Sneak Peek of Elijah by N.J. Walters

Seven Deadly Sins, Book 1

Bounty hunter and werewolf, Elijah Sin lives by one rule: Stay away from other werewolves and pack politics at all costs. Known as the seven deadly Sins, he and his brothers are outliers living on Sin Mountain in Kentucky.

Her daddy’s death has sent Kinley Wright on the run from her former pack to avoid a forced mating. Desperate for help, she tries to hire Eli, only to discover he’s a wolf, like her.

Under threat from her former pack, there is only one place Eli and Kinley can turn for help—his brothers. Blood will spill and lives will be lost. Trust is fragile between them, but the attraction is explosive. Even if they survive the coming storm their love might become a casualty.

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Excerpt

Author’s Note: This excerpt is where the hero and heroine first meet in a seedy bar that has an illegal fight club. Elijah is one of the fighters but notices the second the Kinley came into the bar. The distraction earns him a punch in the face. After winning the fight, he heads to the bar and their first meeting.

Elijah and his brothers are outlier wolves. They stay away from all packs. They are bounty hunters, trackers, and sometimes bodyguards, but always for humans. They never work with or for wolves. Kinley is a wolf on the run from her former pack. Their two worlds are about to collide.

The tension, and the attraction, between the two of them is palpable from the beginning.

***

He slung the towel he’d been given around his neck, and with shirt in hand, he headed to the bar in the far corner where the reason for his earlier distraction was currently located. The noise level rose as a new fight was announced, people rushing to place their bets in hopes of recouping their losses. Everyone moved out of his way as he crossed the room. The crowd was about seventy-five percent male. There were enough females in the place that the newcomer shouldn’t have stood out, but she did.

She was tall for a woman. A couple inches shy of six feet. Thick auburn hair tumbled in waves around her shoulders. Faded jeans fit snugly in all the right places. Blue eyes that reminded him of the cornflowers that grew wild back home tracked his path to the bar, making no secret of her interest. He dragged his fingers through his hair and grinned. Maybe he might get laid after all. Although the long-sleeved V-neck top she wore wasn’t the least bit suggestive. Neither were the low-heeled black boots. She was the most conservatively dressed woman in the place. Her expression was serious, not flirtatious. Tension radiated from her.

“Water,” he told the bartender, who snorted but set an unopened bottle in front of him. After paying, Eli unscrewed the lid and took a swig before leaning casually against the bar.

He wished he could catch her scent, but it was buried beneath the haze of sweat, booze, cigarette smoke, and perfume that permeated the space. It was stifling down here with no open windows and an outdated air-conditioning system that did little to clear the stench or circulate the stagnant air.

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled together in a frown. “Are you Elijah Sin?”

Outwardly, his relaxed posture never changed. Inwardly, he snapped to attention. He should have known she’d be trouble. She also might not be alone. In his line of work, he made enemies, dangerous ones. Time to leave. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”

He tossed down the towel and pulled on his shirt. The wolf side of his nature went on alert, searching for threats. It took more discipline than it should to turn and walk away. He grabbed his water and had taken two steps when she bolted in front of him and placed her hand on his chest.

A rumbling growl rose from his throat. Fortunately, the noise from the current fight drowned it out, but there was no disguising his displeasure. She swallowed heavily but didn’t back away. “Wait. Please. I want to hire you.”

It screamed setup, but there was enough desperation in her voice to make him reconsider. “Over there.” He pointed to a small table in a dark corner. “You’ve got two minutes.” It was two minutes too many, but he couldn’t walk away without knowing where she’d gotten his name and how she’d managed to find him. Not like he’d left an itinerary anywhere. Even he hadn’t known he’d be here tonight until a few hours ago.

She spun on her heel and hurried to the table, taking him at his word that she was on the clock. He sat across from her and leaned back in his chair. The corners of her mouth tightened. “I need protection.”

“From who?”

“A hired mercenary.”

The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He straightened and leaned forward. “Who the hell are you?”

“Kinley. Kinley Wright.” She licked her lips and linked her hands together on the table in front of her. Her knuckles began to turn white. “I have money.”

“I’m a bounty hunter, not an assassin.” Not the first time someone tried to hire him for a hit. Officially, he and his brothers were bounty hunters and trackers. Unofficially, they were occasional mercenaries. Hostage retrieval was their specialty, but they were open to other jobs. It wasn’t something they openly publicized, carefully vetting their clients. In his line of work, killing was inevitable, although he did his best to avoid it when possible. When he couldn’t, it was always criminals and bad guys, so he didn’t lose any sleep over it.

Her incredible eyes widened in shock and her face paled. “No. I don’t want anyone hurt. I just want to get away from the man after me. I need to disappear and hoped you could help.”

None of this was making any sense. Unless it was an official bounty, people hired him to take care of problems, permanently when necessary. “I don’t do protection.” A couple of his brothers had no trouble with that kind of job, but he preferred the cut-and-dry, black-and-white situations. It suited his temperament.

The back of his neck itched, a sure sign something about this entire situation was off. He shook his head. “I can’t help you. I’m sorry.” Surprisingly, he was. There was something about her that made him want to break the rules he lived by and offer assistance. That would be a mistake.

She reached across the table and grabbed his hand, clinging to it with a strength that was surprising. “If you don’t, I’m as good as dead.” She swallowed heavily. “Please.”

The wolf inside him stirred, as did his sense of justice and something much darker. He stilled, a scent teasing his nostrils. Every muscle in his body tightened. Primal instincts surged to life. Slowly, he lifted her hand to his nose and sniffed. Beneath the light scent of perspiration and soap lay a more potent one.

Son of a bitch! “You’re a wolf.” The odds of a female werewolf searching him out for protection were astronomical, which served to deepen his belief this was some sort of trap. He and his brothers avoided all wolves and packs, working exclusively for humans. He hadn’t stumbled across a lone female in years, let alone had one try to hire him. They usually stuck close to home.

Her eyes widened and she jerked her hand back, or tried to. He wouldn’t let go. Like him, she sniffed and froze, like prey scenting a predator. What little color she had in her cheeks vanished. “What have I done?” she whispered.