Free Luna Junction 2 Forbidden Mate (W) by Sage Domini

Gideon’s
arms tightened around me.

Chapter Eight
    Luckily Gideon had left his clothes
just on the other side of the clearing before he shifted into his
wolf shape. Lucky because nothing of Max’s would have fit him and I
had no intention of letting him return home to confront Michael for
the time being.
    “ Abe will want to help us,”
he assured me. Abe Casteel was Gideon’s other older brother but he
was away, and not expected back for at least a few days.
    My clothes had finally dried so I put
on the same jeans and t-shirt I’d worn when I arrived in town. As
an afterthought, I folded my other clothes carefully and tucked
them inside my backpack. I didn’t know if I’d be welcome in Max’s
house any longer.
    I waited on the front step for a long
time before glimpsing my father’s battered orange truck. Gideon had
wanted to sit by my side but I forced him to wait out back. “Any
sign of trouble…” I warned.
    He winked at me. “I could outrun them
if I had to.”
    The truck was rolling along at a
leisurely pace before Max suddenly slammed on the accelerator,
bringing the vehicle screeching to a halt a few feet from where I
waited. He had sensed Gideon’s presence.
    I stood up and waved. “Dad!”
    Max Jaeger spilled out the cab, his
face tense. “Artemis, come here!”
    “ No! Listen to me, it’s all
right.”
    My father looked at me and seemed to
read something in my face. His eyes widened. Meanwhile, Eddie
D’arcangelo had also emerged. With bow and arrow clenched firmly in
hand.
    I stood directly in front of him. “Put
that down, Eddie.”
    “ Where is he?” my father
asked quietly.
    I crossed my arms. “First disarm your
lackey over there.”
    “ Eddie,” my father said,
not taking his eyes off me.
    Eddie glanced at my father. “You sure,
Max?”
    Max nodded. “I need to talk to my
daughter.”
    Eddie cursed and shot me an angry look.
“Reckless children,” he said, shaking his head. But he lowered his
weapon and retreated to his own house a few hundred yards
away.
    My father and I stared at one another
until we heard the distant slam of Eddie’s door. “Now,” he said.
“Where is he?”
    “ Mr. Jaeger.” Gideon had
already moved from around back. He stood by my side and laced a
protective arm around my shoulder.
    Max shook his head sadly. “Kids,” he
said. “What have you done?”
    I glared at him. “I’ll give you one
guess, Dad. And look again. We’re hardly kids.”
    My father’s eyes were haunted.
“Artemis, I promised you a talk.”
    “ All right,” I swallowed.
“So talk. Daddy, you’ve known Gideon since he learned how to walk.
Whatever it is, you can say it in front of Gideon. He’s my,
um…”
    “ Mate,” Gideon finished,
holding me more firmly.
    Max was thoughtful. “What does the
sheriff say?”
    Gideon cleared his throat. “He’ll have
nothing to say that I’m willing to hear. Mr. Jaeger, we’d like to
have your blessing.”
    “ Blessing?” Max roared. “A
huntress mated to a werewolf? It’s like a poorly written
sitcom.”
    My voice was icy. “We’d like to have
it. But we’ll get by just fine without it.”
    “ Is that so?” Max sighed.
“Artemis, there’s more danger looming that you realize. And it has
nothing to do with your um, your ‘mate’ or his damn brother or any
of the clueless souls in Luna Junction. I know what’s out there.”
He nodded to Gideon. “And you have some inkling too, don’t you
son?”
    Gideon glanced down uneasily. “I don’t
see what that has to do with us.”
    “ Everything,” Max said
softly. The look he gave me was almost pitying. “You understand I
cannot have a werewolf living under my roof.”
    I exhaled thickly. “I thought as much.”
I turned and stepped just inside the front door to retrieve my
backpack. “I’m ready,” I said to Gideon.
    “ Here,” Max tossed Gideon
the keys to his truck and then spread his hands wide. “It’s all
I’ve got to give you.”
    I kissed his rough