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  As they broke apart, Josiah spoke. His voice was low and dangerous. “What do you want, Sarah? Tell me how to please you.”

  She opened her mouth to voice her needs. Her mind filled with her dream. She could feel him slide deep inside of her. “I…”

  His brow furrowed as he looked past her. “What the fuck is that asshole doing here?”

  Sarah clung to him tighter. Josiah looked down at her, flustered. “I’m sorry. Give me just a moment. I have something I need to do.”

  She whimpered as he let her go and stormed out of the closet. She followed him, baffled, back to the sanctuary. She glanced at her reflection of her rumpled dress and messed up hair as she passed the mirror mounted on the wall in the narthex. How was she going to explain this one?

  She stopped in the doorway of the sanctuary to witness the showdown. She knew the man standing alone in the aisle. They spoke regularly about her fight coming up. Why was he there in the church? Did he know Edith and Edna?

  It seemed like he knew the Hallows. Josiah stood at the point of a vee formation. Six other men including the guy with the Mohawk—strong, dominant, heavily tattooed—flanked off him, blocking the intruder from the caskets.

  »»•««

  Josiah growled as he flew in the side door of the sanctuary to stop Leroy. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his younger brothers fall in behind him. Despite their current spats, it was good to know they had each other’s backs. He snarled as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared Leroy Nelson down. There was no reason the MMA promoter needed to be here. And if he brought those two vampires with him, Josiah didn’t care where he was standing. All hell would break loose.

  “Not quite the reception I expected,” Leroy quipped.

  “What are you doing here?” Josiah questioned.

  “I heard about your aunts. I came to pay my respects.”

  “How’d you know they passed? Did your business partners tell you?”

  “Why would they?”

  Josiah grit his teeth. He bit back another growl. “Where are the Brood Brothers?”

  “They do private business during the day. They hold meetings at night. I’ve never seen them when the sun is out. They seem to go out of their way to avoid it.”

  “And that doesn’t seem odd to you?”

  “With the improvements they’ve done to my promotion, they can meet every third Thursday at midnight for all I care. The fights we’re going to have in two weeks will blow your mind.”

  Josiah felt someone brush against him. He glanced sideways to see Samuel at his side. “Seems sort of reckless to have promotions two weeks apart. Seems like a waste of money to me.”

  Leroy smirked at Samuel. “There aren’t two promotions. Just one. Yours.”

  Samuel strode past Josiah until he was nose to nose with Leroy. “My fight is four weeks. Not two.”

  “We moved it up. We were able to book five new fighters. Big name fighters. A couple of them are champions with other promotions. Really you shouldn’t be in the main event anymore, but the local folk love you so there’s nothing we can do. Cort and Rock signed them.”

  “I signed a contract.”

  “A contract that says we can move the date if the need arises. The need arose. We’ll see you in the cage in two weeks. Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe that lovely lady with the baby is your mother. I would like to express my sympathies for her loss. Gentleman.” Leroy gave them an evil smirk as he nodded his farewell to them. If looks could kill, he would have been dead by each Hallow as he wove his way through the brothers and approached Momma and their mates.

  Samuel sighed heavily. There was worry in his tone. “I’m fucked.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Josiah replied. “We’ll have you ready.”

  Micah strode up to them as the other four wandered off. “Do you think dumb fuck there has any idea that his buddies are vampires?”

  Josiah shook his head. “Leroy has always been a prick. I have no idea. It’s in our best interest to keep him at arm’s length.”

  “Agreed.” Josiah glared at Leroy. Rage filled him as he saw the promoter console Momma and his sisters-in-law. He didn’t trust Leroy before. Leroy regularly cheated him and his brothers when he booked their fights. Now that he aligned himself with Cort and Rock, Josiah wanted him away from his family.

  His gaze drifted away from Leroy back to Sarah. She leaned against the doorframe staring at him. Her long blonde hair was still a mess, as was her little black dress. She looked rumpled, standing against the dark-stained pine. He’d rather see her undone beneath him in his bed. His cock thickened in agreement. “Guys.”

  Micah laughed. “Go. Good luck.”

  Josiah gave him an uneasy smile. “Thanks. The attraction is just so strong. All I can think about is…”

  Samuel put his hand up. Josiah could tell he was biting back a laugh. “Please, stop. We really don’t want to hear it. Go.”

  “Got it.” Josiah grinned at them before he took off through the crowd toward Sarah. She bit her lower lip as he approached. He fought himself not to pull her into him arms and kiss her senseless. Something inside him demanded that he do so. If he went through with his craving, he’d have to explain quite a bit to his mother. And this wasn’t the time and place for that lecture.

  “You’re too late,” Sarah informed him.

  “What do you mean? Did you hook up with some other lucky guy while I was gone?” Josiah asked with a grin.

  She pointed past him. “The funeral is starting.”

  Josiah turned to the caskets. Two of the morticians that served his aunts’ funeral closed the caskets. Leroy was long gone. Momma, his brothers, and their families had taken their places in the front. The priest talked softly to Momma as the six other Hallows checked their cell phones.

  “Come with me,” Josiah replied.

  Sarah shook her head. “You need to sit up front with your family.” She kissed him, her lips lingering on his to tease him. “Go.”

  “I’ll see you later.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Josiah didn’t move. He watched Sarah as she walked away and took her seat in the church. He huffed and joined his family in the front row. Momma patted the seat beside her. “Sit.”

  Josiah settled in the pew and took her hand. The hardwood pew was uncomfortable on his ass. It wasn’t helping his hard-on in the least. “How are you doing?”

  She gave him a puzzled look through the tears. “I’m fine.”

  Josiah frowned. “What is it?”

  “You seem different.”

  “I’m not.”

  Momma hummed to herself. “We’ll see.”

  The funeral took an eternity. The air was thick with sobs and sniffles. Josiah was sorry his bitchy old aunts were gone, but he couldn’t shed a tear for them. He had at first, despite the fact the only memories he had of them involved some sort of pain inflicted on him and his little brothers. His heart had moved past grief and was ready for revenge. He shot the occasional look over his shoulder at Sarah. Fuck, she was so beautiful. He needed to be inside her. No amount of mourning could drive the desire away. He felt possessed, but by what he didn’t know.

  His eyes widened as he concentrated on the pull. He remembered what Micah, Caleb, and Samuel had said about the power that possessed them right before they mated. This wasn’t it. Was it? He shook himself to his senses and then struggled to concentrate on the preacher’s message. His cock throbbing in his slacks made it the most difficult challenge he’d ever faced.

  Once the service was over and the congregation dissipated, the seven Hallows were invited to carry the caskets to the waiting hearses. Josiah never took his eyes off Sarah. The obsession with her drove him crazy. He was satisfied to see her gaze locked on him. She seemed just as crazed as he was. She bit her swollen pink lower lip and then smiled. He didn’t pay a bit of attention to where he was going. A large, solid body stopped him cold.

  Samuel glared at him from over his sho
ulder. “Seriously, Joe.”

  Josiah looked up to find them all standing still at the back of the hearse waiting for the funeral director to direct them. He obviously missed the memo to stop. Sarah had that effect on him. “Sorry.”

  Joshua glanced back and forth at the two brothers from the other side of the casket. “No. You’re kidding me. Joe too?”

  Samuel smirked. “Mated? Not yet. I give it by the end of the night.”

  Josiah snorted. “You’re fucking crazy.”

  Each brother took a step forward at the director’s orders to slide the casket into the vehicle. Samuel smirked at him. “We’ll see.

  The Hallows climbed into the waiting vehicles as the rest of the cars outside the church drove away toward the cemetery. Josiah fidgeted with his tie, then his phone, and then with his keys the entire way. Each brother riding with him shot him an annoyed look. His mind was filled with images of Sarah standing in the church. He imagined her naked on his bed, her face contorted in pleasure. The thought almost made him come. He glanced out the window for any sight of rain. He could use a shower, preferably a cold one. All he saw was a clear blue sky dotted with puffy cotton ball clouds. Shit.

  The brothers and Littlefoot partnered up in groups of four to pull the caskets from the vehicles and carry them to the site. There were more prayers, more words. Josiah needed to escape. He needed out of these formal clothes. He needed his naked skin against Sarah’s. It was all he could think about. The instinct to fuck drowned out every word the priest said.

  He turned around and searched the crowd. He knew Sarah had been there. She had stepped out of a little red convertible and joined the crowd. He watched her every step. But then he turned away. Now she was gone, but the desperate need for sex wasn’t.

  “Hey man.”

  Josiah nearly jumped out of his skin. Visitors to his aunts’ gravesites were stepping carefully across the lush green grass to their cars. He had pretty much missed the entire internment. He also didn’t see Micah move from his spot on the other side of Momma until he was right beside him. Josiah cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

  “Need a ride home?”

  Josiah spoke before his mind thought it out. The words that came out weren’t his own. “Go ahead. I’ll find a ride later.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  “Ok, Joe. If you need me, call. Okay?”

  Josiah gave him a smile. “Sure, Mike. Thanks.”

  Micah walked away. He stopped long enough to take Eve’s hand in his before they finished their trek to the Jeep. One by one, his family members disappeared. Josiah smirked. He was all alone in the cemetery. It was time to go on a hunt for a beautiful leggy blonde. And he wasn’t going to stop until she was screaming his name and begging for more.

  Chapter Three

  Sarah wandered through the small crowd at the carnival. The sound of one calliope tune clashing with another filled the air. The warm scent of corn dogs and funnel cakes tickled her nose. Her stomach growled in protest. It didn’t matter how good they smelled. She was training. She’d have to pass.

  She smoothed her black sleeveless dress as she walked along the street. She had planned to go home and change before she came to the fair. Then she thought about blowing the whole thing off, crawling into her pajamas and binge watching that new hot series everyone was talking about. No one would miss her appearance at the academy’s bake sale. But that deep, primal desire that seeped into her nerves and consumed her led her there after practice. She didn’t know why.

  A pang of guilt pierced her heart. She stood Josiah Hallow up, plain and simple. He told her to meet him after his aunts’ interment ceremony in the cemetery. She watched him look for her. Once the minister tore his attention away, she hopped in her car and drove off. If she’d waited for him, she most certainly would have given into him. All her unholy thoughts would have become reality. She just couldn’t do that.

  Besides, she would have been late for practice, if she made it at all. Her trainer hated it when she was late. She was too close to her event to be missing practice.

  Sarah stopped when she heard a chorus of young voices call for her. She waved at the three little boys riding on the carousel. She barely made out their frantic arms waving back before they disappeared around the turn. She laughed. She would see the smallest, Timmy, in her classroom on Monday morning for summer tutoring. It had only been a couple of weeks, and he had already made remarkable progress in his reading. And Sarah was going to fully enjoy the in-service day she would have tomorrow.

  She waited for them to reappear. They almost fell off their horses when they excitedly greeted her again. Her smile faded as the butterflies in her belly took off in a swarm. A couple of horses back, she could have sworn she saw Josiah still dressed in his dress shirt and slacks. The tie was long gone. The amusement ride concealed him before she was certain. She waited. She started to tremble. The images of her dream, of the moment they shared in the coatroom, filled her memory. She couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat.

  When the horse came around again, the man was gone. She shook her head. Did she imagine it? Was the burning lust she felt messing with her mind? The ride slowed to a stop. Children whimpered as parents picked them up and carried them away. Sarah stared at the carousel as her mind went blank. She took a step toward it and then another. She didn’t do it by her own free will. Something pulled her there. Before she knew it, she paid for a ticket and stepped on board.

  The platform beneath her feet lurched as the carousel started. She looked at the horse she clung to. Should she climb on? She didn’t know.

  Sarah was aware of the hard, masculine body pressed against hers before the deep voice rumbled in her ear. Her heart beat out of control as a warm breath brushed her ear. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  “Josiah,” she whimpered.

  She felt his hands caress her hips as he held her even closer. His lips wandered the curve of her neck. He nipped at her flesh and then soothed the bite with his tongue. She tossed her head back against his shoulder and moaned in surrender.

  “Do you want me to stop?” he questioned.

  Her mouth opened before a coherent thought entered her brain. “Never. Please.”

  “Please what?”

  “Please don’t stop.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He let go of her hip to caress her face. He tilted it and parted her mouth with his. She was so lost in his kiss, she never noticed that he wound the reins of the carousel horse around her hands gripping the saddle of the wooden animal until the leather tightened around her wrists.

  She pulled free from him in panic. Her head spun as the ride whirled around in its path. “What are you doing?”

  “Relax.” Josiah smiled at her. “Just smile at that nice mom and little boy a couple of rows up. She keeps glancing back here.”

  She felt Josiah’s fingers skip up her leg under her skirt. They trailed up her inner thigh until he reached the edge of her panties. He nudged the fabric aside far enough to slip a finger deep inside her. He rubbed circles around her clit as he pumped in and out of her. Her core tied itself in a knot as she bucked against his hand.

  She gasped. “Josiah.”

  “Just watch them. See? Mom just glanced back here. Smile. That’s my good girl. Smile because she has no idea what I’m doing to you.” He slid another finger inside her and picked up the pace. She whimpered as she opened her legs farther apart. It had been forever since she had sex. It was her college boyfriend, to be specific. Since then she had buried herself in her job and the church. She never ever felt pleasure like this. She never wanted it to stop.

  She fought to focus through the haze of pleasure. The boy was too young to be in her class, but the mother looked familiar. Was it Timmy’s mom? By the glare on the woman’s face, she sure hoped not. Mommy suspected something was going on. Sarah forced a saccharine sweet smile on her face as a tremor raced through her.

  She bit her bottom lip
as the knot in her belly unwound, drowning her in a fiery rush. Her knees buckled. Josiah’s body pinning her to the horse kept her from collapsing. She could feel the hard ridge of his cock pressed against her ass. He rocked his hips against her a couple of times as she settled from the orgasm.

  He pulled his hand free and then straightened her dress as the ride slowed. He untied her hands and tugged her against him again. “Where do you live?”

  Sarah swallowed hard to get her voice back. “Eight blocks south of here. It’s near your aunts’ house.”

  “Too far. I need to bury myself inside you now.” He took her hand and led her off the carousel when it came to a stop. He tucked her against him as they made their way through the crowd. His hands caressed her as he held her close, his fingers trailing across her hip, her belly, her ribs. Not in her wildest fantasies could she imagine a man like this wanting her. He was hard, masculine, daring. His aunts called him a degenerate, and she understood why. The problem was that, at the moment, she didn’t mind him being one.

  He chuckled as he stopped them. “Perfect.”

  “What?” she questioned. An ache burned inside her that needed his touch.

  “See that?” He pointed at the large, gaudy painted façade in front of them. “The haunted house is down for repairs. One of its cars is missing a wheel. We’ll go in there.”

  “But…” Sarah objected.

  “What?” Josiah asked.

  “It’s in the middle of the fair. What if we’re caught?”

  Josiah nuzzled against her ear. His breath was hot. “I hope they do find us. Fuck, you’re beautiful. I need you now. Let me please you like I did on the carousel. Do you trust me?”