Force of the Falcon. Rita Herron

      Hell, his own family had been torn apart when he was small so it was natural that he’d feel compassion for her and her child. After all, he wasn’t a monster.

      But he wasn’t a man who wanted a relationship with a woman now, either.

      Tomorrow Sonya would go home. And he would return to Falcon Ridge. He’d hunt down her attacker, take care of his birds, and keep Cohen away from them.

      And he’d live alone, just as he always intended.

      SONYA SLEPT fitfully, waking every so often to search the darkness for her daughter. The nurse had called Margaret again to see what was keeping her. Margaret’s husband had to clear the entrance to their drive before they could maneuver into town to get Katie, but she was finally on the way.

      Brack had dozed off himself, but his body was so big he looked uncomfortable sleeping in the chair. Dark beard stubble dotted his wide, strong jaw and his scraggly, shoulder-length hair brushed his collar, looking unkempt. He looked rugged and wild, as if he belonged out in the woods with the animals.

      Yet with his head tilted sideways, his arm curved protectively around Katie, he also looked vulnerable. Tears pushed at the backs of her eyelids again, her chest hurting from the pressure. But she blinked back the moisture. The pain and medication were making her sappy. Making her read things that weren’t there.

      Brack Falcon was not a vulnerable man.

      But God knows, she’d been terrified when she’d been attacked. More so for Katie than for herself, but still…the memory of that creature tearing into her flesh would haunt her forever. If Brack hadn’t come along when he did, she might have died. And so might have her daughter.

      Would Stan raise Katie if something happened to her?

      A tremor rippled through her. Would he eventually accept her disability and love her unconditionally?

      If not, would her mother want Katie?

      Sonya choked back more tears at the thought of the chasm between her and her mother. Evelyn Simpson didn’t even know she had a grandchild….

      Not that that was entirely her mother’s fault. No, her own stubborn pride and guilt had kept her from turning to her mother after the divorce.

      And from confiding about her handicapped baby.

      Her mother’s bitter warnings about Stan whispered in her ears. Evelyn had never liked him. She’d tried to convince Sonya that Stan was selfish, that underneath his charm lay the heart of a manipulative man who wanted to control every aspect of his life, including his wife and child.

      A man who hated imperfections.

      God, if she’d only listened to her mother…

      But then she wouldn’t have her daughter. And she couldn’t imagine not having Katie in her life.

      But in light of the attack tonight, she should rethink her silence. Katie would love Evelyn, and her mother…she sensed her mother would accept Katie and her limitations.

      Brack shifted slightly, and she tensed as he opened his eyes and stared into hers.

      “Are you all right?” he asked in a voice husky with sleep.

      She nodded, well aware of how intimate the small, dark room seemed. His breathing rattled in the silence that followed, as if he, too, felt the sexual tension between them.

      “Do you need something?” he said in a low voice. “Pain medication?”

      She shook her head, her emotions ping-ponging in her chest. Why did his soft, husky tone make her want to cling to him?

      And why did the thought of doing so terrify her?

      The door squeaked open, and Margaret and her husband came in. Sonya sighed in relief, knowing she needed a reality check and for Brack Falcon to leave. He was taking up too much of the room. His scent, his body, seemed to fill it.

      Margaret worried her bottom lip when she saw Brack in the room and maintained her distance from him, as if he might bite. Sonya explained about the attack, and Margaret gasped, then hugged her arms around herself.

      “I’ve heard about the ghosts that haunt the town,” Margaret said, “and I knew wild animals lived in the woods, but this is awful.”

      Her husband frowned, looking worried, then scooped Katie into his arms, and they left, both dismissing Brack’s offer of assistance.

      A muscle twitched in his jaw as he stood and worked the kinks from his long legs. “I’ll go now.”

      Sonya inhaled, wondering if she should have assured Margaret that Brack was safe. But she couldn’t. “Thank you, Brack. For everything.”

      Anger glinted in his eyes. “No problem.”

      Sonya told herself it didn’t matter what he thought of her. She didn’t intend to apologize for her friends wanting to protect her daughter. It was better he leave now. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to cross paths again.

      Because she had no intention of getting involved with him or any other man.

      HIS HUNGER was mounting, growing more incessant, the need to feed more often throbbing within him.

      He wanted to taste Sonya again. She had been so delicious the first time that he craved more. But he had to bide his time.

      When he saw her, and he would see her, she must never know how he felt about her.

      He would befriend her. Earn her trust. Become her confidant.

      And hide his dark side.

      Until then, he had to find prey elsewhere.

      He dipped his talon in blood, drew out a white sheet of paper, and began to write.

      Some animals mate only once

      You are mine now, Sonya.

      You wear my markings

      and will for life.

      Laughter and lust sang through his bloodstream as he drew a heart on the page with the blood. He wouldn’t give her the note just yet. But one day he would.

      Instead, he’d leave her a small present. A token to assure her that he hadn’t forgotten her.

      His animal instincts alive, he set off into the woods, eyes piercing the darkness, senses alert for the weak.

      First the hunt.

      Then the kill.

      Then he would spread the blood of his victim on her door so she would know he hadn’t deserted her. That he was coming back.

      And that soon she would be his.

      Chapter Five

      Brack stalked outside, battling irritation at the wary look Sonya’s babysitter had given him. Sonya had looked relieved to have him leave, as well.

      Hell, what did he care?

      He had a job to do, and he’d damn well do it. Someone or something was hurting the birds he loved, and he intended to put a stop to it.

      He phoned Deke and Rex and filled them in while he drove back to the house. A half hour later, he met his brothers in the library to strategize.

      “Sheriff Cohen thinks we’re raising mutant attack birds up here,” Brack said.

      Deke gave a belly laugh and Rex cursed. “Sheriff Cohen is a moron.”

      Brack’s sentiments exactly. “He’s determined to pin these attacks on us, and to run us out of town.”

      “We’re not scared kids anymore.” Rex sipped his coffee. “And he’s not running us or our families out of town again.”

      “I’d like to see him run out of office,” Deke muttered.

      Brack