[Truyện Tiếng Anh] Into The Lair

Into the Lair
Into the Lair Page 50



Funny how things had a way of coming full circle. All things began in Adharji.

“Slow up, Jonah,” Tits called. “We’re nearing the landing site. Let Ian and Braden go ahead and make sure the area is clear. I’ll hang back and provide cover for you.”

Jonah slowed his pace and loosened his grip around Katie’s body. “Poor habibti,” he murmured as he stared down at the perspiration glistening on her face. “You’ve had it way too hard for one so young.”

“She needs a doctor,” Tits said.

Jonah jerked his head around to see Tits standing at his right shoulder. Then he glanced back at the strain on Katie’s face. “Yes, she does.”

“She’s really messed with you, dude,” Tits said casually.

Jonah lifted his head to stare at Tits. After a moment Tits shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

“I would hope that any woman treated so abominably would mess with any man,” he said tightly.

Tits nodded. “True enough. I’m just not used to seeing you so…”

“So what?”

Tits shook his head. “Nothing, man. Forget I said anything.”

Mad Dog shouted an all clear, and Jonah strode forward into the clearing where the helicopter would land shortly. On cue, the whop whop of an approaching chopper sounded from low over the horizon.

“Give me your shirt,” Jonah said to Mad Dog.

Mad Dog dropped his pack and shrugged out of his mesh button-up. He thrust it toward Jonah, and Jonah nodded his head down at Katie. Mad Dog carefully arranged it over her shivering body while Ian and Braden hovered close by.

Ian and Braden both wore expressions of men who’d been tortured a dozen times over. Jonah studied them, in awe over the fact that two men could both so obviously love the same woman. They made it seem so natural. Even Mad Dog and Tits hadn’t blinked an eye over it. Everyone just accepted it and went on.

Love was an interesting, multifaceted thing.

Jonah turned and shielded Katie’s body as the helicopter dipped and lowered several yards away. Mad Dog threw open the door and motioned for Tits, Ian and Braden to get in. Jonah walked slower, taking care not to jostle Katie. When he got close, Ian leaned over, his arms outstretched. Jonah relinquished her to the other man and turned to wait for Eli.

He simmered impatiently, checking his watch at five-minute intervals. He didn’t like having his team exposed, sitting ducks. He was getting antsy and impatient with each passing minute. After ten minutes, Eli strode from the jungle, a silver cylinder in his hand.

He hurried past Jonah and climbed into the waiting chopper. Jonah climbed in after him, and they lifted off.

Eli knelt on the floor in front of Ian. He picked up Katie’s hand and placed the canister against her palm. Then he gently pressed her fingers until she gripped it.

“You’ve left nothing of yours here, Katie,” Eli said in a low voice. “Do you understand?”

Tears filled her eyes once more. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Mad Dog pulled out a transmitter and yanked the antenna up.

“Take us low over the compound,” Mad Dog yelled toward the pilot. Then he glanced back at the others. “Let’s blow this joint, shall we?”

As they zoomed over, explosions rocked the air. The compound disappeared from sight as orange balls of flames shot skyward. Smoke billowed and clogged the air. For a long time, Jonah stared out the window as they got further away.

Esteban was dead and with him any secrets he harbored. D’s con***ion was a very uncertain thing. There was no miracle cure for him. No quick fix.

There was only Braden’s sudden ability to shift at will and retain the panther’s memories to give them any hope for the future. But was it a one-time aberration spawned by desperation? Or was it possible that the man might gain control over the beast?

Chapter Forty-Three

Katie slowly closed the journal and lowered it to her lap, her fingers trembling as she fiddled with the worn edges. She raised her head to stare out the window at the ocean spreading out as far as the eye could see.

The window was cracked so she could hear the waves rolling in. The sound soothed her and eased some of the hypersensitivity she still experienced from the chemical Esteban had exposed her to.

She stared back down at the journal and then closed her eyes against the fear that tightened her chest. With a sigh, she uncurled her legs and pulled herself out of the plush armchair that Ian and Braden had positioned by the window. The others would want to know what the journal contained. They would need to know.

Fatigue weighed heavily on her. She’d worn herself out gauging her every mood, analyzing each twinge, each shift in temperament. She lived in fear that at any moment, with no provocation, she could turn into a wild creature. Not knowing what she might change into was killing her.

Marcus knew what had happened to her. The others still did not. It was time to tell them everything.

She headed down the stairs of the south wing. The island estate was huge, with stairs from all the wings converging into a central foyer. Most of the time, however, the members of Falcon and CHR gathered in the game room. They weren’t opposed to a little imbibing and some pot smoking, and pool was always a hot commo***y.

She paused inside the doorway, suddenly unsure of herself, of her place in this crew of mercenaries. They were tougher than her, more ruthless. She admired that, wished she embodied more of their traits.

She wished she wasn’t so terrified.

Tyana and Eli stood at one corner of the pool table watching as Jonah leaned over to take his shot. Tyana leaned on one crutch while Eli supported her by wrapping his arm around her waist. Mad Dog stood back, cue in hand, and made a jeering noise when Jonah’s shot went wide. Ian and Braden leaned against the bar. Braden’s hands were shoved into his pockets, and he nodded at something Ian said.

Then he looked up and saw her. He straightened immediately, concern flashing on his face. Did she look as fragile as she felt?

He shoved off of the bar and crossed the room. He came to a stop just in front of her and reached for her hands.

“Hey,” he said softly. “You okay?”

She offered a faint smile and nodded.

“Come here.”

He tugged her against his chest, tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her. For a moment she relaxed into his hold, absorbing his strength and the comfort he offered. Then she carefully pulled away. She trembled as he smoothed his fingers down her arms and then captured her hands again.

“I finished the journal,” she said. “There are things that everyone should know. And other things…”

Braden studied her intently then tugged her forward. “Come over here where you’ll be comfortable.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her toward the couch in front of the bar where Ian still stood.

The others stopped to look at her. Jonah’s gaze followed her, and when she met his eyes, his expression softened.

“I’d rather stand,” she said when Braden started to sit her down on the couch.

She slipped her fingers from his and took a few steps back. Ian’s hands clasped her shoulders, and his mouth brushed close to her ear.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly. “Are you feeling well?”

She nodded and turned to face the others. She’d start with Esteban. Maybe by the time she’d explained all she’d read, the part where she divulged that she might turn into an unpredictable shifter might actually seem normal.

Tyana, Eli, Mad Dog and Jonah all stared at her expectantly. She wiped her palms down her jeans and took a deep breath.

“Esteban was a shifter. A wolf, to be more exact. Not a werewolf like the movies or legends. A real wolf.”

Shocked silence ensued.

Jonah stepped forward. “You want to run that by us again?”

“I saw him,” she said. “When he died. When he took his last breath, he shifted.” She glanced at Braden. “Do you remember?”

“I thought that part was a delusion,” Braden muttered. “So much of that time was so scattered. It all happened so fast, and when I look back it’s with such a sense of detachment, like I’m seeing something that happened through someone else’s eyes. Honestly I thought I was a little nuts.”

“According to his journal, he’s a natural shifter.”

Eli surged to attention, and Tyana put her hand on his arm.

“A what?” Mad Dog demanded. “What the hell is a natural shifter?”

“He was born that way,” Katie said softly. “Unfortunately, he had no control over when and how he shifted. He spent most of his life in seclusion. He began experimenting with a chemical that altered human DNA in early adulthood. I say he, but he only funded the research. He had no scientific background.”

She glanced at Eli and then Ian and Braden. “You were his first successful experiment. But only Eli and Gabe achieved the results he was interested in. Stability. He couldn’t accept that his genetic make-up couldn’t be changed, that there was no cure for his instability.”

Into the Lair
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“Christ,” Tyana muttered. “We’ve all been searching for the same thing. The bastard created his own problem in D and the others.”

Katie nodded. “Except, for whatever reason, Gabe and Eli gained full control of their abilities. Esteban became obsessed with reproducing that result. Which is why he came after me. I shared Gabe’s DNA. Eli had no family. He wanted my…”

She swallowed, and Ian’s hands tightened around her shoulders.

“What did he want?” Jonah asked.

She looked down as tears threatened. This part terrified her—admitting it—out loud. It made it real, and now she’d face a very uncertain future. What if…

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Braden asked, concern evident in his voice.

“He exposed me to the same chemical agent that you were exposed to,” she said in a low voice.

“What?”

The demand exploded across the room from at least three different places. Ian spun her around, his eyes wide with horror.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she shook in his arms. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Dear God, that’s why…” He broke off and dug a hand into his hair. “Jesus, that’s why you were in such pain, why you’re still so weak.”

“Son of a bitch,” Braden swore.

She found herself between the two men, their hands shaking as they stroked her arms and her back. They touched her face, her hair, held her close.

“I’m terrified of what will happen,” she choked out. “What am I going to do?”

She leaned her forehead against Ian’s chest, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head. His entire body shook against hers.

“Come sit down,” he said. “We’ll figure this out, okay? I don’t want you to worry.”

She smiled wanly at his attempt to infuse her with hope. But she allowed him to lead her to the couch. The others all gathered in the small sitting area. Tyana and Eli sat on the opposite couch while Mad Dog parked it on the arm of the chair that Jonah sat in. Ian and Braden flanked her on the couch, Ian holding her hand while Braden clasped her leg above her knee.

Jonah leaned forward, his expression serious. “You won’t be alone, Katie. Falcon will help you in any way we can.”

“She’ll have us,” Braden said softly.

Jonah nodded, his expression easing.

“I think everyone is missing a very important question here,” Mad Dog said. “Was Esteban really a natural shifter or was he bat-**** crazy? Is it even possible? Does that change anything for Eli, D, Ian and Braden or is all hope for a cure gone?”

Eli propped his elbows on his knees and scrubbed at his face.

“Eli, don’t,” Tyana pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”

He grimaced and then reached over to squeeze her hand. “Yeah, sugar, I do.”

He focused his weary gaze on Ian and Braden, regret brimming in his dark eyes.

“I’ve been lying to you guys for a long time.”

Katie glanced anxiously at Ian and Braden as confusion darkened their faces.

“What?” Braden asked.

“The chemical that turned you into cats…it didn’t affect me.”

“Of course it did,” Ian said. “Hell, I’ve seen you shift.”

“I was born a shifter,” Eli said quietly. “It’s a secret I’ve carried since I was ten years old. It just became easier to disguise after what happened in Adharji. I no longer had to hide my ability from you because suddenly I was provided an explanation. Gabe was stable so it didn’t stretch probability that I was too.”

“Holy ,” Mad Dog breathed. “Has the entire world gone crazy? That **** just doesn’t happen.”

“So Gabe was the only one who truly turned out the way Esteban envisioned?” Katie asked painfully.

“Apparently so,” Ian muttered.

Braden held up his hand. “Whether or not Esteban was a natural shifter is irrelevant. The er is dead. What we need to be worried about is the fact that the son of a bitch gassed Katie.”

Ian nodded and then he turned to her again. “Does Marcus know?”

She nodded slowly.

“What did he suggest?”

She closed her eyes. “He said all I could do was wait and see. There’s nothing he can do.” Her voice cracked. “No tests he can run. No cure if I’m affected.”

Braden cursed and turned away, his fists rolled into tight balls against the couch.

Tyana stared across at her with a stricken expression. “I’m sorry, Katie.”

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves here,” Jonah said. “We don’t know that Katie will be affected. I say we don’t borrow trouble. Take it one day at a time.”

He glanced sorrowfully at Tyana. “We already knew that finding a cure was a long shot.”

Tyana looked away, tears brimming in her eyes.

“We can’t just give up,” Ian said fiercely. He gripped Katie’s hand and brought it to his lips. “We can beat this, Katie. What happened at the compound with Braden. Explain that. It was a breakthrough. Maybe a step forward.”

“You’re not alone,” Braden added as he took her other hand.

“Aren’t I?” she asked. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve always been alone. Gabe was all I had left, and now he’s gone. I have nothing to go back to.”

Ian and Braden went completely still next to her. She felt the stares of the entire group, and she shifted uncomfortably on the couch under their scrutiny.

“Maybe we should leave you three alone for a while,” Jonah said as he stood.

Eli helped Tyana to her feet. Mad Dog slid off the arm of the chair and ambled to the door. And then she was alone with Ian and Braden.

She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. She was so tired. Her body still fought the effects of the chemical. Moving hurt, more than she let on. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep.

“You’re hurting,” Ian said quietly.

She nodded without opening her eyes.

“Katie, look at me,” Ian prompted.

She opened her eyes and turned her head to stare at him.

“I love you.”

Such powerful words. No one had ever said them to her before. They were staggering. She’d heard them, been flip about them, but hearing them now, directed at her…it shattered her.

“I love you,” Braden whispered next to her ear.

She turned, her breath held in her chest. She stared in wonder at him and then turned back to look at Ian.

“I—”

“Shhh.” Ian placed a finger gently over her lips. “Hear us out.”

Braden scooted up so that he was in her line of vision. Ian reached over and curled his fingers around her palm and stroked lightly with his thumb.

“We want you to go back to Argentina with us. CHR has a house there. A compound, really. Eli doesn’t have a need for it. His life is here with Tyana and Falcon.”

She swung her gaze back to Braden to gauge his reaction. There was calm in his expression. Sincerity.

“We want you with us, Katie.”

“But what if…what if I become—”

“What if you become what?” Ian prompted. “Like us?”

She nodded.

“Whatever happens, we’re going to be with you,” Braden said.

His voice slid over her, a promise she reached for and held tight.

“You won’t be left behind, Katie. Not ever again. Do you understand that? We want you with us. Always.”

She wrapped her arms around Ian and held on tight. “I love you too,” she whispered against his neck.

He gathered her close and buried his lips in her hair. He stroked the back of her head with his hand as he murmured in her ear. She pulled slowly away and then turned to Braden.

“I love you.”

He touched her cheek and smiled, his teeth flashing his boyish grin. Then he leaned in and kissed her, long and sweet. So exquisitely gentle, as though she’d crumble with the slightest touch.

“I want you to get better,” he said. “I want to to you again.”

Her face fell and she looked away.

“Hey,” he said softly. “What was that for?”

“I’m just afraid of what will happen if the chemical affected me badly. What if it ruins everything?”

Braden and Ian both reached for her hands until she held both of theirs in her lap.

“No matter what, we’ll always be together,” Ian said. “Believe that if you believe nothing else.”

“We’ll make it,” Braden added. “Together.”

Some of her fear lifted, and she smiled a shaky smile. She squeezed their hands and then brought them up to kiss them both. “Together,” she agreed.

Into the Lair
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Chapter Forty-Four

“She’s getting worse,” Ian said wearily as he and Marcus stood watching Katie and Braden from inside the glass doors leading to the deck.

Marcus frowned. “How so?”

Marcus had flown in to perform his regular check-up and physical on Katie. These days he spent his time between Damiano in Nepal and Katie in Argentina.

“We’re having to use the inhibitor far more frequently, and we’ve had to sedate her three times in the past two weeks. I’d hoped…”

Ian broke off and rubbed a tired hand through his hair. “I hate this, man. I love her and I hate to see her suffer.”

“And what about you and Braden?” Marcus asked.

Ian gave him a startled look.

“Any unexpected shifts? Further instability?”

Ian shook his head. “Braden shifts regularly. He’s pretty good at doing it at will now. He hasn’t made a single move toward me and Katie. We’ve tested his recall, and it’s odd. At times he can clearly remember events that occur while he’s in panther form. Other times, however, it’s all a blank. When that happens, he backs off shifting for a while, and he gets edgy. It scares him when he can’t remember. He’s too afraid he’ll hurt Katie or me.”

Marcus nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He started to speak, but was interrupted when Braden knocked over his chair getting up. Katie sat stock-still in hers, her face pale, her hands shaking violently. Tremors rocked her slight body, and she looked at Braden in panic.

Ian made a grab for the syringe that lay on the table inside, and he threw open the door. He made it over to Katie, prepared to inject her when Marcus caught his arm.

“What the ? Let me go, man.”

“Don’t give it to her,” Marcus said calmly.

“What?” Braden demanded.

Katie clutched her arms, rubbing almost violently. Fear shone vividly in her eyes. She was terrified.

“I promised her, I swore to her that I’d never let this happen,” Ian bit out.

“Listen to me,” Marcus said. “You don’t know if she’s stable or not. You’ve never let her explore the depths of her abilities. She’s understandably frightened. We don’t even know what her ability is. What if she’s like Gabe and can control her shifts? We have to let her try. She can’t go on like this, living in terror, being sedated every time the urge comes on.”

“Christ,” Ian muttered.

He looked up at Braden, seeking his input. Braden looked tortured with indecision. Finally he closed his eyes and nodded.

A strangled cry burst from Katie’s throat. Ian reached for her, grasping her shoulders. “We’ll be right here, Katie. We’ll help you through this.”

“I don’t know what to do,” she said desperately.

Braden shoved in and framed her face in his hands. “Just let go, baby. Surrender to it.”

She closed her eyes then bolted upward. She stepped forward and then back as if she had no idea where to go. Then she crumpled. Ian lunged for her, but Braden held him back.

“Let her go,” he said in a strained voice.

They watched in agony as her body spasmed, and she cried out in pain. It was like watching a battle between human and animal. And finally the beast won.

Tawny fur rippled across her skin. Hands became paws. Black spots appeared. Her clothing ripped and fell away. Her head twisted, and her jaws opened wide as a sound that wasn’t quite human or animal escaped in an eerie howl.

And then where a human woman had fallen, a cheetah arose, graceful and sleek. Yellow eyes stared calmly back at the men.

“Amazing,” Marcus breathed.

“A cheetah,” Ian whispered.

So much made sense now. His and Braden’s reaction to her from the very beginning, how she called to the cat inside of them.

“She’s beautiful,” Braden said, his voice barely above Ian’s.

Slowly she closed the distance between her and Ian. She sniffed delicately, her head bobbing as she stared up at him. He fell to his knees, and she moved in close, butting her head against his chest. She rubbed and nudged at his chin and then along his cheek.

Braden knelt beside him and extended his hand. The cheetah closed her eyes and began to purr as he stroked her head. Then she sidled close and rubbed her jowls over his shoulder and chest.

She finished with a lick to his cheek before she moved around him and took off in a lope.

Both men stood and turned around to see her streaking across the back of the compound. She was magnificent, wild and running free.

“I’ll be damned,” Braden murmured.

“It is through you and Ian and Katie that I have hope for Damiano,” Marcus said. “The fact that you can shift at will and that you retain memories of being the cat. And now maybe Katie will enjoy control over her shifts as well. My theory with Damiano is that if he can train his mind, he can control the beast. I’d say you learned that yourself in your own way.”

“Or maybe I just knew Katie needed me,” Braden said with a smile.

He turned to watch her again, and then with a mischievous grin, he closed his eyes and fell to his knees. In a matter of seconds, the panther rose and loped after the cheetah.

The two raced across the ground, nipping and swatting at each other.

Marcus turned to Ian and smiled. “Damn fine family you have, Ian.”

Ian grinned, his heart soaring with such profound relief. He wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. “That I do, Marcus. That I do.”

About the Author

To learn more about Maya please visit www.mayabanks.com. Send an email to Maya at [email protected] /* */ join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/writeminded_readers.

Look for these titles by Maya Banks

Now Available:

Seducing Simon

Colters’ Woman

Understood

Overheard

Undenied

Brazen

Love Me, Still

Into the Mist

Stay With Me

Reckless

Coming Soon:

Amber Eyes

The Cowboys’ Mistress

One woman’s mission to bring down a ***y elemental shifter turns into a battle of wills…and hearts.

Into the Mist

© 2008 Maya Banks

Fal******rcenary Group, Book 1.

Hostage recovery specialist Eli Chance has a secret. He was born a shifter. A freak of nature.

While on a mission, Eli’s men and their mercenary guide are exposed to a powerful chemical agent, and suddenly his secret has become easier to hide. Now he’s not the only one with the gift. But for his men, this “gift” is becoming more and more of a curse.

Tyana Berezovsky’s brother Damiano was the guide for Eli’s team and was the worst affected by the chemical. As he grows increasingly unstable, Tyana fears she’s going to lose him to the beast he is becoming.

Tyana will do whatever it takes to help him, even if it means using her body to go after the one man she thinks holds all the blame—and possibly the cure. Eli Chance.

Warning: Violence, blood, guns, knives, kicking, people who do mean things, bad people dying, explicit *** and smart mouths.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Into the Mist:

And so it began.

Eli bit out a curse as one of the silent alarms was triggered. Though he’d been expecting company, he hadn’t expected it so soon.

She certainly could have picked a better time. One when both Ian and Braden weren’t off prowling the grounds looking for kitty food.

Then again, he might do well to be more worried about them than Tyana Berezovsky. She might shoot first and ask questions later.

Gabe was God knows where, having decided yesterday to disappear into the village down the mountain, probably in search of . His parting words had been something to the effect that since Eli was so keen for Tyana to find his then he could deal with her when she got here.

Good help was hard to find and harder to keep.

None of the others seem to think Tyana posed any sort of threat. Eli knew better. To them she was just a woman. Easily handled, easily subdued.

He smiled. He was looking forward to the challenge.

Pulling his hair behind his neck, he secured it with a leather tie then reached for his shoes and tugged them on. He might as well either go save her from the cats or save the cats from her. One way or another, someone better damn well be grateful.

A quick glance of the infrared monitor told him she was slowly making her way toward the south entrance. The most obvious course would just be to meet her, but where would the fun be in that?

No, he was going to enjoy this. Savor it. He smiled again. And maybe before the night was over, he’d take the impending confrontation to the bedroom.

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He stepped into the night and breathed deep of the chilly air. Quietly he slipped beyond the shadows cast by the glow of the interior lights. He went east, cutting a direct path to intercept her…from behind.

He closed his eyes and let go, embraced the faint mist, let it curl around him, and then he became the very air he breathed.

A faint breeze carried him through the trees. Ahead, he saw movement. He looked down as he floated above the figure clad in black.

She moved with grace and stealth, her movements slow and calculated. She made no noise, left no disturbance in her wake.

He contented himself with watching her, gauging her patterns as she stopped and patiently observed the area around her. He saw her shiver then look quickly back, and he wondered if she’d sensed him again.

He ventured closer, wrapping around her hair and whispering softly against the nape of her neck. A slight shift in the air alerted him to her movement. Silver glinted in moonlight as a knife appeared in her hand. With the other, she grasped the barrel of her rifle and hauled it over her shoulder to cradle in front of her.

A faint apparition, he wrapped himself around her in a veil of mist, faint trails of smoke curling around her wrists. Then he jolted back to his human form, his fingers like bands around her small bones.

She exploded in a flurry of motion. He went sailing over her shoulder and wondered again how the hell she always managed to get the drop on him no matter how prepared he was. He was starting to take it personally.

There was the wee little matter that he honestly wasn’t trying to hurt her, but still. He could have simply slit her throat, and he consoled himself with the fact that if he was a real bastard, he could have broken her neck.

But no, instead he was lying on the ground feeling like a goddamn sissy for being beaten up by a girl.

He started to pick himself up and found a boot pressed against his neck. He grabbed her ankle, yanked the knife out of the side sleeve then wrenched her back, making her fall.

They both bolted to their feet, knives in hand, and began circling.

“You’re late,” he said, though he wasn’t about to admit he hadn’t really expected her for a few more days.

“I had a few technical difficulties,” she said, and it was then, when she turned her head and a sliver of moonlight hit her face that he could see her split lip.

“Piss off one too many people, my love?”

She bared her teeth. “The last man to piss me off died in a Paris alley. I wouldn’t push my luck if I were you.”

“Isn’t that what you’re here to do, though? Kill me?”

He watched intently for any change, any flicker, some sign of what was going round that pretty head of hers. That incredibly stubborn, obnoxious, gorgeous head of hers.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation before,” she said in a bored voice.

“Then what are you here for?”

He blinked, and she was in his face, her knee planted in his stomach and one fist buried in his ribs. He let out a growl of pain but didn’t budge. Instead he yanked her against him. She gasped in surprise and the knife fell from her hand.

When she brought her other knee up, he blocked it with his.

“You’re getting too predictable, love,” he murmured. “You have a morbid fascination with a man’s balls. Is that any way to treat such delicate equipment?”

She cursed in what sounded like four different languages. He recognized at least two and raised his eyebrows.

“And to think I’ve kissed that mouth.”

Her eyes glittered in the moonlight. Just before she reared back and head butted him.

Pain exploded over him. He let go and stumbled back, holding his nose as blood gushed. Jesus H. Christ. Bitch was vicious!

She took off in a dead run. He watched her leap like a damn gazelle over rocks and roots and disappear into the night.

He vaporized into smoke and streamed after her.

He materialized in front of her this time, stopping her in her tracks. She let out a disgusted grunt.

“Can’t beat the weak woman without resorting to your little smoke tricks?” she taunted.

He grinned and wiped more blood from his nose. “If you want me to apologize for pressing my advantage, you’ll be waiting a long time. If you’d just play nice, I’d invite you in for a drink…” he made a slow up and down sweep of her body with his gaze, “…and maybe show you just how hospitable I can be.”

“And you say I have an obsession with that part of the male anatomy.”

“I’m a man. We think with our s, remember?”

She responded with a quick jab. He dodged and punched back, connecting with her shoulder. It wasn’t enough to even knock her back, but he heard her quick intake of breath, and he frowned.

Then once again, he found himself staring up at the stars when she executed a lightning roundhouse kick to his jaw. And she was off again.

Damn but he must have it awfully bad for this chick to put this much effort into getting into her pants.

He got up, rubbing his jaw, and set off. She was making steady progress toward the house. What did she want? She wasn’t trying to kill him. Hurt him? Taunt him? Yes. But she was pulling her punches every bit as much as he was, and she hadn’t tried to filet him with the damn machete she called a knife.

Chasing after women wasn’t his style, but damn if he wasn’t wagging his after her like a damn lap dog. He had a sneaking suspicion the feisty little wench just might be his dream woman.

The constantly trying to do him bodily harm could put a serious kink in their relationship, though.

He shifted again and streaked after her, suddenly weary of the chase. It was time to end it. He wanted her. Wanted to taste her again. To get so deep inside her that he lost all sense of himself.

A low growl echoed across the night.

As he rounded the corner of the west wing of the house, he saw Tyana frozen, staring at two pacing cats.

Can one woman be twice beloved?

Twice the Night

© 2008 Dawn Halliday

After witnessing her husband’s brutal murder by a gang of vampire thugs, it took Tamara O’Leary four long years to learn to be happy again. Now she and Duncan’s best friend Cole Thompson, after working through their shared grief, are about to be married. Finally, she can eagerly look forward to the future with a man who has not only reopened her heart, but brought her out of her ***ual shell.

Until one night she awakens to find Duncan gazing lovingly at her. He’s not just a beautiful dream. He’s real…and he wants her back.

Tamara still has feelings for Duncan, but she isn’t willing to give up what she’s found with Cole. Worse, she soon learns that Duncan survived that night by turning into the very thing she fears most—a vampire.

Caught between tears of joy and terror, Tamara has a choice. Retreat back behind her shell of fear—or step boldly into the arms of two men who love her.

Warning: Graphic language and some violence. Explicit *** including a vampiric threesome. A one-of-a-kind wedding featuring a committed ménage a trois.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Twice the Night:

She had to touch Duncan again. She crawled back onto the bed, close to his body, placing her hand on his chest, feeling the rise and fall as he took in a breath.

“I thought I saw you die,” she whispered in awe.

“I didn’t.”

Slowly, he raised his hand and pressed it over hers. She stared at both their hands, pale against the dark of his T-shirt in the glow of the moonlight streaming in through the slit in the curtains at their big bay window.

She watched the silvery light dance across their entwined fingers. Once, Duncan’s hand had been darker than hers, but their skin was now equally pale, and the main distinguishing difference was the size and masculinity of his palms and fingers compared to her smaller, more delicate ones.

“You’re really alive.”

His chest moved with another breath. She looked into his face, and he gazed down at her, his eyes dark with emotion.

“Aye, Tammy—” His voice cracked, and he swallowed. “I’ve come back to you.”

“How can this be? How? I saw you—”

“Shh.” The fingers of his other hand brushed over her lips. She sat frozen, entranced, as he traced across her upper and then lower lip, so gentle, his eyes full of…love.

It reminded her of how he’d looked at her at their wedding just before he’d kissed her. Like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

Wait a minute. She frowned, so hard she felt the crease deepen above the bridge of her nose.

“Duncan, what happened to you? How can this be? Where have you been all this time?”

He hesitated, then said, “It took me a long time to heal, Tammy girl.”

“Heal?”

“Aye. From what happened that night. And by the time I was ready to come back…” His voice dwindled.

Into the Lair
Into the Lair Page 54



“What?” she prompted. “By the time you were ready to come back, what?”

“You were with Cole.”

“So you let me believe you were dead?” Steely talons gripped her euphoria by the neck and dragged it down into a pool of anger.

“I’m sorry, love.”

She pulled back from him, jerking her hand away from his chest. “I thought you were dead, Duncan. I mourned you.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

“Do you know how much I suffered?”

“Aye,” he said softly.

“And you’re telling me you were alive the whole time? Do you know what it did to me, thinking you were dead?”

“Tammy, I only saw you—”

“You saw me? You saw me and you let me mourn, let me believe you were gone forever?” She was furious now. She slid off the bed and turned on him. “How could you? How could you do that to me, Duncan?”

He rose and caught her by the wrist, but she yanked away, stepping back from him until her bare thighs pressed against the bedside table.

“Was there someone else?” She shoved at Duncan’s shoulder as he moved forward. He stopped and just stood there staring at her, a pleading look on his face. “Is that why you lied to me? Let me live a lie?”

“No, love.”

“And you come back now? Now? When Cole and I are finally happy again? Why, Duncan?”

His arms closed around her. “Tammy—”

“No!” She struggled, but a firm hand covered her jaw. She wrenched her head away but it was no use. His fingers tightened over her skin, forcing her to face him.

“Listen to me, sweetheart—”

“I hurt for you, Duncan. I thought I was going to die from the grief. You saw it and you let it happen, and I was so sad…all I wanted was to-to see you—” She gasped in a breath. She was choking on the words now, and his face loomed close, so full of pain and hurt, but it was Duncan, really him, and he was so close she could feel his heat. “To-to talk to you, to be with you. And you—you were alive the whole time. Do-do you know what I would have given just to see your face again? Do you, Duncan? I—”

His mouth closed over hers, cutting off her words.

Duncan’s mouth, Duncan’s kiss.

And suddenly, nothing could stop her. She needed him. Needed to feel his body, his skin against hers. With her hungry kisses covering his lips, his face, she clawed at his T-shirt, yanking it upward. The warmth of his torso made her gasp, and she struggled to pull the shirt off of him. Finally, he grabbed it and, moving away from her for a second, he tugged it over his head.

She lunged at him again. The taut peaks of her s brushed against his hot skin, and she groaned. She thrust her hands between them and closed her fingers around the stiff column of his . The thick material of his jeans was in the way. Impatiently, she fumbled with the buttons. Nipping at her ear while she rained kisses up and down his neck, he finished unbuttoning his jeans. He pushed them down his narrow and kicked them off.

God, she wanted to claw herself right into him. He smelled different from how he’d smelled years ago. Sweeter. Smooth caramel with a tang of earthy male musk. She wanted to dive into him. She couldn’t get enough of him.

She slid her arms around his neck and hoisted herself up onto his body, wrapping her legs around him. His body was hard—he’d clearly been working out—but his skin was softer than she remembered. Still warm, though. Duncan was always warm. She crawled right up his body, and he held her easily, her cradled in his palms, her cradling his .

God, they still fit together so well. So perfectly.

Holding her against him, kissing her voraciously, leaving no part of her face, neck or shoulders untouched by his lips, he moved until she felt her back pressed against the cool, smooth painted face of the wall.

His slid against the dripping folds of her , and she groaned, long and low against his neck. He felt good against her. So hot. So right.

Lifting her with one hand, he reached down to adjust his , fitting it to the notch of her entrance, and she opened her eyes.

Across the room on the bureau, she and Cole grinned at her from a framed picture. They’d been hiking that day—having a great time. It was just a month before he’d asked her to marry him, and she’d finally begun to smile again.

Reality hit her like a baseball bat square on the head.

Kenoe: A ***y lethal weapon. Shinju: ***to—with more dangerous curves.

Hatsept Heat

© 2008 T.J. Michaels

Vampire Council of Ethics Book Three

Kenoe Hatsept is in a quandary. The handsome elite Seeker spent years training for a single burning goal: Revenge. Now that the object of his attention has been brought to justice, what’s next? Japan, the one place that has always called to him, sounds like the perfect place to relax, search his soul and plan out the rest of his life.

Instead he finds his head, and his hands, full of a woman who’s sharper than she appears on the surface…in more ways than one. And she’s hip deep in trouble.

Shinju Maruyama just wants to keep her profile low and go about her business. But the long-toothed people just don’t want to let her keep her family secrets. It’ll take all her skill with her brain and her blades to change their minds. There’s something strange and irresistible about Kenoe, and it scares the hell out of her. But she just can’t seem to shake him.

For Kenoe, endangering his life to help her bring the bad guys to heel is easy. Revealing his true nature to her risks far more—his heart.

Warning: This title contains scenes of kick-buttery, vampire smack-downs and graphic ***, including but not limited to hot ninja love and culinary .

Enjoy the following excerpt for Hatsept Heat:

He’d picked an action film purchased weeks ago that had never been opened. Sometime during the shocks and surprises of the film, Shinju’s jumpy “Oh my Gods” managed to scoot her hip to hip with her guest. Kenoe’s arm settled around her. Her head flopped back against his shoulder the second his fingers made contact with her skin, and the movie was all but forgotten. Surely her lungs would explode if she breathed any deeper. Kenoe’s long legs sprawled out in front of him made him appear relaxed, at ease, yet an air of danger lurked just below the surface. Ropey, cut tendons were a mere ripple of movement with every subtle movement of his wrist and forearm. The brush of his fingers over and down the bare skin of her biceps sent a shiver dipping below the skin. And that shiver worked its way from arms to bone and clear down to her s. The taut tips seemed more sensitive than usual, and actually tingled until they stung.

Note to self—never wear a tank top in Kenoe’s presence.

His skin, cast in a pearly gray from the television screen, seemed absolutely flawless—no five o’clock shadow, no scars, simply perfect. Long, silky locs were pulled over one shoulder in a thick fall of tempting silver strands. When had he taken the tie out of his hair? Normally a man with long hair turned her off, but those damned locs were the ***iest thing she’d ever seen on a man. It didn’t even bother her that Kenoe’s hair was longer than her own by a good stretch. Clenching her fists until the knuckles cracked, she spoke to herself in a mantra.

I am not going to play in the man’s hair. I am not going there!

God, so gorgeous.

Just then he turned and gazed down at her and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. Eyes so infused with a frosty hue. Strong jaw, high cheekbones and a smile that could light up the darkest night. Framing that smile was a pair of lips just full enough to be perfect for kissing.

The moment the thought formed, Kenoe was giving her exactly what she wanted—his mouth on hers. Gently coaxing at first, then taking and finally demanding.

Suddenly, Shinju found herself sitting sideways on Kenoe’s lap across a pair of solid thighs. And solid…other things.

He moved with a speed that caught her totally off guard, yet when their bodies met there was no jarring. He had so much control over his strength, yet he, the man inside, was as off-balance as a teeter totter.

So, just how did she know all this? There was no way she should intuitively understand this level of emotional detail about someone she’d met mere days ago. Hell, even her brother, whom she knew inside and out, didn’t come through so loud and clear.

Shinju found herself wondering yet again about this connection, this zing, between them. But when he let his fingers play at the base of her skull, curiosity became wonder. Wonder at how a simple kiss could feel so good. How a single touch could make her skin so hot it practically smoldered the cotton of her tank top. And his taste? Dear God, it was addictive. The natural flavor of this man was better than *** dipped in chocolate and drizzled over her favorite ice cream. French vanilla. Exact same color as his skin. His Adam’s apple bobbed in the hollow of his throat. Suddenly she wanted to lick it. Would it be as satisfying as soft serve in a sugar cone, or a strawberry-flavored shaved ice on a summer day? She had to find out.

Into the Lair
Into the Lair Page 55



Shinju parted her lips, let her tongue tease his skin and was immediately rewarded. Oooh, the man had the ***iest damned sigh she’d ever heard. It urged her to more direct action and sent her exploring. He looked like he had it all together, calm, cool and relaxed. Could she change that? Find all the little spots that sent him soaring?

Her lips latched onto the pulse just beside the bulge of well-developed neck muscle. Kenoe’s entire body stiffened with a chest-deep groan. Then, just as suddenly, the dam unleashed and he completely took over.

Kenoe leaned Shinju backward until her spine touched the cushion of the futon while her legs draped over his hard thighs. A wide, strong hand, trembling with restrained strength, cupped the swell of her as a lone thumb teased just out of reach of a straining . Oh, how she wanted him to touch her there. But all she could do was grab his biceps and hold on for dear life.

The sting gathering in her s became a throb. And that throb slithered through her entire body, her entire being.

Shinju’s head fell back and Kenoe dove in for the feast, nipping the tender skin of her throat clear down to the scoop neck of her top.

“Mmm, I like that.” God, she was lost. How could this happen, and so quickly? On the other hand, who the hell cared? All that mattered at the moment was, “More. Please.”

And then Kenoe’s thoughts followed her own, sending his hands down her body to more firmly caress her swelling s. The thin little bra underneath may as well have not been there. She gulped wildly as Kenoe eased the fabric up to bunch just above the aching mounds. Cool air whooshed over bare skin. She’d been so wrapped up in the maddening sensations of longing and lust, she’d forgotten the air con***ioner was on.

The lips that had stolen her breath in a delicious kiss and then nibbled their way down her throat were now wrapped around a stiff, swollen peak and sucking viciously.

“Oh, yes,” she hissed, holding his head to her flesh. “Harder.” The thoughts folded in on themselves until her whole body was into the dance. The next thing Shinju knew, her breath came in deep gasps and her wriggled against the obvious bulge at the juncture of Kenoe’s thighs. And she wasn’t talkin’ little-breakfast-sausage bulge either.

He wanted her just as badly as her out-of-control self wanted him. And it was more than just a swollen that told her so. No, it was the thoughts that swirled around and down into her head before sinking into her brain.

“Shinju, you feel so good against me. God, it’s been so long…”

His mouth was plastered against her skin yet his words were loud and clear.

“And you taste even better.” Kenoe’s hands, lips, teeth and tongue were all in play now. Oh, good gracious. That nip he’d given just above her was sharp, but felt oh so good.

“I like the nip of your teeth. Bite me again, harder.” The words came out a whispered plea. Something inside of her craved it. Needed it. Reached for it.

In a snap, the warm, sensual caress swirling around her consciousness went ice cold. Simply shut off. As if someone had closed her out of a bank vault. A deep bong, like a two-foot-thick wall of metal clanged heavily in her soul. It shut and shut tight, keeping out everything that gave life—air, light, sound. Love. Like a vacuum. And Kenoe was on the other side of that door.

She ing felt his withdrawal, experienced it profoundly. It was no different than if she’d thrown up her own emotional walls and ran smack into them. So the attachment she’d thought was there as they sat and talked at the restaurant in Nagano wasn’t just her imagination. The ease of conversation over dinner tonight had been so much more than comfortable. It had felt right, literally.

In a blink her bra and tank were rearranged and Kenoe was up and off the couch, headed for the coat rack at the door. The man snatched his jacket off the rack so hard the thing rocked back and forth, threatening to clatter to the floor.

Reaching for him, Shinju flinched at the invisible glimpse of so much pain and uncertainty.