred face and huge frame and felt intimidated, even if he wasn’t holding a weapon in his hands. But not Morgan.
    Then there was the way she had embraced his cat with such abandon. His cat purred as he recalled how wonderful it had been when she’d touched him. He knew the mating musk would have made her aware of him, but the way she responded to him was all due to her personality and her nature.
    She liked him, drew comfort and strength from his presence. He could scent it from her. No one in all his adult life had ever felt those emotions just from being in his company. It was a revelation and a joy to him. His mate was perfect.
    “And you’ve never seen a vampire either, Evan?” Morgan asked. She tilted her head up to look at him and his emotions were clogging his throat too much for him to speak, so he just smiled and shook his head.
    He watched her as she listened intently to her sister’s life story. She cried when Bethany spoke of her time being locked away in an institution and she laughed when Samson told them how Michael had shifted into a cougar and scared the pants off their mate.
    Morgan was stunning and he was amazed to realize that he loved her already. She was now his reason for living. He looked around at the way his brothers were regarding Morgan and how Samson, Michael, and Jason were gazing at Bethany, and knew that anyone coming to Eminence wishing to harm the sisters would find it was the last thing they ever did.
    “So you’ve never shifted either, Bethany?” Morgan said. “But you’re a cougar like your mates.”
    “Jason has done all kinds of blood tests. I am definitely a shifter.”
    “I can repeat them on you, if you wish,” Jason said. “But it’s unnecessary as far as I’m concerned. You have the same scent as Bethany and your eyes shift to the same color when your emotions are heightened. I don’t know why you are both latent shifters, but I suspect that one of your parents may have been the same.”
    “You can take Jason’s suspicions as certainties,” Ben said. “He saved a whole race of shifter/vampire hybrids from death three months ago. He’s touted as a medical genius by our pride in Pine Falls.”
    Jason ignored Ben completely as he handed Bethany a glass of water. Evan had initially thought Jason was arrogant, but he’d come to see his behavior was instead born of gross humility. He had no desire to be praised. He just wanted to do his job.
    “I still have to wrap my head around the fact shape-shifters are real, then I’ll deal with the vampires and demons,” Morgan said. “So if Bethany can’t shift and her husbands can, what will the baby be?”
    “Perfect,” Jason said. He smiled down at his mate and kissed her deeply. Samson moved swiftly and caught the glass of water Bethany was dropping.
    “ We don ’t care if our cub shifts or not,” Samson said. “But Jason said he’ll be able to test the cord blood once it’s born. Otherwise we would have to wait until puberty to find out.”
    “I’m human, and Finn says Matthew will shift when his time comes,” Melanie said.
    “Matthew’s growing so fast he