Flesh And Blood

FLESH AND BLOOD An Ellora’s Cave Publication, February 2005 Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc. 1337 Commerce Drive, #13 Stow, OH 44224 ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0137-0 Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned): Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML FLESH AND BLOOD © 2005 ELISA ADAMS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously. Edited by Martha Punches. Cover art by Syneca.

Warning: The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Flesh and Blood has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers. Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme). S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination. E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature. X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

FLESH AND BLOOD Elisa Adams

Elisa Adams

Prologue He stood deep in the shadows, hidden from the view of any who might walk into the room. The muted strains of classical music from the ballroom below reached him through the half-open door, mixing with the hollow ticking of the clock on the desk a few feet away. The den smelled of leather and books, with the remnants of burned wood from the fireplace hanging in the air. There wouldn’t have been a fire inside the brick enclosure in at least a few days, given the warm spell that had hit at the beginning of the week, but his senses—honed to perfection over more than a thousand years of existence—perceived the slightest disturbance in the atmosphere. He glanced at his watch, not needing light to see that both hands pointed to twelve. Midnight. The witching hour. He nearly laughed at the irony. The party would be breaking up soon. What would all the people in the grand ballroom, dressed in formalwear as stuffy and unimaginative as their personalities, think if they knew what kind of a creature walked among them tonight? More than half of them would run away in fear. They had no reason to fear him. Their host was his only target tonight. From the looming mansion on the waterfront to the hundred thousand dollar sports cars and custom-tailored suits, the man flaunted his money every chance he got. The bulk of it he’d obtained through illegal means. He bit back a rumble of bitter laughter. Illegal? Immoral might be a better description. Twisted. Depraved. Paul Richardson had to be stopped. He didn’t possess a thing not spoiled by his evil tendencies. Except… His gaze drifted to the window, through the darkness to the large garden two stories below. On a gray stone bench among myriad colorful flowers sat the one thing Richardson’s corruption hadn’t been able to touch. Faith. The woman who, in the months of his…business with her husband, had become his obsession. The breeze from the ocean blew her dark hair around her bare shoulders. The long, tight silk dress would have looked sexy had she chosen red or black, but the soft peach color draped her body in innocence. So far, nothing he’d seen of the woman belied that notion. He raised his hand to the glass. How did you end up married to that man? If she knew half of where her husband’s business interests lay, she wouldn’t stay. Unless Richardson had been threatening her. He wouldn’t put it past him. He’d like to say he’d kill the man if he dared lay a finger on Faith, but since his reason for lurking in the shadows revolved around doing just that, there didn’t seem to be any need to

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threaten. The Richardsons’ marriage wasn’t a happy one, at least not by conventional standards. Paul had his affairs on the side, and Faith…she seemed to merely tolerate the man she’d pledged her life to. She didn’t love him, yet she stayed with him. For what? Loyalty? Why, when Paul had no loyalty to anyone but himself and the demon he’d sold his soul to. In another time, another place, he might have been in a position to see to her happiness. But fate had a way of twisting things inside out. The woman who should be his belonged to another man—a man who, in just a few moments, would cease to exist. Would Faith mourn the death of her husband? Would she weep? Would she rejoice? He would never find out. He had a job to do, something far more important than his selfish wants and needs. Countless lives would be saved with a single action tonight. That was where his focus needed to be. He dropped his hand from the window. If he had a heart, it might have broken at the thought of never seeing her again. But he had no feelings. No emotions. Do the job. Get out. Walk away. Never look back. The door slid open, creaked on hinges bearing too much weight. His gaze snapped from the woman in the garden to the shadowed form filling the doorway. It’s about time. Paul Richardson stepped into the room. He ambled to the desk, his gait tipsy from one too many glasses of champagne, and picked up the phone. A complication. Complications were not to be tolerated. He had to make his move before Richardson dialed. Sneaking across the room, his feet a soundless whisper against the polished oak floors, he snaked his arm around Richardson’s neck. The man let out a surprised grunt and dropped the phone, struggled to turn around to get a look at his attacker. That wouldn’t happen. As much as he’d enjoy torturing the man, letting him see his killer just before he died, tonight’s schedule didn’t allow for games. With one twist of his arm, Richardson’s neck snapped. The crunch of bones didn’t satisfy him now, as it would have years ago. Weeks ago. Faith, I’m sorry. He released the body. The dead man slid to the floor, landing in an unmoving heap on the carpet. Scum of the earth. A man like Paul Richardson, with his connections in all the wrong places, didn’t deserve to live. He slipped into the small bathroom off the den, washed his hands and face. He needn’t worry about fingerprints, or DNA for that matter. The human-like body he inhabited didn’t come with any of the usual trappings. It was a shell, one of a few he could choose to become at will. Given his job, the body he wore now came in handy. He’d lived in the human world for so long that he’d come to prefer it to his true form. One which would give grown men nightmares. He glanced in the mirror and smiled. His human form—dark, scarred, brooding—didn’t inspire happy thoughts. He wiped his face with a towel and stepped out of the room into the darkened hallway, the events of moments ago already fading from his memory. Do the job. Get out.

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Walk away. Never look back. The words that had been taught to him, so many years ago, had become his mantra. He made his way back to the party, pasted a smile on his face as he slipped into the din in the ballroom. Seconds later he felt the scrape of sharp fingernails just above his shirt collar. “Where have you been, Sam?” Anita. The insipid bottle blonde he’d brought as his cover for the evening. She pouted her collagen-enhanced lips. “I’ve been waiting so long.” “I had to make a phone call.” He took her hand, pulled it away from his skin. “I told you I’d be right back.” Her gaze traveled up and down his body. “Are you finished with your business for the night, then?” “Yes. I’m all yours for the rest of the evening.” A sly grin tipped the corners of her lips. “Do you want to get something to drink?” His mind drifted to Faith, sitting alone in the darkened garden. He slammed the mental door on the unwanted images. The job is done. The Council had sent someone into Richardson’s lab earlier that day to destroy what would likely have caused the end of the world as the humans knew it. With Richardson out of the way and the formula destroyed, Faith would be safe from harm. She didn’t need him around to protect her. She’d need to get on with her life, and he with his. What he needed was to walk away and never look back. He shrugged off the emotions and forced a smile for his date. “Let’s get out of here and find something more interesting to do.”

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Chapter One Faith jumped out of her car, hurried toward the rundown little cabin. Finding no path from the gravel driveway to the front door, she wove through the trees, overstepped exposed roots, crunched through the scattered leaves and brush that made up the yard. With only the pale glow from the moon to light her path, she stumbled more than once. Fell, smacked her knee on a sharp rock jutting from the dirt. She swallowed the yelp, pushed aside the pain. Her heart beat hard against her rib cage, her stomach clenched. Had she eaten dinner, she would have lost it right then. Just a little further. You’re almost there. Almost to safety. She glanced over her shoulder, searched for them hiding amongst in the trees. Nothing. No signs of life, no movement save the branches swaying in the wind. A sigh escaped her lips. She sped up her pace. Death’s icy jaws snapped at her ankles, waiting for her to make one mistake. Paul had warned her from the start that this might happen. There were people, horrible people out there who wanted Paul’s miracle cure for themselves. They wanted to take credit and reap the rewards. They would stop at nothing to get it. Lives were not important to them. Not Paul’s. Not hers. He’d been gone a week now. For seven days, she’d been alone. Before he died, he’d talked with her about being careful, told her if anything happened to him, his rivals might come after her next. That had happened tonight. She’d been lucky enough to be awake when the men had broken into the house. If she hadn’t heard them coming up the stairs, she might not have made it out alive. Had they followed her here? No. No signs of anyone else in the woods. There was nothing. Her pulse raced, her legs numb from fright and adrenaline. She broke free of the trees and rushed up the stone steps to the cabin door. To safety. To Sam Kincaid. Could she trust him? Paul had. He’d trusted Sam enough to hire him as a bodyguard for the times he transported his formula back and forth from the lab. Trusted him enough to make sure Faith knew where to find Sam, should anything happen to Paul. Despite her husband’s assurances, standing at Sam’s doorway brought to mind standing at the entrance to a bear’s cave as it woke from hibernation. She raised her fist and knocked on the door, her hand shaking so hard it barely made a sound. She drew a deep breath and tried again. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance. Leaves rustled behind her. She spun, found glowing eyes—a wolf?— staring at her out of the darkness of the woods. The front yard. The place where she’d just been. A shiver ran through her. She pounded on the door. Please. Please be home. Please, Sam, open the door. 7

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The animal turned and fled. A shaky, hysterical laugh bubbled from her throat. His car sat in a small, cleared spot next to the house. Another laugh broke free. She might just make it after all. One more hurdle. Now she had to convince the man in the cabin to save her life. Sam Kincaid was a virtual stranger—a man she’d met the few times he’d been at her home. His intense, assessing gaze had followed her wherever she moved, chilling her blood yet heating her body at the same time. Hard. Shadowy. Dangerous. He dampened her panties like no man ever had. Haunted her dreams with visions of dark, forbidden sex. For the two weeks before Paul’s death, Sam had been a constant presence in their house. For protection, Paul had told her. He hadn’t done a thing to make her feel safe. No. Just the opposite. Put her off balance. Made her wanton. Needy. Made her forget herself, and who she’d become. She had spent many nights hiding in her private bedroom, avoiding the man who twisted her insides into knots. Avoiding the mind games he played, the way he frightened her, made her want things she had long ago tried to forget. How ironic that now, after he hadn’t been able to stop Paul’s murder, she stood on his front doorstep ready to offer him anything in exchange for his protection. Anything. Even if it meant making a deal with the devil himself. Sam’s services would come with a price. How steep would that price be? If he wanted money, she had more than enough. If he wanted something else… She sighed. There didn’t seem to be much choice in the matter. What he wanted from her, beyond money, had been clear in his dark gaze every time he looked at her. If it came to using her body as a bargaining chip, so be it. Alone and desperate, she had nowhere else to turn. She raised her fist and pounded on the door again. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door. It swung open as if in slow motion, groaning in protest, and then Sam loomed in front of her. Her heart thumped against the wall of her chest as his gaze locked with hers. His deep green eyes bore straight into her soul. Aggravation laced his expression, his mouth set in a hard, cold line. She shuddered, bit back a strangled whimper. Dark stubble covered his jaw, hiding most of the long scars that lined the right side of his face. He wore nothing but a pair of faded jeans, zipped but unbuttoned, exposing too much golden skin. She gulped. “Mrs. Richardson.” His voice, hypnotic in cadence, soft yet menacing, sent a shiver to the tips of her toes. “Faith.” She swallowed against the hot lump in her throat, ran a hand through the tangled strands of her hair. “Faith,” he repeated, his mouth caressing the single syllable. “I’m sorry about your husband.” “You’re lying.” The words left her mouth before she could stop them. She winced. He shrugged, a mocking smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Perhaps. Do you need something, or do you always call on near strangers in the middle of the night?”

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“Did you forget your manners?” He barked a rough laugh, crossed his arms over the broad expanse of his chest. “What do I need manners for?” I’ll give you manners, you big jerk. She shook off his callous words and drew a deep breath. Do it now. It isn’t going to get easier, and he’s certainly not going to try to pry it out of you. “I need help.” His eyes denied her request, though he had yet to open his mouth. No. Don’t send me away. Hear me out. My life is at stake. “Please let me in. I can explain everything. I don’t feel safe standing out here like this.” He said nothing, raised one thick, dark eyebrow and propped his hip on the doorframe. His heated gaze raked the length of her body with excruciating slowness, traveling from her eyes to the tips of her toes and back up again. He closed his eyes for a brief second, snapped them open and shook his head. Finally, he stepped back. “You can come in, but all the talking in the world isn’t going to convince me to help you.” His coldness washed over her, chilled her blood and froze her heart. Pride urged her to walk away, but her life had no place for pride. Not when she’d nearly been murdered in her bed. She followed him inside, pushing the door closed behind her. The hollow click of the latch sliding into place echoed through her mind. She clenched her hands into fists. “Please, Sam. I can pay you.” He snorted. “I don’t need your money.” “Everybody needs money.” “Not me.” She glanced around the small cabin, taking in the lack of décor and personal items. The single main room contained only a serviceable brown couch, a worn recliner, and a rickety-looking round table with two metal folding chairs around it. “Your home says otherwise.” “My home? Sweetheart, this is just a weekend place.” He lifted his hand to her face. “My home is so much nicer than this. I have all the money I could ever want. I don’t need yours.” Despite his protests, curiosity sparked in his eyes. This close to him, she could barely breathe. He cupped her chin in his palm, his thumb pressing against her cheek. His touch made her heart race with anxiety and fear, yet it dampened her sex at the same time. He could snap her neck with the flick of his wrist. A shudder coursed through her, weakened her knees. He wouldn’t do it. Certainty flowed through her like a warm caress. He would not kill her. Whether or not he would hurt her remained to be seen. There was no light in this man. None at all. A tortured soul wandering the world alone. Something deep inside her called to him, and something within him echoed her call. He could help her. He had the power to keep her safe, make her world right again.

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But would he? Or would he tear her down, break her defenses and shatter her soul? She might make it out of this alive—but not unscathed. He leaned in, his face inches from hers, the minty scent of his breath and the musky, darker scent that was the man himself filled her lungs. Wrapping around her. Making her need. Pure sex and sin. A sudden burst of longing filled her, nearly drowning her in its intensity. She and Paul hadn’t shared a physical relationship. It hadn’t been part of the deal. It had been so long since she’d felt a man’s skin against hers. She ached for it— the heat, the hardness against her softness, the sweat and slick friction. His touch seared her skin. But his icy gaze cooled the burn. She hugged her arms around her to warm her chilled blood. He ran his free hand through his thick, unruly hair, scrubbed his palm down his face. The lust, the need in his gaze hit her like a punch in the stomach, sucked the breath from her lungs. But something else hovered in those green eyes. Something darker, far more sinister than lust could ever be. She took a stumbling step back, instinct warning her to run, yet forcing her to stay at the same time. “Sam?” He shook his head. “No. This is a bad idea.” He started to walk away. Panic struck, sharp and deep. She couldn’t let him walk away from her. Not yet, not when she hadn’t done her best to convince him to help. “Wait!” He froze, but didn’t turn back to her. “What is it?” he asked, his deep voice rumbling through her as if he still stood right in front of her. “I told you. I need your help.” “There’s nothing I can do for you. Go home, Faith. I’m sure you can find the way to the door on your own.” No! He couldn’t push her aside. She wouldn’t let him. “Stop, Sam. I want to make a deal with you. I can offer you something other than money, if you’re interested.” He spun around, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Go on.” She gulped, nearly losing her nerve. But the thought of the men who’d broken into her house forced the words from her mouth. “I need your protection.” “Like a bodyguard?” She nodded. “I’m not interested.” He stepped further away, disappearing into the shadows in the corner near the table. She followed. No way in hell are you going to just walk away without hearing me out. She put her hand on his arm. The muscles tensed under her touch, but he didn’t pull away. She swallowed hard. “Please. You don’t understand. My life is in danger. I need your help. No one else will do.” A rusty laugh escaped him. “As much as that inflates my ego, sweetheart, you have no idea what you’re dealing with.” 10

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“And neither do you. Please. I’ll do anything.” He grasped her wrist, moved her hand away from his body, stepped deeper into the shadows. Endless seconds passed before he spoke. “Anything?” His tone told her he understood what she offered. She’d sparked his interest. Is this what it’s going to take to get you to help me? “Anything at all. It’s yours. Whatever you want.” Allowing him the use of her body for a little while far outweighed the possibility of ending up in a ditch with a bullet in her head. Or worse. She’d rather give herself willingly to Sam than have the choice be taken out of her hands by the two burly strangers who’d come after her tonight. “Please, Sam. I’m serious. Anything.” He stepped out of the shadows then, stood over her, even more dark and dangerous than before. Her breath caught in her throat. A flood of moisture filled her cunt as her inner muscles quivered, just from the heated look in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice poured over her like warm honey. “Sweetheart, you’ve just made a very big mistake.” “I don’t make mistakes.” Though coming to beg him for help was starting to feel like one. “Oh no?” His brow rose again, this time in blatant challenge. “We’ll see about that.” She met his glare with one of her own. “There’s nothing to see. I don’t want to die.” “But you know what I’m going to ask for. You know what I want.” Her legs shook. “Yes.” “You aren’t afraid?” Her stomach clenched. Another wave of heat washed over her. “Should I be?” “Yes, you should.” The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile that did nothing to ease her fears. “If this is what you want, you’ve got it. We start now.” “Excuse me?” Her question came out as a squeal. She cleared her throat. This soon? In the middle of his kitchen? She shook her head. “I said we’ll start now. You know what you offered me, even if you didn’t say the words. Your body. And you know that I want it too. So badly I’ve been going out of my mind. I’m not going to wait any longer for what should have been mine from the start.” His words sent a shock of heat through her. Oh God. Her nipples pebbled against the thin material of her t-shirt. “Do you…um…want me to take my clothes off?” “Oh yeah.” His low, deep voice rumbled like a purr, a predatory smile spread across his lips. “But not yet. There’s something I need you to do for me first.” She gulped. Please don’t let him be into anything too kinky or demeaning. If she hadn’t been running for her life, she never would have agreed to any of this. Liar. You’ve wanted him since the first time you saw him. She dipped her head, closed her eyes. Yes. She had. Part of her had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time. A sweet ache filled her cunt. Touch me, Sam.

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She let her eyelids flutter open and she met his gaze. “What do you need?” “That’s a good girl.” He patted her cheek. Moved his hands to his waist. Her gaze dropped to his fly as he toyed with the open button. Her breath stuck in her throat, her body frozen in place while she waited to see what he’d do. He dragged the zipper down, his fingers working as if in slow motion, and pulled out his cock. Hard, huge. Beautiful. Every part of him fascinated her. She wet her lips. With his thumb, he lifted her chin until her gaze met his again. Pure fire flashed in his eyes, burning so hot that her legs almost gave out. “Sam?” Her voice shook, her body trembled. Want and need and fear warred within her, struggled to break free, pushed her arousal to a fevered pitch. “Shh.” He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lips. His feral smile faded, his expression hardened once again. “I get whatever I want, right? Well, I want you on your knees.” Her heart thumped to a stop. “Excuse me?” “I can’t make it any more plain than that, Faith. On your knees, sweetheart, and wrap those luscious lips around my cock.”

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Chapter Two Myriad emotions played across Faith’s big brown eyes. Anger and disbelief. Shock and fear. Lust. Oh yeah. Plenty of that. Sam almost smiled. He hardened his gaze, forced the thoughts away. She glanced from his throbbing cock to his eyes and back down again, gnawing on her lower lip. Go on. Run away like you know you want to. You shouldn’t be here, Faith. Coming to me was a big mistake. Her simple plea, her outrageous offer nearly undid him. She asked too much. Protecting her should be a job for the Council. He had no business involving himself in the Council’s affairs. His part in this—the part they’d paid him for—had been finished when Richardson’s body hit the ground. But if she stayed, he would do it. Despite his internal warnings to keep his distance, he would do everything she asked, and more. That thought scared him more than it should. He’d been walking a fine line between attraction and obsession for weeks, and the bargain she wanted to strike was enough to push him over the line into dangerous territory. He had to find a way to get her away from him, one that wouldn’t involve revealing his true self to her, or else he risked his job—and maybe their lives. Cold indifference hadn’t worked, and neither had refusing. So he’d done the next thing that had come to mind. He’d tried to scare her away. If the deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes counted for anything, she was about two seconds from bolting out the door. Good. His life was complex enough without adding her to the mix. And yet, his body ached for the caress of her full lips, her soft pink tongue against his cock. He kept his gaze on hers, pleaded with his eyes for her to turn and run. But she didn’t. She hardened her expression to an unreadable mask and dropped to her knees in front of him. A strangled groan escaped his lips before he could bite it back. Did she realize how close he was to losing control? If she didn’t do something soon—either walk away or take him into her mouth—he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions. And though tonight she didn’t look like the polished trophy wife he knew her to be, the air of sophistication still surrounded her. She wouldn’t appreciate being tackled to the floor and having her clothes ripped off, as much as he would enjoy that. Or would she? What did she like in bed, this enigma of a woman who knelt before him? Did she like to be fucked slow and steady? Gentle? The fire in her eyes hinted at deeper, darker desires. Did she like to control? No. His command had only sharpened the desire in her gaze, parted her lips and made her breaths come in ragged gasps. Her hot breath blew across the head of his cock, forcing a groan from his lips. It had 13

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been too long since he’d had a woman before him this way. His body reacted like a man who’d been lost in the desert for months and had finally found water—tensing, tightening, hovering on the edge of sanity. He’d started this little game of wills to scare her off, but now he’d do anything to get her to stay. His already erect cock surged toward her and he bit back another groan. He should drag her back to her feet, dust her off, and send her on her way. If she really needed protection, he could point her toward a few people who’d be more than willing to help her. Eric and Ellie. Merida. She didn’t need to be in the middle of his world. The job he did…it wasn’t the place for a woman, at least not a human one. Remaining still while she studied him proved to be hell on earth. His sensibility hung by a thin thread. The beast inside him roared to break free, to claim the human as his. The chains that held the animal back threatened to snap. Leave, Faith. Leave before I do something that might hurt you. “Faith?” He cursed himself for the unemotional tone he forced into his voice. She didn’t deserve this. Any of it. But now that he’d started it, he refused to back down. She shot her gaze up to his, her eyes nearly black with determination and arousal. “As long as you keep me alive, you can have whatever you want.” She reached her small hand out and encircled his cock. He hissed out a breath. Her cool fingers did nothing to ease the fire burning inside him. Her strokes were featherlight. Too soft. Too subtle. He needed so much more. Scaring her off became second priority as his selfish pleasure moved to the top of the list. Decades…centuries of wasted life took a backseat to the little human woman, those soft hands and full lips. And where his body ached for them. This is madness. Stop it before it goes too far. Never. “Scared yet?” A wicked gleam lit her eyes. “Is that what this is about? I should have realized that. You want me to be scared, don’t you? You wish it were that simple to get rid of me.” Yes. But his body begged to get her closer. To feel the head of his cock bump the back of her throat as she sucked him deep, her cunt muscles clench around him when he pounded into her. “No. You belong to me.” “For now.” Forever. The single word formed in his mind, pushed aside all thoughts of chasing her away, of finding someone else to do what she asked of him. Forever. His mind, his body told him the truth he’d tried so long to ignore. She’s the one. The one he’d spent a lifetime searching for. He’d do anything for her. If it cost him his job, his way of life, fine. None of that mattered. Faith needed him. He could no more turn her away than he could deny them what they both wanted. His hands went to her hair, tangling in the silky strands as he pulled her closer. Her lips hovered only inches from the head of his cock. “Do it, then.”

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“Believe me, Sam. I plan to.” She parted her lips and sucked him deep inside her hot, moist mouth. Just like that, he felt ready to come apart at the seams. Keeping himself detached and unemotional wouldn’t be possible with her mouth on him, her tongue swirling over the head of his cock and down his length, her lips wrapping around him with their full softness. Tingles danced the length of his shaft. She knew just where to touch him, where to stroke with that warm, moist tongue to make his stomach tighten in knots. His head flopped back, a moan slipped from his lips. He tightened his fingers in her hair as she moved up and down on his length, sucking and licking and nibbling until his head threatened to explode. It took all of two seconds for his body to reach the breaking point. But she pushed him further, squeezing her lips tighter around his cock and sucking him down as far as she could. His knees threatened to buckle. His legs no longer wanted to support his weight, and he would have sunk to the floor if not for sheer force of will. “Jesus, Faith. You’re killing me.” He felt her smile against his flesh. When had he ever thought her innocent? She worked him like a pro, her expert strokes driving him to the brink of ecstasy in mere minutes. Though, if he had to admit the truth, he’d been damned nearly there since he’d opened the door and found her standing in front of him, trembling with fear and her brown eyes dark with lust. She pulled her head back and glanced up at him, fire and triumph in her gaze. How had she managed to turn the tables on him so easily? He’d wanted to chase her away, but now he was the one ready to run scared. Scared of the strength of what he felt for her, a woman he barely knew. Scared of the emotions attached to the most intimate physical act. His body shook with the intensity of it all. Intensity he couldn’t share with her. Not if he wanted her to stay and finish what they’d started. She kissed the head of his cock, rendering him speechless. Helpless. Unable to tell her to stop like he knew he should, despite the guilt that welled in him as he let her continue. Her tongue played along the slit, probing, sending little shocks of electricity through him before she sucked him so deep he bumped the back of her throat. Shit. Did she even understand what she was doing to him? It had been so long since he’d been with a woman who mattered at all to him. For as long as he could remember, they’d all been fillers—something to pass the time before he moved on to the next woman, the next job. But this… She was different. Important. And if he let her keep going he was bound to screw it up. Her intimate kisses became a brutal sensual assault, taking him places he didn’t think possible for a human woman. Perfection. Absolute perfection. He ached everywhere for her. His balls tightened, drew close to his body. Every nerve he had tingled, his blood heated to a point somewhere past boiling. It wouldn’t be long now. His body rushed toward the release her mouth promised. But not here. Not in the middle of his kitchen floor. He had plans for her tonight—plans she deserved to have a mattress

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under her back for. It took all his willpower to fight off the urge to come, but he managed it. Barely. He tugged at her hair. She blinked up at him, her lips red and swollen and her eyes glazed with passion. And anger. “Did I do something wrong?” “No. Fuck no. You did everything right.” He grabbed her arms and hauled her to her feet. He’d be damned if he waited another minute to get right where he needed to be—in his bed, on top of her, thrusting deep inside her waiting cunt. His cock twitched at the visual, his gut clenching tighter. “Another second and I would have come in your mouth.” She took a step back. “Forgive my ignorance, but wasn’t that the point of your little demand?” “No.” Not even close. Though it would have been a nice bonus, she deserved better than that. She shook her head. “Would you care to explain to me, then, what just happened?” “Sweetheart, from the way you worked my cock I think you know exactly what just happened. Come with me.” Her expression darkened, his cold words having their desired effect. “Bastard.” Don’t get involved. No emotions. No feelings. No trappings of humanity. He raked a hand through his hair, pushed aside the denials racing through his mind and tried to calm the blood raging through his veins. “Nobody’s ever accused me of being anything else, sweetheart.” He took her arm, pulled her across the room to the small bedroom. He hadn’t planned on taking her to bed, hadn’t expected it to go this far, but after her performance his body refused to give him a choice. He’d wanted her for weeks, an eternity, with every fiber of his being. Wanted, needed. Ached. Tonight he would take her. Show her everything he’d longed to show her since the first day he saw her. She wanted him too, bargain or no. He’d fully expected her to deny it, but she hadn’t spoken a word of protest. Every emotion she felt played across her melted chocolate gaze. He didn’t deserve her, had no right to take such liberties with an innocent human. But need overrode common sense. He pulled her into the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them. He left her in the middle of the floor, shivering, as he strode to the single window next to the bed and pulled the drapes, shrouding the room in near-total darkness. Just how he needed it. He let out a relieved breath. She wouldn’t be able to see…there were things about him she wouldn’t want to know. The darkness would help conceal secrets better left alone. And it would help swing things again in his favor. Being what he was, a mix of many things straight out of a human’s nightmares, he preferred darkness to the light. “What are you doing?” she asked. He heard a soft thump, followed by a softer curse. He grinned, glad for the advantage of excellent night vision. He glanced over his shoulder to find her stumbling around the room, her hands in front of her and a 16

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grimace on her face. “Sam? Where the hell are you and what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He raised an eyebrow. “Such language, Faith.” The rough language didn’t fit the woman, at least not the woman he’d assumed her to be before tonight. Now he wasn’t sure of anything. She huffed, the sound tinged with anxiety. “I’ll give you worse than a couple of swears if you don’t tell me what’s going on.” “We need to seal the bargain. That is, if you’re still interested in the deal you offered.” Liar. The truth was a lot simpler than that. Basic, uncomplicated. He needed her. He’d been waiting long enough, and he refused to wait any longer. She’d come to him with an offer she wouldn’t have made if she didn’t want the same thing he did. And even before tonight, he’d caught interest sparking in her eyes on more than one occasion. In truth, this had been a long time in coming. The only thing standing in his way before had been the fact that she was a married woman, but now… He pushed the thought out of his mind. The reason she was no longer married was his fault, and if she found out about it she’d never want to see him again. He wouldn’t be able to make her understand the reason behind what he’d done, not without giving away too much of himself. He walked back over to her, put his hand on her shoulder. She tensed. “This is ridiculous. How can you possibly see without any lights? And about sealing the bargain, I had assumed after what happened it was done.” He glanced down at her. His fingers itched to trace the delicate planes of her face, to trail down her slender neck and dip into the hollows of her collarbone. No. No emotion. Keep your distance, damn it. At least for now. Showing her too much, too quickly, would expose him, leave him vulnerable. And that was something he never let himself be. “It’s complete when I say it is. If you’re still serious about this, then you’re going to have to do everything I say. You might not like all of it, but I’m not going to give you the option to argue. Is that clear?” Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded. “Fine.” Something in her expression clenched his heart. He tried to fight against the emotion, but it wouldn’t let go. The idea that she might have been blowing the whole thing out of proportion had stuck in the back of his mind from the second he’d opened the door to her, but now he wondered. “Are you that desperate that you’d hand over everything you have, everything you are, to me?” “Obviously. If I wasn’t desperate, I wouldn’t be here.” Fear flashed across her eyes, brilliant and shimmering in the darkness, and he cursed. He walked across the room and flipped on the light. She stood a few feet away, wringing her hands in front of her and shifting from foot to foot. Shit. Shit. He scrubbed a hand down his face, adjusted his erection back into his jeans and tugged the zipper up.

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What the fuck is wrong with you? After all these years, you’re going to lose it over this tiny human? Apparently. He stifled a sigh of frustration. Don’t care. Don’t let yourself get involved. She made an offer. For hell’s sake, take her up on it. If only it were that simple. In his experience with human women, especially the filthy rich, bored housewife type, they tended to exaggerate. He’d assumed her fright came, in part, because of a fear Paul had instilled in her. Something she merely perceived. Imagined. But her eyes told a different story. “What happened to you tonight that has you so scared?” Why hadn’t he asked her that question before? He’d been too involved in taking her up on her offer, worrying about himself instead of her. He muttered a curse. She sniffed, wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, but when she spoke, her voice was strong and cold without a hint of tears. “Two men broke into my house. They attacked me in my bed.” The beast roared inside him and he clenched his hands into fists to keep his claws from bursting from his fingertips. Whoever they were, the men who had attacked her, he’d kill them. He’d torture them for hours first, before he tore them limb from limb in the most excruciating death he could imagine. “They didn’t…?” She let out a humorless laugh. “Do what you’re going to do to me? No. I didn’t give them the chance.” Her comment sent a shard of white-hot anger spiking through him. He stalked across the carpet and grabbed her arms, lifting her onto the tips of her toes. Her lips parted on a gasp and she struggled to get out of his hold, but he refused to let her go until they’d come to an understanding. If she planned on making false accusations, she could walk out of his life right now and find someone else to protect her. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not forcing you into this. You have a choice. You suggested this. Not me. I would never rape you. Never.” He released his hold. She stumbled back a step. “I didn’t say that you would.” “You might as well have.” He walked the few steps to the double bed and sat on the mattress, his mood souring even further. Why did women have to play games? She offered her body, gave it to him willingly. Why would she now accuse him of forcing himself on her? He was many things, some of them worse than others, but he wasn’t a rapist. “This was your idea. Not mine. Get that straight, or get out now.” She stepped toward him, anger flashing hot and fierce in her eyes. She stopped just inches from him and jabbed her finger into his chest. “I’ve got it straight. You’re right. I offered. I have limited choices. I’m sorry, but I’m not really in the mood to die tonight. It’s just sex, Sam. Just fucking. Nothing more, nothing less. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again after this bargain is done and we go our separate ways. Don’t make this more difficult than it already is, okay?” He was making it difficult? She’d walked into his house and begged him for help, tempted him with promises she was sure to regret later. Done things to his emotions 18

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that he’d thought were impossible. And he was making it difficult? He narrowed his eyes as he grabbed her finger to keep her from striking him again. “Fine. I just wanted to make sure we’re clear.” She ripped her hand out of his grasp. “Oh, we’re clear. Very clear. As long as you get to be the one in control, you’re happy, right?” He nearly laughed. She thought he was in control. What a joke. He hadn’t been in control since she’d shown up, and every minute it slipped a little further away. She had him by the nuts right now, whether she realized it or not. “Isn’t that the deal?” “I suppose it has to be, since we agreed you’d get whatever you wanted. Let’s just get one thing straight, Sam Kincaid. I do not, on a normal basis, allow men to boss me around. Not in the bedroom, or out. Consider yourself very lucky.” She glared at him, but he caught sight of lust hidden deep in her gaze. He considered himself lucky all right, but not for the reason she mentioned. He was lucky to even have her there in his bedroom. But luck probably didn’t have much to do with it. His kind believed strongly in destiny. Faith was there for a reason, and it wasn’t just for protection. With her lips parted, her cheeks flushed, and her breaths coming in pants, he wondered how much was from anger and discomfort and how much was from something else. He took a deep breath, scenting her arousal in the air. A slow smile tipped the corners of his lips. “Is this turning you on, Faith?” She shook her head. “I just need your help. I told you that.” “Don’t deny it. I can smell how hot you are.” Her scent—sex and sugar and warm, soft woman—hung thick in the air around them. Every breath he took was filled with her. She smelled like… His. It’s her. He shook his head. As much as he knew it to be true, he still fought against it. He didn’t want it to be her. Not Faith. Not a fragile human. He wanted to slake his lust and move on. But now, in a single moment of time, everything changed. If he took her… A sigh of frustration escaped his lips. She offered her body to him, begged him to take it, but she had no idea of the gift she would give him. Once he had her body, he would also own her soul. But it wasn’t without consequence. She would own his as well. He wondered if she felt it too, the fragile bond between them. She had to feel it on some basic level or else she would have run by now. He wanted to pull her into bed, rip her clothes off, and take her from behind, but she wouldn’t appreciate such a rough taking. Being a human, she’d need slow, passionate foreplay to get her to accept him. He let out a low growl at the thought of waiting, of hiding what he was from the woman destined to be his, but he saw no other choice. A fleeting thought ran through his mind, one that told him to push her away. To

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find someone else to help her and ignore the knowledge he didn’t want to have. But the thought vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. No hiding. No more fighting. Once he had her, it would be done. Though she wouldn’t know it, she would belong to him. And he would protect her at all costs. There would be no other choice. “Sam?” She took a step back, her expression questioning. “Is something wrong?” Everything was wrong. Everything. “No. Come here.” She shook her head, held her hands in the air in front of her. “I must be more stressed out than I thought, because I could have sworn your eyes just glowed for a second there.” He cursed. She had that effect on him, making him lose control like that. He tamped down his baser reactions. “I can get your mind off the stress, at least for a little while.” Her gaze traveled to his lap, where his cock threatened to break free from his jeans. “I don’t doubt it. Unless you’re like most men and are only in it for yourself.” Her eyebrows rose in blatant challenge and he couldn’t help but laugh. She’d managed to turn the situation around and set him off balance yet again. “Do you really think I’m like most men?” Her answer came more softly than he expected. “No.” She turned away from him, her arms wrapped around her middle, and shook her head. “No. I think you’re very different from most men I’ve met. You’re… I don’t even know how to explain what I see in you. Primal. Primitive, almost. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you seem almost like you’re at the edge of society, there but not wanting to mingle with everyone else. That’s pretty evident in the way you’re lacking social skills.” Another insult to cover her discomfort. Oddly, it made him want her even more. They might have more in common than he’d first thought. He laughed again, stood up from the bed and came up behind her. He pushed her hair off her shoulder and pressed his mouth against her neck, reveled in the taste of her on his parted lips. She shuddered under his touch, encouraging him to brush his tongue over the skin just below her ear. He put his hands on her waist and her hands came to cover his, her fingers digging into his skin. He felt the tension drain from her body and smiled. “I can assure you, Faith, that I do much better one-on-one than I do in large crowds. Much better.” “I’ll just bet you do.” She tried to laugh, but the sound came out as a strangled gasp when he nipped her earlobe. “What are you doing? You don’t have to seduce me, Sam. Our deal doesn’t include foreplay.” He froze. The deal. She had no idea how wrong she was. Their coming together had nothing to do with her proposal. “No need to keep reminding me of our bargain,” he told her, his mouth still on her skin. “Trust me. I won’t forget. But something tells me you wouldn’t have made the

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offer in the first place if it wasn’t something you wanted too.” She stiffened in his arms. “Do you really think I would need to do something like this to get a man? Give me a break, Sam. I’ve had my fair share of men who didn’t make me beg for something I needed.” He didn’t doubt it for a second. Her face, her body would attract any man, but her intriguing mix of innocent and vixen would keep him hooked for as long as she wanted him around. “I had my reasons for telling you no.” “Would you care to explain what they are?” He laughed. She’d run away for sure if she knew. “I can’t, but trust me, they’re important.” “But you said yes.” She shifted, her ass rubbing against his already throbbing cock. A shiver ran down the length of his spine, settling as a dull throb low in his gut. “You told me you’d protect me.” She’d kill him before the night was through. “And I plan to. Right now, though, I have other things on my mind. You’re safe here. From the men chasing you, at least.” He brought his hands to her breasts, cupping their weight. His thumbs brushed over her peaked nipples. “Oh, right. I forgot. You want to fuck and seal the bargain.” Her tone, breathy and aroused, lacked conviction. It wasn’t about fucking, or sealing the bargain, but he couldn’t explain it to her. In time he would have to, there would be no choice, but for now it would be easier to let her think he only wanted her because of the deal they’d made. “Right.” “So get on with it.” Challenge replaced some of the arousal in her tone. He dropped his hands from her body and walked away. She didn’t intend to make this easy for him. She wanted to play things like nothing more than their stupid bargain brought them together? Fine. He could play the game of lies and deception too. Much better than anyone he knew. And maybe, just maybe, it would help him forget for a little while things he wished he’d never learned—about her, about them. About himself. He turned around, plastered a hard look on his face, and cleared his throat. “Okay. Let’s finish this. Take off your clothes.” Fear flashed across her eyes again. “Sam?” “Now.” She blinked, let out a shaky sigh. He only raised an eyebrow. She’d had him off balance the entire night. It was about time he got the upper hand. Don’t fool yourself. With her, you’ll never have the upper hand, no matter how much you pretend. “Do you want to change your mind?” In answer, she pulled her t-shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. His mouth went dry at the sight of her full breasts, bare and unbound. Her dusky pink 21

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nipples pointed toward him as her breasts bounced softly with her movements. A spasm ran through his body and all his blood rushed to his cock. He didn’t think he could get any harder than he already was—until she unzipped her jeans and dragged them down her legs. She toed off her shoes and stepped out of her jeans, leaving her standing before him in nothing but a pair of sheer white bikini panties that did nothing to hide the neatly trimmed thatch of dark hair covering her mound. He wanted to rip the panties off her and bury his face in her pussy, but showing her his lack of control would give her back the control much too soon. “Take the panties off too, Faith.” She slid the silky-looking underwear down her hips, down her legs, and let them drop to the floor. She stepped out of them and kicked them to the side, her expression challenging. “Okay?” He fought back a sigh. Even aggravated and obstinate, she turned him on. He lifted his hand and beckoned her forward, hoping she didn’t notice how his fingers shook. She stepped closer, stopping in front of him, and crossed her arms over her chest. Defiance filled her heated gaze, and damned if it didn’t ratchet his arousal up another couple of notches. He shook his head. She wanted to shut him out, to keep what would happen between them on a purely physical level. He had no problem with that, but he wouldn’t let her control it all. “Drop the arms. I want to look at you.” Her entire body blushed pink, but she did as he demanded. His gaze dropped to her full breasts, and the pebbled nipples he wanted to suck deep into his mouth. His gut clenched as his gaze traveled down her stomach to the curve of her hips, stopping at her mound. “Come closer,” he told her, wanting to touch but not trusting himself to do so yet. He wanted to prolong it for Faith, make sure she got some enjoyment out of the bargain, and if he touched her he wouldn’t be able to wait another second to get inside her. She walked toward him, her bare feet whispering across the soft carpet. His cock tightened with every step she took. The sensuous way she moved—something not practiced, but natural to her—made him ache in a way he couldn’t ever remember. His whole body waited, primed, ready for all he wanted to do to her. For all he wanted her to do to him. When had he felt this way before? He hadn’t. Because she was his. When she stopped in front of him, he lifted a strand of her shiny dark hair. He brought it to his nose and sniffed, inhaling her rich, feminine scent. “Amazing,” he mumbled before he could catch himself. He dropped the strand, hardened his voice again. He hadn’t known her long, but he’d learned enough about her to know not to push her. Not to add any sort of emotional connection where she so obviously didn’t want one. She’d been fighting for her independence from the second she’d walked through his front door, and he could do nothing but allow her what she wanted. She didn’t have to prove anything to him, but he didn’t know how to make her understand that. Instead he kept playing along with her little deal, though it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult to do so. 22

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“Get on the bed. Lie on your back.” A small sigh escaped her lips and her legs shook as she obeyed his command. He might have thought she was scared had the heady scent of her arousal not filled the room. She might still be afraid, but her desire far surpassed any other emotion. He felt the same arousal deep inside himself, like nothing he’d ever known. It shook him straight to his core. But there was something else in her eyes, in her voice. Something deeper, darker. Something he didn’t understand. But the need to challenge him—anyone, most likely— seemed such an integral part of her. Before tonight, she’d challenged him with her eyes, with her secretive smile. Tonight, the challenge was far more blatant. And it only pushed him further. Aroused him past what any type of foreplay ever had before. She aroused not only his body, but his mind too. “Is this what you want?’ Faith asked. He smiled at her cold tone—and the heat it failed to mask. “Perfect.” Absolutely perfect. Except for one thing. “Spread your legs. Let me see that soaked pussy.” Her head snapped up, her eyes blazing fire. “What?” “You heard me, Faith. This is my show. All for me. You do what I ask of you, remember? I get anything I want.” And the longer he pretended it was just her body he wanted, the better off they’d both be. She sighed and dropped her head back to the pillow. “Close your eyes, Faith.” If he didn’t have to look at her, he might be able to follow through without attacking her and burying his cock deep inside her. She complied, this time without argument. Goose bumps covered every inch of her exposed flesh and her nipples had hardened to small peaks. He licked his lips. He hadn’t enjoyed the game this much in a long time. His cock fought for attention, but he ignored it. For now. “Good girl. Now spread your legs for me. I want to look at you.” She moved her legs apart with such excruciating slowness he had to quell the urge to help her along. The end result, though, was well worth the wait. The folds of her pussy glistened in the dim lamplight, drenched with her cream, swollen and red with her desire. He knelt on the bed and brought his face to her mound. He sucked in a breath filled with the now-familiar feminine scent, only stronger there, more enticing. A thin trail of dampness coated her skin where her juices had run down the inside of her thigh, probably when she took her panties off. He leaned in and lapped it up with a long, slow stroke of his tongue. He barely registered her gasp as the sweet and salty taste of her burst on his tongue. He let out a soft growl. If he’d had any doubts before this moment that she’d been made for him, they vanished. She wouldn’t understand. Hell, he could barely grasp it himself, but he couldn’t deny it.

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“Sam?” Her question came out on a moan as he lapped her thigh again. “Shh.” Talking would break his concentration and snap his control. For now, he wanted to focus all his attentions on bringing her the pleasure she deserved. He would do anything to make her happy. Anything. Shit. The very idea turned him inside out. He’d gotten so used to not caring that it didn’t come easily. He had a feeling it would be a long while before it did—a good thing, since he’d need the time to let himself adjust to this new development before he filled Faith in on the details. Details that, as of right now, she wouldn’t appreciate. His world didn’t always work the way the human’s did, but he’d have to play by human rules until it became safe to make his confessions. He spread her lips with his thumbs and brought his mouth to her pussy. At the first, light contact of his tongue on her sensitive skin, she bucked against him. He followed up the first feathery touch with a longer, bolder stroke that ran the length of her moist slit. The feel of her smooth skin against the roughness of his tongue sent a shock of heat through him and hardened his cock even further. He had no doubts they would fit together perfectly. He moved to center his attention on her clit, stroking, circling and pressing the hard nub of flesh with his tongue. Her hips arched toward him, small, breathy moans floating from her lips. An answering groan rumbled through his chest, deep and primal. He sucked her clit into his mouth, gently rolling it between his teeth, as he slid a finger deep into her cunt. She gasped. He slid another finger inside her, marveling at how tight she was. Tight, hot and wet. Her slick channel gripped his fingers, sucking at him every time he pulled back, urging him deeper whenever he thrust. “Do you like this?” he asked, meeting her passion-clouded gaze. “Yes. Don’t stop.” Pull back. No emotions. Emotions are human. And dangerous. As much as it killed him to do so, he pulled his fingers out of her body. “I’ll decide when I stop. You have no say in the matter. None at all.” He recognized his words for the lies they were the second they left his mouth. But if Faith noticed, she didn’t let on. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut, giving him a moment to look at her again without meeting her defiant gaze. She was so beautiful, so perfectly made for him. Having her on his bed like this had been a dream of his since the first time he’d seen her, but he hadn’t thought he’d ever get the chance. He said a silent word of thanks to destiny, and its part in bringing Faith to him, at the same time cursing the circumstances. If things had been different… No. He couldn’t allow himself to think that way. Everything happened for a reason. If he was being tested, if they both were, he could do nothing but endure. He needed to stay focused on the present, and the beauty waiting less than patiently on his bed. As if reading his mind, Faith huffed. “Sam. What are you doing?” 24

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A smile curved his lips, but he didn’t answer. He stood up from the bed and stripped out of his clothes, his gaze never leaving her flushed, waiting body. There was so much he wanted to do to her, so many things he wanted to experience. He was in control at that particular moment, but in reality she held all the power. Her pleasure was completely in his hands. It awed him to think she’d offer herself to him this way, didn’t run but met his demands instead. She’d given him a gift, one he couldn’t ignore. After tonight, he would be forever in her debt. He stopped by the foot of the bed and brushed his fingertips against her ankles. “Open your eyes now, Faith. I want you watching me.” Her eyelids drifted open and she caught her lower lip between her teeth. She didn’t say anything. Uncertainty glittered in her big brown eyes. He ran his fingertips up the insides of her legs, stopping just shy of her pussy. She arched her hips toward him and he pulled his hands away. “Uh-uh. Just lie there and enjoy.” “I can’t enjoy this if you won’t touch me.” Her voice sounded hoarse with aggravation and arousal. “Please, Sam. Just touch me.” He rested his hand on her thigh, her cool skin warming under his touch. “I am touching you. I’ve been touching you.” “I need more.” He grazed the skin on the underside of her knee with his thumb. She let out a soft moan. “Sam.” “What do you want?” “Anything. Everything. Please.” His gut tightened, his cock throbbed. His fingers tensed on her legs, turning her skin white. Anything. Everything. He’d take it tonight. All she had to offer. And it had nothing to do with a ridiculous bargain, though that had given him a very convenient excuse to get closer to her. He ran the pads of his thumbs over her folds, spreading her slick moisture everywhere. She panted, arched her hips toward him. He slipped one finger inside, then worked in another into her snug sheath. His head spun. “You’re so damned tight.” A raspy laugh escaped her. “It’s been a while.” He froze, instinct warning him to slow down. “How long?” “Don’t stop.” She arched into him again, whimpered when he held her still. “How long, Faith?” What about her husband? Hadn’t he noticed how beautiful, how sensual his wife was? “Three years.” Three years? Something inside him clenched at the thought. “Why so long?” She shook her head, tried to duck away from him. He rested his hand on her

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middle to hold her in place. He wanted none of her secrets between them, nothing to stop her enjoyment tonight. “Talk to me, Faith. You offered me whatever I wanted. This is what I want. I want to talk about this.” A tear slid down her cheek. “Why? Why do you need to hear this? Paul and I didn’t have that kind of a relationship, okay?” He said nothing, continued to watch the emotions flash across her gaze. Anger. Desire. Aggravation. He would have smiled, if he hadn’t been so shocked at her admission. What man wouldn’t want that kind of a relationship with her? “What do you want from me?” she asked. Her small, strangled voice welled longing inside him. Longing, and something deeper, harder to define. He stroked his fingers in and out of her, slow and steady, knelt on the bed and placed a kiss on her stomach. Somehow her confession made her seem more fragile than before. Like spun sugar, easily destroyed with no hopes of being put back together. The urge to protect her, to hold her and keep her safe cemented into a silent promise. He wouldn’t leave her side until he’d found—and gotten rid of—the people trying to hurt her. “You don’t want me to answer that question.” “I don’t need you to. I already know the answer. We both do. It’s why we came into your bedroom in the first place. Stop talking and fuck me.” Her voice came out as no more than a whisper, her gaze begging. Her soft pleas undid the last of his control. He’d give her what she demanded, but he wouldn’t let her hide anything from him again. He moved up the bed next to her, cupped her face in his palm and brought his lips to hers.

***** Faith wrapped her arms around Sam’s neck and fell into the kiss. She parted her lips as his tongue demanded entrance. He stroked deep inside, matching the rhythm of his fingers moving again in her pussy. Her tongue met his thrust for thrust, her body controlling the moment as her mind slipped into the background. She shouldn’t enjoy this…giving her body to him in exchange for his protection. It shouldn’t be any different than the other times. Those men had wanted things from her too. The terms had been different, but the end result the same. She’d left that part of her life behind when she’d married Paul. And now she was right back where she started. No. That was a lie. This time, everything had changed. Sex had always been a means to an end. Physical. Never emotional. Never meaningful. A way to survive. Sam made her feel, made her want things she shouldn’t want. Made her wish her life had been different. Why couldn’t she have met someone like him sooner? Someone who lent passion and emotion to what had once been a cold, unfeeling act. His skin scorched hers, his chest burning into her breasts and his hard cock pressing against her belly. The heat he gave off warmed her from the inside out and made a gush 26

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of cream drench her already wet pussy. Her inner muscles spasmed around his fingers. She spread her legs wider, allowing him better access to do as he wanted with her body. Wanting more. Craving everything he chose to do to her. He took full advantage, sliding those long, thick fingers deep inside her over and over again in a maddening pace that drove her closer to climax. His thumb brushed her clit once, twice, circling and stroking. Every muscle in her body tensed, she panted and whimpered. He swallowed her cries as he pumped his fingers, curving them just enough to hit a spot inside her that made her want to scream in ecstasy. She dug her nails into his shoulders, throwing her head back with a ragged moan. “This is incredible.” He pressed his lips to the valley between her breasts and laughed. “I haven’t even gotten started yet.” Her stomach bottomed out at his words even as another jolt of arousal speared through her. Sam made her feel things she shouldn’t feel. Not for him. Not for any man. She’d learned early in life that men couldn’t be trusted, and she had to remember that he was no exception. But something about him felt different. Right. Like maybe he’d be the one to change her mind about the male species. No. She shook her head, shook off all thoughts of emotions. Now wasn’t the time to be dreaming of more. She’d offered Sam a physical release, and nothing more. He wouldn’t want to know the direction of her thoughts, and she’d only wind up hurt if she didn’t stop thinking them. Better to enjoy the pleasure spiraling through her body now and sort the rest of it out later. Sam’s fingers stroked along her folds, his mouth closing over a peaked nipple, and the unwanted thoughts fled from her mind. Her nerves snapped, her muscles tightening in readiness for what was to come. His thumb pressed down on her clit with enough pressure to send her body over the edge into a heart-stopping climax. Her body convulsed as thousands of pinpoints of light raced past her eyes. Her nails dug even more into his skin, probably breaking through it, but she didn’t care. She only wanted to feel, to enjoy the moment before it passed and she was thrown back into her very real, suddenly dangerous life. She arched into him, silently demanding more. Demanding everything. He gave her all she asked for, and more, and he held her until her body stopped spasming and she could draw a full breath. She blinked at him, tried to smile. “That was…” Her voice trailed off when she couldn’t find an adequate word. The encounter was wicked, forbidden, and the biggest turn-on she’d ever known. “Not nearly enough,” Sam finished. “Not even close.” Her eyes widened. “I can’t…not again.” “Yes, you can.” His lips closed again over one of her nipples, drawing the pebbled flesh into the hot, moist recesses of his mouth. He slipped his fingers from her body, dragging them across her sensitized skin along the way. Another gush of cream flooded

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her softened cunt, jolts of pleasure raced through her. She wet her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. He moved to her other breast, tugging and pulling on her nipple with his lips and teeth. Much more of his play, and she’d come again. The thought both shocked and excited her. She tugged on his hair. “Sam?” He lifted his head, his eyes dark and his lips moistened. A rakish smile spread over his lips. “Yeah?” “Stop teasing.” His smile widened. He moved up her body, crushing her with his weight, kissed her again, hard and fast, before he fitted himself between her thighs. “Is this what you’re so anxious for?” The hot tip of his cock press against her cunt, sending another shock of vibrations through her. Yes. That was what she wanted. Needed. What she’d been wishing for since the first moment she saw him. Another second and he’d be inside her, and…damn it. How could she have forgotten? “Sam, stop.” A low growl rumbled through his chest. “What’s the matter?” “Do you have any condoms?” He met her gaze, a strange expression in his eyes—eyes that yet again seemed to glow with his arousal—and shook his head. “Shit. No, I don’t have any.” “I have some in my purse. I left it by the door. If you let me up, I’ll go grab one.” He closed his eyes as he pulled away from her and flopped onto his back on the mattress. “No. You stay here. I’ll get them.” He pushed himself off the bed and walked out of the room. Her body protesting the loss of contact, she closed her eyes and waited for him to come back. Goose bumps pebbled her flesh from the chill in the room, but her arousal didn’t fade. Her mind stayed glued on Sam and his incredible hands, and what he’d done with them. You shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. This isn’t about fun. It’s about saving your life. The thought did nothing to dampen her need. She understood the reasons she’d come to him, but she wouldn’t let herself analyze them. There would be plenty of time for self-doubt later. If she didn’t live in the moment, she’d collapse from the stress. Come on, Sam. Where are you? It seemed like an eternity before she felt the mattress dip under his weight. She snapped her eyes open to find him on his knees, his erection straining toward her, a fat drop of precum gathered at the tip. She reached out and brushed her fingertip over the liquid, sucked her finger into her mouth to revel in the intoxicating, foreign taste of the man. Enjoy it while you can, girl. He won’t be around forever. “I didn’t break the mood, did I?” He let out a pained laugh and gestured to his cock. “Not even close.” He dropped a large handful of condoms on the nightstand next to the bed. “Were you planning an 28

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orgy, or do you normally carry this many?” Her faced flamed. Having lived the way she had for so long, she’d learned that it was better to be prepared. Men, often times, were not. “I didn’t know if you… I mean… I just thought…” Sam’s lips tipped up in a sensual smile. “No need to be embarrassed. I’m not complaining.” He took one of the packets and handed it to her. “You want to do the honors?” She took the packet and tore it open, willing her hands to stop shaking so she didn’t embarrass herself. By the time she’d rolled the condom completely over his cock, his face was red and his breaths escaping in harsh pants. “You’re lucky you didn’t make me lose it.” He pushed her onto her back and rolled on top of her. “That wasn’t fair.” Just as he hadn’t been playing fair earlier, when he’d ordered her around. She smiled. One good turn deserved another. “Deal with it.” She wrapped her legs around his hips, already feeling the arousal build again inside her. The sensations with Sam were so intense, so magnified, that she knew she’d be wrung out in the morning. Sex for her had never been great. Never even good. It had been something she did, a chore to be endured and nothing more. She’d always distanced herself from the act, let her mind wander while the man did what he wanted with her. But with Sam, she couldn’t drag her mind away. Couldn’t separate herself from her body. She smiled up at him, but the smile quickly faded. Once she was safe and the men chasing her had been dealt with, Sam would be gone. He’d break her heart and her spirit the first chance he’d get. But until then she’d take whatever he offered and enjoy every moment. “Deal with it, huh? I plan to. I have to warn you, though, this isn’t going to be gentle. Or slow. I’ve been waiting too long to get inside you.” “I don’t need gentle or slow, Sam. I just need you.” She said the words, but hadn’t really been prepared for what he did next. He seated himself fully inside her with one long, powerful thrust that knocked the breath from her lungs. She gasped for air as he continued to pound into her cunt, each thrust harder and rougher than the last. She put her hands on his sweat-slicked arms, her fingers gripping tight as she rose to meet his thrusts. Her orgasm took her by surprise, sweeping over her in a wave of light and sensation. She cried out as he continued his assault against her convulsing muscles, pushing into her deeper, harder until she thought she’d come apart at the seams. His strokes bordered on pain, but a good pain. An incredible pain, bursting through her with little jolts of electricity. His thrusts grew shorter, more erratic. He was close. She dug her heels into his ass, urging him to let go. She ran her hands along his shoulders, down his arms, raking her nails along his skin. In moments, he stiffened above her and cried out her name as he 29

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emptied his seed. After another few pumps, he pulled out, gave her a quick kiss, and pushed up from the bed. “Be right back. I need to clean up a little.” He left the room, returning minutes later. He switched off the bedroom light and flopped down on his back on the mattress. “Shit,” he whispered, his eyes closed and his arms and legs spread out on the mattress. “I have to say I echo your sentiment.” Though his apparent detachment bothered her more than it should. Physical release only, Faith. Remember that. Ha! Easier thought than done. Though the sex had been great—phenomenal, even, as far as her experience went—she craved more from him than just a couple of quick orgasms. But he seemed even more determined than her was to keep their involvement on the solely physical level. As if reading her mind, Sam cracked one eye open and smiled at her. “Come here.” She complied, cuddling against his side. Sam stroked her hair, her arm, her back. She’d never felt so warm and safe, so cherished. The bargain. A chill ran down her spine. He didn’t cherish her. He might have wanted her, but he didn’t feel any kind of emotional connection to her at all. She’d offered her body, and he’d taken it. Nothing more. She struggled to move away from him, but he wouldn’t let her go. “Where are you planning to go?” She bit back a sniffle, the conflicting emotions building so fast inside her they threatened to tear her apart. “Don’t you want me to go sleep on the couch or something?” “Are you nuts? I want you right here, where you are now.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Go to sleep, Faith. You’re going to need your rest.” She frowned. Why was he being so nice to her? “Sam?” “Not now. We’ll talk in the morning.” He placed his hot palm on her forehead. A foreign, odd sensation of comfort and warmth wrapped around her. Her eyes closed, her mind succumbed to the call of rest. She tried to fight it, but she couldn’t. All protests died on her lips as she slipped into sleep.

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Chapter Three Sam sat on the edge of the mattress, next to the open window, his elbows resting on his thighs. The cool night breeze blew over his bare, sweat-dampened skin. He closed his eyes, sucked in a gulp of forest-scented air. Shit. Remorse washed over him, drowning out any leftover exhilaration. He glanced over his shoulder to where Faith lay curled in a ball. Her hair, nearly black in the inky darkness, fanned across his pillow in soft waves. Her full, pink lips slightly parted, her cheeks flushed even in sleep. An angel. She deserved roses and candlelight, courtship and kindness and trust. But she’d gotten him—more beast than man—all but tying her to his bed and barking orders at her. When had his life come to the point that he couldn’t back down from any challenge, even when an innocent woman had issued it? Apparently, the moment Faith had walked through his door. He snapped his gaze away from her, hung his head. What had happened between them had cemented their bargain in a way she would never imagine. She belonged to him now. No one would ever hurt her again. He should have sent her away last night while he’d still had a chance. Instead he’d forced her to keep her end of the bargain, taken her when he should have walked away. She deserved so much better, but she wouldn’t get it now. He’d kill any man who got in his way. No. A human wouldn’t accept that kind of behavior. Faith was human. He would have to play by her rules. At least some of them. The bed linens rustled. Faith let out a small sigh. He looked back to find her blinking at him, her soft brown eyes round and wary. His cock stirred to life at the thought of taking her again and he bit back a groan. “What time is it?” she asked, her voice hoarse from sleep. He slid a glance to the clock on the dresser. “A little after five.” “In the morning?” “Yeah. You should try to get back to sleep for a little while.” He’d prefer to berate himself for his boorish behavior in private. “I can’t. Without you near me, giving off such an immense amount of body heat, I’m freezing. Haven’t you ever heard of blankets?” “There are some in the closet. Do you want me to get them for you?” “I’m a big girl. I think I can manage it on my own.” The springs creaked as she got up and padded to the closet. Moments later, the

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mattress dipped as she climbed back into bed. Her small, warm hand pressed against his back. “Why don’t you join me? There’s plenty of room for two under the blanket.” His conscience—a new development in recent years—wouldn’t let him. “Listen, about earlier…” She stroked his back with her fingertips, sending chills down his spine and heat straight to his groin. Her nails scraped his flesh. “Earlier was…amazing. Let’s just leave it at that, okay? I don’t want to analyze it to death. I don’t want to talk about what a bad idea it was, what a mistake you think we made. No regrets, Sam. I don’t have any, and neither should you. Just let it be.” He shook his head. Had Paul ever seen this side of her? He pushed the thought out of his mind. He didn’t want to think about Paul, or any of her other men. Not now. Not ever. “Are you sure?” “Of course I am. I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t.” She pinched his side. “What’s the matter? Feeling guilty?” Of course he was. Any man would, in his situation. At least any man with a tiny bit of conscience. He shrugged. “I have nothing to feel guilty for.” Go ahead. Tell her some more of your lies. Her hand dropped from his back. “Wasn’t it what you expected?” He shifted, facing her across the mattress. Doubt clouded her gaze. Did she worry that she wasn’t good enough for him? She couldn’t. Nothing could be further from the truth. He’d worshipped the ground she walked on since he’d first seen her. And he’d shown it by treating her like some kind of possession to do with as he pleased. If anyone should feel doubts about their self-worth, it should be him. “It was all I expected, and a whole lot more.” He had to force the truth past his lips. “Then what are you doing so far away?” His gaze slid to where the blanket covered her full breasts before snapping back to her eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.” “You didn’t.” Not yet. “Sam?” She reached her hand out to him, squeezed his thigh. A jolt shot up his leg, settled in his rapidly hardening cock. Did she not know how her touch affected him? “If you keep touching me, I won’t be able to control myself.” She laughed. “Yeah. I’m kinda counting on that. I don’t know what’s going to happen down the road, and I’ve got to tell you, I’m scared. I’ve never been this scared in my life. I want—I need—to forget. Please, Sam. Help me forget, for a little while.” “You don’t want that.” “Oh, and now you’re such an expert on what I want?” She came up behind him, pressed her chest to his back and wrapped her arms around his waist. One small hand

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found his cock, circled around the hard length of him. He bit back a groan. “Don’t tell me you don’t want me. I don’t like liars.” He put his hand over hers, intent on pulling her away, but didn’t. Her touch felt so amazing, so right, that he couldn’t bring himself to break the contact. “I won’t lie to you. I want you again. And this won’t be the last time. But what happened earlier…” His voice trailed off. What would she do if she knew the extent of his desire? The truth about what had happened between them? She’d run. She’d try to hide from him, and the people looking for her would find her and kill her. He wouldn’t tell her. Not yet. No matter how much his mind screamed for him to. “It’s just sex, Sam. Geez. Get over it.” She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Isn’t the woman the one supposed to feel guilt and remorse in the morning?” She rubbed her pebbled nipples against his back, stroked her hand up and down his cock with an expert grip. He tightened his hand over hers, rode with her while she circled her thumb over the tip with every upstroke. “It’s not remorse.” Bullshit. “I don’t want to hurt you.” “You will. That’s what men do. But that’s okay. I’m fine with it.” She laughed, the sound tinged with fear and pain. It nearly broke his heart. She’d hurt him, too. More than he could explain. He pushed the tender feelings aside. Forget human emotions. Focus on the deal. The incredible sex. He tugged her hand away from his cock, pulled her around him until she straddled his lap. Her eyes widened, her lips parted on a sigh. His cock prodded her entrance, begging to push further inside. He arched his hips, sliding the head into her cunt. She pulled back. He groaned from the loss of contact. “What are you doing?” “Condom.” He closed his eyes, shook his head. His secrets would be the death of him if he had to keep them up much longer. “Oh, yeah.” Yeah, because if you tell her what you really are, she won’t come within a hundred feet of you. He waited the endless, torturous seconds while she tore the wrapper open and slid the protection over his cock. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself, unsheathed, inside her, but that would require explaining he wasn’t ready to do. He couldn’t contract diseases, couldn’t impregnate a human. But her rules were the ones he had to follow until it was time to tell her the truth. He’d just have to learn to live with it. He gritted his teeth, clenched his hands on her hips as she lowered herself over him. Her wet cunt enveloped him, surrounded him with her heat. He met her halfway, pushed up as she came down on him, driving his cock to the hilt with one thrust. She tried to lift herself up, but he gripped her hips to steady her, relishing in the feel of her

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all around him. How much longer would she let him hold her like this? A week? Two? When she found out the truth, it would take time to explain it all to her. She might never fully understand. But he couldn’t confess it to her now. Not before she was ready. And thinking about it too much would tear him apart. He leaned in, captured her lips in a kiss that seared straight to his soul. Would he ever get enough of her? He doubted it. But would she let him have a lifetime of what he needed? No. She was a human woman. He couldn’t allow himself to forget that. Although the bond had been forged, it wouldn’t give her everlasting life. She would be his until her human life ended. He saw no other way. He pushed away the depressing thoughts, broke free of her mouth and trailed his lips down her neck. The fangs he tried so hard to hide from her elongated in his mouth, but he resisted the urge to sink them into her tender skin. Not yet. Not until she was ready to learn all his secrets. He couldn’t take the chance that she’d run and endanger her life again. He laved the skin of her collarbone, trailed his tongue to her breasts and lapped at her stiffened nipples. His cock twitched, throbbed inside her, urging him to thrust. Not yet. Not so soon. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hips. She moaned, whimpered. Squirmed. “Sam, you’re driving me crazy.” That makes two of us. He’d been too hard on her the night before, and the need to banish the guilt rose up inside him. She had him by the balls, and sooner or later she’d learn that. There wasn’t much sense in fighting the truth, at least not at the moment. Letting her control the encounter would go a long way toward getting her to trust him, and once she trusted him, he’d be able to spill his deepest, darkest secrets. Or, at least some of them. He flopped to his back on the mattress and loosened his grip. “Ride me, Faith.” “Are you kidding me?” “No. Please, Faith.” A small, nervous laugh escaped her lips. She blinked down at him, her eyes clouded with lust and confusion, before she lifted almost completely off. She brought herself down, rose over him again and again in a rhythm that did nothing to ease his arousal. His balls drew tight against his body, his cock so hard he felt like he might explode. Her warm, slick cunt pulled him deeper each time she sank down. She brought him right to the edge of orgasm, but held him there for endless minutes, her strokes slow and easy. Maddening. He had to do something, anything, to increase her pace before his heart stopped beating from the strain. He pumped his hips hard against her as she came down, dragging a gasp from her throat. He didn’t stop there. Despite his intentions to let her control the situation, he couldn’t hold back once he’d started thrusting. The way she enveloped him, pulled him in filled him with an unfamiliar sense of urgency. He couldn’t hold back, and if he had 34

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to admit the truth, he didn’t really want to. Her hands came down on either side of his head, her breasts bouncing inches from his face and he pounded into her. He lifted his head, sucked one peaked nipple between his lips. His tongue swirled over the distended flesh, his lips twisting and teasing. She groaned, her body quivering around him. He dropped his head to the mattress and opened his mouth in silent request. She obliged, bending her elbows and leaning in closer to give him better access. Her position didn’t allow her much movement, but he didn’t care. His hands came to her hips again, tugging her down every time he thrust up. The sounds of their flesh slapping together filled the room, punctuated by their panting breaths and groans. His tongue darted across one nipple, then the other, swirling over the hard peaks of flesh. Her soft moans and whimpers drove him crazy. His cock ached, his balls tightened even further, ready to let go. He closed his eyes, fought for control until she’d found her release. “Faith, I’m really close.” “So am I.” She ground her hips against him, pushed back until he thought he’d explode. And then she did something that shocked the hell out of him. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. The single, gentle action made his stomach clench and his mind reel. She had no right to be nice to him. Not now. Not after what he’d done. He let out a soft growl, reached between them to where their bodies joined. His fingers brushed her clit, circled the hard nub of flesh. Pressed until she cried out, jerking above him. Her inner muscles clenched, unclenched around his cock, driving him closer and closer to the release he needed with every cell of his body. The fangs he fought so hard to contain elongated, crying out to sink into her warm, soft flesh. Just one taste. Just a little bit. He opened his mouth, ready to close his fangs over her turgid nipple. No. Not yet. He wouldn’t treat her like a piece of meat. He closed his eyes, fought against his primal urges as his body raced toward what promised to be a powerful climax. Faith leaned in, trailed a line of kisses from his cheek to his chest. Her lips on his nipple proved to be too much. Sensation exploded inside as his climax washed over him, bringing him to places he hadn’t been in too many years to remember. The world faded around him until it was just he and Faith, floating on a bed of air in the middle of nowhere. Heaven, if such a thing could be believed. He never wanted to come back down to earth. But, just as he had earlier, he crashed back to reality too soon. Faith laughed softly, kissed his nipple, and slid away. “That was incredible. No other man has ever bothered to worry about me.” And none ever would. No other man would lay a hand on her again.

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***** Sam lay on his back with his gaze fixed on the ceiling. Faith’s warm body curled against him, her breath feathering his chest with each slow, even exhalation. She hadn’t yet fallen asleep, but she would soon. As much as she wore him out, he couldn’t force his eyes to close. Something held him back. Worry, anxiety, the sense that the worst was yet to come. In the morning, the first order of business would be to find out who sent the men to kill Faith. The second would be to get rid of them. No matter what it took. Who, exactly, had Paul been dealing with? Being hired as Paul’s bodyguard, Sam had never been privileged to that information, though he’d tried to dig up the facts on more than one occasion. Paul had kept certain identities under proverbial lock and key. And now whoever Paul had pissed off had come after Faith. He didn’t want to see her hurt—wouldn’t let it happen now, though it would take disobeying direct orders from a very powerful Council. Faith needed him. He clenched his hands into fists. It shouldn’t have come to this. Hadn’t he warned Paul on more than one occasion to be careful with her? To make sure he kept his wife out of his dirty business dealings? Paul hadn’t listened, and now Faith’s life was in danger. Anger clenched his gut in knots. Nothing would happen to her. He wouldn’t let it. Eric and Merida would laugh, seeing him like this. Obsessed with a human woman. He sighed. Even more than obsessed. His life, as he had known it, was over. A small scraping sound carried across the stillness of the night. He froze, even stopped breathing. It came again, raspy and metallic. Strange. Familiar. Shit. He nudged Faith, slid away from her. “Looks like your attackers found you. Get up and get dressed. Stay away from the door and the window, and be ready to go as soon as I tell you,” he whispered. She shot up to a sitting position, her eyes wide. “What’s going on?” “There’s no time to question me. Just do it.” He slid out of bed and pulled his jeans on. “Everything, Faith. Even shoes. Be ready to go.” He pulled a black t-shirt over his head, stepped into his running shoes and tucked the laces inside. He grabbed his wallet and cell phone from the nightstand drawer before he glanced at Faith and found her buttoning her jeans. “I think I’m going to have to start living up to my side of the bargain.” “Now?” Her face paled, turning ash gray in the light of the moon. Please don’t pass out. He wouldn’t be able to rush them out of the cabin if he had to carry her over his shoulder. “Yes, now. Duck down behind the bed.” She dropped so fast his heart stopped. Had she fainted? “Faith?” “I’m here.”

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“Good. Stay there until I tell you otherwise.” “Should I hide in the closet or something?” He nearly laughed. Innocent humans. “There’s no point in that. They know you’re here. They’ll find you. It’s their job. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” “Who?” Fear and suspicion sharpened her voice. “Do you know who’s after me?” “Yeah.” Now he wanted to know who sent them. “Do you want to tell me?” “Not tonight.” “Sam—” The door burst open, slammed against the wall with a crack of splitting wood. A huge man lumbered inside. Faith screeched. Sam cursed under his breath. Exactly what he’d thought. Not a man, not in the human sense. A demon slave. An empty shell of a creature with barely any intelligence or free will. A thing that would do anything to obey its master. The master, in this case, wanted Faith dead. As far as Sam was concerned, no one would get close enough to accomplish the task. The demon slave sneered, a sinister chuckle rumbling in his chest as his gaze landed on Sam. “Move aside.” “Not likely.” Sam stood his ground, his shoulders squared, his knees bent to pounce. “Leave or I’ll have to kill you.” The slave snapped his beady-eyed gaze to where Faith hid behind the bed. “Come out.” Sam turned his gaze away long enough to make sure she was safe. He glanced back at the thing just in time to see him rush forward with his arm outstretched, a short serrated-blade knife in his huge hand. Sam tried to dodge the blow, but his sex-fogged mind couldn’t get his body moving fast enough. The knife hit with a searing pain, slicing the skin of his abdomen. He hissed out a breath and grabbed the hilt of the knife as the slave let it go. Fighting not to double over from the throbbing, he yanked the knife out of his side and glanced at the blade. Though menacing, it was just an ordinary knife. The poison it had been tipped in, however, was anything but ordinary. It snaked its way through his bloodstream, churning his stomach and making every muscle in his body scream in agony. A wave of blackness threatened to wash over him, but he refused to let it take him. If he passed out, Faith would be dead within seconds. He leapt at the slave, knocking him into the wall face first. His nose shattered with a sickening crunch. He twisted the slave around to face him and plunged the knife deep into the man’s chest, gave the knife a twist, dragging a strangled scream from the man’s throat. Sam shoved him up against the wall and gave the knife one more turn. The screams faded into silence, the only sounds in the room Faith’s and his own heavy breathing. He dropped the body and turned to her. “Turn around.” She sucked in a breath. “Is he…is he dead?”

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“Not yet.” He urged her to move with his eyes, tried to force his way into her mind. Go. Turn around. You don’t want to see this. “Faith, turn around. Now.” The second she turned her back, he took the slave’s head in his hands and twisted, snapping his neck. He put his hands to the slave’s forehead, his palms heating with red and blue flame. The slave burst into a ball of fire and smoke before it exploded and disappeared into the air. And then Faith whimpered. He glanced up to see her gaping at him, her eyes wide and wild. Shit. “Are you okay?” She shook her head vigorously. “No. Yes. I’m not sure. What the hell just happened?” A spasm clenched his gut. A wave of nausea swept over him and he sat back against the wall. “I couldn’t even begin to explain it to you.” She let out an almost hysterical laugh and ran a hand through her tousled hair. “Well, by all means, try. I just watched you kill him…and he just…just…exploded.” “Yeah, they tend to do that.” Another sharp, twisting pain sliced through him. The poison. Sweat broke out on his brow. The knife hadn’t been meant for him. Whoever had sent the slave—and Sam had a few suspects already on his list—had known the poison would not kill a Panthicenos. But it would kill a human within seconds. “Good, you’ve got your clothes on. We have to get out of here.” He tried to stand, but made it only as far as a crouch before another wave of nausea, this one stronger than the last, washed over him. It took all his willpower not to succumb to the waiting blackness. “Sam? What’s wrong with you?” He glanced up and found her standing over him. “Nothing. I’m fine.” His vision started to fade in and out, the edges yellowing as he tried to bring her face into focus. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt this kind of blinding agony. By sheer force of will, he stood and took her arm. “Let’s go. Now. We need to get to the car.” He pushed her behind him and stepped through the bedroom door into the darkened hallway. They crept into the silent, still living room. Empty. He shook his head. Faith tugged on his arm. “What’s the matter?” He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “I thought I heard more than one, but I don’t sense anything. Maybe the other one ran. We might be safe for now, but I’m not taking any chances.” “Then let’s get out of here.” He gave a brief nod and pulled her toward the door. Before he swung the door

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open, he grabbed her purse off the floor and thrust it into her hands. “You might need this later.” “Thanks. I know I will.” They rushed outside, Sam leading the way through the maze of trees and rocks that littered the grounds surrounding the cabin. By the time they reached his car, his head buzzed and his limbs had started going numb. He sucked in a couple of deep breaths. “Can you drive?” “I made it here in one piece, didn’t I?” He shook his head, regretting it when a bolt of pain zinged through his skull. “Don’t give me attitude right now. I need to know if you’re okay to drive right now, because I’m not.” She froze, her eyes huge. “What’s the matter?” “It’s nothing. Just a little cut.” She pushed his hands aside and gasped. He followed her gaze down to his faded black shirt, and the dark, wet stain growing bigger by the second. “He got you. I thought he had, but everything happened so quickly…” Her voice faded into a nervous hiccup. “God, Sam, we need to get you to a hospital.” Not in this lifetime. “I’m fine. The cut is no big deal. No need for a hospital. Once we get somewhere safe, I’ll put a bandage on it.” He stumbled around the car to the passenger door, trying not to sway too much on his feet. He slumped against the door. “Get in and start the car, Faith.” “Why do you look like you’re going to pass out, if the wound is no big deal?” “The wound isn’t. The poison that was on the knife is a different story. Get behind the wheel.” He opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. Faith shot him a worried glance as she got into the car. “Poison, Sam? What the hell are you talking about?” He held up a hand. “Drive, Faith. Now, before more of them show up.” “I need your keys.” Her voice shook, and her hand trembled as she reached out, palm up. He opened the glove compartment and took out the spare set of keys, placing the ring on her palm. “Drive.” She didn’t say another word until she had his car on the road, headed for the edge of town. “You keep your keys in the car?” “A spare set. Just in case.” With a strong spell on them to keep intruders from finding them. “I live in the middle of nowhere. There isn’t usually anyone around to steal anything. Just drive. We’ll talk later.” When his stomach didn’t threaten to heave and his head didn’t pound like a freight train was ready to burst from his skull. “Where are we going?” Her fingers shook, but she didn’t seem anywhere near

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ready to go into shock. That made one of them. “I don’t know yet. Sometimes it’s better not to think about it. For now, keep going in this direction.” She glanced at him. “There’s a hospital a few miles from here.” “No hospital.” The pain would fade as the poison worked its way through his system, and the wound would heal. Though it would take hours longer in human form than it would in his true form, he wouldn’t risk scaring her and having her run them off the road. “Don’t even think about taking me there. That would make me angry. You don’t want to see me angry.” She gulped. “Point taken. But you know, I don’t really want to see you dead, either. I’ll drive, but you’re going to have to give me directions.” “I will.” Directing her would force him to stay awake. He’d deal with the pain. He’d have to. He couldn’t protect her from threats against her life if he couldn’t even keep his eyes open.

***** “Pull the car into that motel parking lot up there on the left.” Faith glanced at Sam, her stomach clenching at his pallor. His voice sounded thready and he’d barely moved or spoken in the three hours they’d been driving, save giving her the occasional direction. “Sure. Okay. I still think you need to go to the hospital. You look like crap.” “No. Hospital.” He muttered a curse. “What part of ‘no’ do you not seem to get? The hospital would be a very bad idea. Very, very bad.” “Okay. Fine. I get it. The big, tough guy doesn’t want to admit he’s afraid of doctors.” She turned into the lot. Tears of worry and fear stung her eyes, but she ignored them. He’d told her repeatedly during their journey that, if he could just get to a bed, he’d be fine. But he’d been poisoned. You’d better make it, Sam. I can’t survive out here in the middle of nowhere on my own. She stopped his car in front of the small white building marked “office” and shifted into park. Sam opened the passenger door and started to get out. She stopped him with her hand on his arm. His face ashen and his hand clutching his stomach, he glared at her with glazed eyes. “What now?” “If you go in there looking like you do, people will get suspicious.” His eyes darkened. “Damn it. Pop the trunk. The button’s on the key ring.” He heaved a sigh and pushed himself out of the car, shutting the door behind him. A minute later he knocked on the driver’s side window. His black leather jacket covered the bloodstains on his t-shirt, but it did little to hide his ravaged expression. 40

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She rolled the window down. “You know, that’s not really much better.” “I don’t give a shit whether it’s better or not. Just sit here until I get back. I’ll be two minutes.” Panic snapped inside her at his words. “I don’t really want to be alone.” “Tough. Stay put.” He turned and walked toward the motel office. “Idiot.” She glanced around the small lot. Nothing sinister popped out from behind trees or parked cars, but even the daylight couldn’t chase away the monsters in her head. When had her life become this mess? First Paul’s death, and now the men trying to kill her, and Sam… Sam had killed a man right in front of her eyes. She’d watched him break the other man’s neck—and then she’d seen something too unbelievable to be true. Sam had put his hands on the man’s head, and his palms had glowed with what looked like—but couldn’t in a million years be—flame. And the man exploded. How was that even possible? Hands didn’t glow, and people didn’t really explode into clouds of smoke and dust. There had to be some sort of semi-reasonable explanation, but so far she’d been afraid to ask. Afraid of Sam’s reaction, and even more afraid of his answer. All her life she’d believed that the supernatural didn’t exist. But if what had happened earlier hadn’t been supernatural, she didn’t know what was. No ordinary human could have done what Sam did. She hadn’t dreamed the whole thing, hadn’t imagined it, but no other explanations came to her no matter how hard she tried. Sam had to be something…something not quite human. That thought terrified her. What kind of creature had she trusted her life to? Had he brought her all this way to torture and kill her? Panic clenched her stomach in knots and stopped her breath in her throat. The motel sat alone on a small road, surrounded on three sides by woods. She gulped. Instinct told her to get away, and to do it fast. But she didn’t get the chance. A moment later Sam hobbled out of the motel office. He made his way back to the car and climbed in. “Everything okay?” he asked, his face a little less pale than before. “No bogeymen jumped out at you, did they?” She bit back a curse, tightened her fingers on the steering wheel. “Excuse me for being a little nervous. I’ve nearly been attacked twice in one night. That doesn’t exactly inspire comforting thoughts, you big asshole.” He laughed. “You’re safe for now. I’d know it if we weren’t. Drive the car around the back of the motel. We’re in room 112.” “Awfully full of yourself, aren’t you?” She backed the car out of the spot and headed around the side of the building. Away from everything. Her stomach churned. Only thoughts of the men who’d tried to kill her kept her from throwing the car into park and running away.

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“It’s not ego, sweetheart.” He fixed her with a serious gaze that shook her to the tips of her toes. “It’s fact. Hurry up, will you? I really need to lie down for a while.” When she parked the car in front of room 112, Sam took the keys from her and got out. She followed him around to the trunk. He pulled out a huge black duffel bag, hefted the strap over his shoulder and slammed the trunk. She followed a few steps behind him to the room door, weighing her options. If she ran, he’d catch her. If she stayed, he might kill her. Her mind flashed back to the night they’d just spent in his bed. He’d been caring, compassionate. Maybe he wouldn’t kill her. She stood a better chance of staying alive by staying with him. She touched the rough canvas fabric of the bag. “What’s in there?” Weapons? Body parts? “Clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving kit.” He shrugged. “The usual.” He opened the room and stepped aside. “After you.” What a time to be gallant. She hesitated long enough for him to shoot her an exasperated look before she stepped over the threshold into the cool, dark room. “You’re prepared. That’s one big bag for clothes and a shaving kit.” Sam flipped on the light and walked in after her. The click of the door closing sent a shudder through her. She spun to find him watching her, his hands in the pockets of his jacket, his expression unreadable. Her original assessment of him flashed through her mind. Dark. Dangerous. And now, too powerful for her to feel very comfortable alone in a room with him. A half-smile curled one corner of his mouth, and she got the unsettling impression that he’d read her mind. In the world she’d known the day before, she would have thought that impossible. But now, she doubted everything. “It’s about a week’s worth of stuff. I have to be prepared. It’s all part of the job. I never know when I’m going to have to leave for a few days on just about no notice.” “Don’t your clients give you time to prepare when they hire you?” He let out a rough laugh, but didn’t respond to her question. A cold lump formed in her throat. Bodyguard? Ha! Why had she ever believed that story? He was probably some kind of hired assassin. She turned away, her pulse racing and her mouth dry. What if he was? What if he killed people for a living? What had she gotten herself into? “What did your dear husband say about me?” Sam asked, his voice low, seductive despite the threads of pain. “The only thing he ever said about you was that, if something happened to him, I needed to find you.” When the right time came, and she knew she could trust him, she’d have to confide in him the rest of the story. For now, she’d let it be. She’d taken enough chances with her life for one day.

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“Why would he say something like that?” Because he trusted you, even if I don’t. She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m just telling you what he told me.” At least most of it. “It’s not my problem if you don’t like it.” Sam tossed his bag on the end of the double bed closest to the door. He stripped off his jacket and tossed it on top of the bag, revealing the dark bloodstain that now covered a good portion of his t-shirt. She sucked in a breath. How could he be standing, let alone holding a conversation, when he had to have lost a huge amount of blood? “Let me look at that cut. You need stitches, Sam. It looks like it bled for a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was still bleeding.” He pulled a clean shirt out of the bag. “That’s highly unlikely.” Stubborn jerk. “Please. You aren’t so big and tough that your wounds heal instantly.” She strode over to him and tugged at the hem of his shirt. If he wouldn’t show her on his own, she’d take a look for herself. He yanked her wrists away, his fingers biting into her skin. She winced. “What’s the matter with you?” “I’m tired. That poison is still in my system, and it’s put me a little on edge.” A little? Any further on edge and he’d topple over the cliff into complete insanity. She pulled her hands out of his grasp. “Come on, Sam. I’m not injured. I can help you.” “There’s nothing to help. Everything is fine.” “Knock it off. Give your ego a break.” “This isn’t about my ego.” She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, no? Would you care to explain what your problem is?” “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. There is no problem. There is no wound. It was just a scratch.” Yeah, right. And the sky didn’t turn dark at night. She shoved his hands out of the way and pushed his shirt out of the way. “See? Look at that. It’s…” Dried blood streaked his six-pack stomach, but the skin remained unbroken. Her heart lodged in her chest. Had she lost her mind? Because she sure felt like she needed to be committed. First the disappearing body and now this? A peal of nervous laughter bubbled from her. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, Kincaid, but you’d better start explaining what’s going on.” “Maybe I wasn’t injured as badly as you thought.” From the look of his skin, he hadn’t been injured at all. If that was the case, where had all the blood on his shirt come from? And he’d been in so much pain. So drawn and pale. He had to have been cut by that knife. But now he looked less pale by the minute, and there was no wound to be found. She faced him, her hands on her hips and her blood pounding in her ears. “What the hell are you?” She expected him to laugh it off, to tell her it was all a big joke. But he didn’t. He

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stood there staring at her, his green eyes dark and stormy, his lips set in a firm line. “You really don’t want me to answer that question.” No, she didn’t. But her life depended on knowing exactly what kind of a person she put her trust in. “You aren’t getting off that easy this time. Tell me why you healed so quickly. What is it about you that let it happen?” He backed away and propped his hip against the table in the corner of the small, square room. The position didn’t make him look any less threatening. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face. “Sam, answer me. I think I have a right to know what I’m dealing with.” “We’ve been up for most of the night and into the morning. Though it’s just about gone, I’m still in a bit of pain. I need sleep, more than you could ever understand. I suggest you stop persisting and let me get some rest. We’ll talk about it in a little while, when I’m feeling fully functional again.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “No.” His eyes darkened even further and he took a step toward her. “I said drop it. This isn’t the time. I’ve lost blood, I need sleep, and I need food. If you push me on this, I can’t guarantee your safety. I suggest you leave it alone.” Anger burst inside her. Anger at her situation, anger at Sam’s secrecy, anger at Paul for leaving this on her shoulders…she didn’t know which one spurred her on, but something inside wouldn’t let her give up until she had the answers she wanted. “No. Tell me what’s going on. My life is in the balance. Tell me what you are. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you weren’t even human.” His eyes sparkled with a strange, wicked light. He took a step toward her, then another, until he had her backed into the wall next to the bathroom door. He slammed his hands onto the wall, one on either side of her head. He smiled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. And canines at least an inch long. “That’s because I’m not.” Her heart thudded to a stop in her chest and her mind shut down. Acting on the survival instinct that had kept her alive until that point, she ducked away from him and bolted out the door, running across the parking lot into the woods.

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Chapter Four Sam chased Faith through the thick trees, his blood pounding in his veins and his vision nearly going red. Twigs snapped under his feet. Branches slapped his face, scratching into his flesh. Still, he trailed her. Fought back a howl at the thrill of the chase. She thought she could get away, but she really had no idea what she was dealing with. No one knew the full scope of what he was, not even those close enough to be called family. If she kept tormenting him, she would be the first to find out. His fangs burned his gums, screaming out for a taste of her blood. He felt her fear, as well as her relief. She thought she’d lost him. She hadn’t. He lagged behind enough to let her think she could get away, but she wouldn’t. With a few quick steps, he would be on her. He needed that, needed her in ways she could never understand. He closed in on his target. A growl tore out of his throat. Now. Get her now. Take her now. He lunged, grabbed her arm and hauled her back against him. “Where do you think you’re going?” Her back rose and fell against his chest with each deep, heaving breath she took. “I… You… Your teeth.” She shook her head, whimpered. Struggled to break free of his grip. “You’re… There’s no such thing as a vampire.” He scraped his teeth over her neck, delighting in her little shiver. Her fear clung to her like a thick cloak, but the air was rich with the scent of her arousal. Yet again, she amazed him. He smiled against her skin. She liked being chased, just as she’d liked being on her knees with him telling her what to do to please him. It shocked him. Excited him. The bond between them made it impossible for her to turn him away, even when her mind warned her to run. “Do I make you nervous, Faith?” he asked, his teeth still against her neck. “Are you going to hurt me?” Something inside him snapped at the anxious tone of her voice. She trembled everywhere. He closed his eyes, fought for control over the beast raging inside him, and won. The monster fled back to its cage. He couldn’t hurt her. Ever. He only wanted to keep her safe—and show her that no matter what he was, she’d always be safe with him. He turned her around and pinned her to the broad trunk of a tree. “What do you think?” “I don’t know.” “Yes, you do. I’ve answered that question before.” Her gaze dropped to his chest, her breathing more ragged than before. “No, you won’t hurt me.”

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“That’s right. I won’t. I just want to give you what you want. What you need.” What they both needed. She was confused. She had every right to be. But he had to make her understand that nothing between them had changed. She blinked up at him, her eyes sparking fire. “What if I want you to leave me alone?” He cupped her mound in his palm. Her heat and moisture seeped into his skin through the layers of her jeans and panties, tightening his gut and sending a wave of lust through him. He stroked his fingers along her cloth-covered slit. “You want it, don’t you? This turned you on.” She said nothing, but her gaze confirmed his suspicions. A small whimper escaped her throat. His cock twitched inside his jeans. “You liked me chasing you, didn’t you?” “No.” Liar. She enjoyed it as much as he had. Maybe more. Why did she have such trouble admitting to it? “Yes, you did. Tell me, Faith. Tell me that you liked it.” Her eyes flashed fire again. “Okay. Fine. I liked it. Are you happy now?” He pulled back a little, swallowed hard. He was in over his head. Out of his element. His body told him to push her further, heighten her arousal as well as his own. His mind warned him to back off, to keep from scaring her any more than he already had. No matter which instinct he followed, he was in trouble. He searched her gaze, looking for permission to go forward, to take it to the next level. “You know I would never hurt you. You might not want to admit it, but you know deep down that’s true.” She gave a small, nearly imperceptible nod of her head. He leaned in, ran his fangs down the side of her throat. “Do you want me, Faith?” “Yes.” Her hands came to his shoulders, her fingers dug into his skin. “I shouldn’t. But God help me, I do.” “Good.” He smiled against her neck. He wanted her too, so bad his every nerve trembled with the desire. But for the moment, he had a more important desire to slake. He sank his fangs into her warm flesh. A scream ripped from her throat, her fingers digging into his arm. He sucked her pierced flesh between his teeth, let her hot blood run over his tongue. So incredible. So perfect. He would never get enough. He drew long sips from her skin, pressed his cock against her mound, wishing he could dissolve the barrier of their clothing with just his mind. Her pained whimpers quickly faded to soft moans, her blood running faster as her heart rate sped. She rocked her hips against his, increasing the painful pleasure of his arousal. He suckled harder, needing more. Needing it all. “Sam…” Her voice trailed off on a moan. “I’m going to come.” He lifted his head long enough to look into her glazed eyes. “Yes. Good.” “But I can’t…not like this.” 46

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Oh, yes, you can. He brought his lips back to her neck as she bucked hard, her orgasm washing over her. She cried out, screamed with the force of it, her hands tangling in his hair and tightening to the point of pain. Her breaths rushed out in ragged pants, her body going soft against his. He didn’t give her a chance to recover as he yanked his lips from her sweet skin. The need inside him had long ago surpassed the point of control, and if he didn’t get inside her soon the result wouldn’t be pretty. His fingers went to work unzipping her jeans and sliding them down her legs. He gulped when he found her skin bare beneath. “No panties?” “I didn’t have time. You told me to hurry and get dressed, so I skipped them.” His cock tried to push its way past the barrier of his zipper. Every little thing she did turned him on, but this… “Sweetheart, you have no idea what that does to me. Get your shoes and pants off.” She toed off her shoes and stepped out of her pants, tightening her grip on his shoulders as her legs shook. She blinked up at him with those big brown eyes and he melted all over again. “Sam, we’re out her in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the morning. I don’t want this here. I want to go back to the room.” The second he got her back to the room, the moment would be broken and she’d want to talk. He had no interest in sharing his life story with her. Not yet. Not when his cock threatened to break free from his pants and his balls ached. The beast, though now contained, still raged inside him. Here, in the woods where the trees gave them ample cover, was the perfect place. “No. No room.” “Sam, don’t do this.” Worry laced her tone, but the arousal shining in her eyes matched—if not exceeded—what raged inside him. He smiled, nudged her legs apart with his knee and brushed his thigh against her wet slit. “Why not?” “There are too many reasons to name.” She shook her head. Tears glistened in her eyes, but didn’t fall. “This is a public place. In broad daylight. And you…I don’t even want to think about what you are. I can’t, because then I’ll go crazy.” He knew just the way to help her forget. He would convince her of her safety with him, no matter what it took. “So don’t. Don’t think, Faith. Just feel.” He spread her legs further, dipped his fingers into the drenched folds of her pussy. She gasped, tightened her grip on his shoulders. The bite of her nails digging into his flesh through the thin barrier of his shirt spurred his arousal further. He thrust two fingers inside her, testing her readiness. Her soft, slick flesh accepted him easily. He smiled. Her denials didn’t mean a hell of a lot when her body and her actions told a different story. Her ragged moan made him pull his fingers away, bring them to the zipper of his jeans. But she beat him to it, fumbled with the zipper until she spread his pants open and pulled his cock from his boxers. She stroked her hand up his length, met his eyes. 47

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“If you stop, I might remember what a horribly bad idea this is and change my mind.” “Point taken.” He pushed her hand away, fitted himself between her legs, and thrust his cock deep into her waiting cunt. He held nothing back with his thrusts, taking her cues and going with them, letting her feel every brutal inch of his desire for her. “You like this, don’t you?” She closed her eyes, her lips parting on a ragged sigh. Her body arched in time with his thrusts, her breasts heaving with each of her harsh intakes of breath. Yet she refused to face the truth of the matter. She didn’t want to like it, but she did. Why did she fight what was between them? Why did she fight the urges of her body, the desires of her mind? Because what he was scared the hell out of her. He shook his head, shook off the disappointment that thought rose in him, concentrated on the physical sensations instead. The warmth of her cunt closing around him, the way her body molded so well to his. The lingering taste of her blood on his lips, his tongue. She would learn to trust him. To open up to him. He’d see to it. He might scare her now, but she’d get over it. She’d have to, for both their sakes. “Faith, open your eyes. Look at me.” She snapped her eyes open, and the passion he found burning there spurred his own desire for release. It burned low in his gut, ready to explode, and he had to fight it back. “Tell me, Faith. Do you like it when I fuck you like this?” He changed the angle of his thrusts, only a little, but it was enough. A scream ripped from her throat—which he cut off with a harsh kiss. She broke her mouth away, panting, thrashed her head from side to side. “Yes, I like it when you fuck me this way,” she answered, her voice hoarse. “I shouldn’t. But I do.” Why not? What was it about her that wouldn’t let her give in to what she really wanted? He’d never met a woman like her—cultured and polished on the outside, but a complete wildcat in bed. But she didn’t want to follow her own desires. He intended to find out why. Later. Now he had other plans. He ground his hips against her with every thrust. His efforts were soon rewarded when she came apart in his arms, her cunt clenching tight around him. Her nails dug into his skin, her eyes narrowed, glazed with passion. A passion that echoed inside him, pushing him closer and closer to release. He kept her pinned against the tree, his hips pumping as he pounded his cock into her. Faster, harder, he needed it all. His climax rushed up on him, washed over him with the force of a tidal wave. It was all he could do to remain standing on legs that wanted to collapse and sink him to the ground. He stiffened, spurted his cum deep inside her in short bursts. His head spun, his nerves tingling with the power of it all.

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Somewhere between last night and today, his world had shifted. Changed more than he’d wanted it to. He scared her? Ha. She scared him more. He rocked his hips a few more times before he pulled away as the cold, hard reality of the situation invaded. What had he been thinking? Anyone could sneak up on them out here, in such a public place. Anyone, including the demons trying to kill her. He’d just put her life in needless danger, all because he hadn’t been able to rein in the urge to fuck her. He stepped away from her, adjusted his cock back into his pants, raked a hand through his hair. “Shit. We’ve got to get back to the room. Get dressed.” “Sam?” “We’ll talk in a little while. Now I want to get you out of the middle of the woods.” She slipped back into her pants and shoes, trudged along next to him back to the room. “Are you okay?” he asked her when he closed the door. “Oh yeah, fine.” She laughed, a shaky, nervous sound. “Fine for a woman who just found out the man she’s been sleeping with is a vampire. How old are you, anyway?” A very complicated question. One that, if he didn’t answer carefully, would reveal far too much. “Old. I stopped counting after a while.” She shook her head. “How old were you when you became a…you know?” If she was uncomfortable with the vampire part, how would she feel when she found out about the demon part? “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” “Okay. You don’t want to answer. Fine. I’ll get it out of you sometime.” She paced the length of the room. “Why are you so worried? Can you really have that many big secrets to keep from me?” He almost laughed at the notion. “You have no idea.”

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Chapter Five “You let her get away? How could you screw this up? I counted on you to take care of things.” Tomaz flung his hand out, his palm connecting with the face of the woman in front of him with a sickening slap. Her cry of pain barely took the edge off his anger. She’d failed him yet again. She would pay this time. He’d been too lenient in the past, and it showed in the way she’d slacked on recent jobs. No more. If it happened again, she wouldn’t live to see another day. Her eyes sparked red with her anger and she started toward him, claw-like nails bared and sharp teeth exposed in a snarl. Blue fire shot from her fingertips, but with a flick of his wrist he knocked her to the ground. Did she really think she could do him damage? He laughed at the thought. Aiala was strong. But he was stronger. She knew it as well as he did. He allowed her to keep her pets and slaves only because it kept her out of his way. When he needed her though, like he did to get rid of Faith Richardson, he expected her to do as he said without question. To fail meant to be disciplined. His cock tightened at the thought of administering her punishment. He enjoyed the discipline as much as he enjoyed having her do the job right the first time. Maybe more. Her eyes narrowed. She stood up from the ground, brushed her hands down her thighs. “I didn’t let her. She’s with Kincaid. He killed my best fighter, a slave who should have been able to accomplish the task with no problems at all.” “Poor you.” He gave her a sarcastic smile. “It must be awful to lose something that meant so little to you in the first place.” Kincaid. Well. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated. Too complicated. He turned away from the lesser demon and paced the length of the room. He should have realized that Paul’s insipid little wife would go running to Sam Kincaid the second she got wind that something was wrong. Obviously Aiala hadn’t sent anyone capable of taking care of the job. He stopped pacing and faced her, keeping his expression calm when he wanted to kill. “Where are they now, Kincaid and Faith?” She shrugged, an exaggerated pout on her full lips. “I don’t know. They left.” “You don’t know?” He was beginning to regret trusting any of this to her. Maybe her personal issues with Kincaid had clouded her judgment. “Were you there at all?” “I thought…I assumed the slaves would take care of it.” Anger shot through him. His fingers itched to slap her again. Could she not get anything right? “You’ve been up against Kincaid before.” He gestured to the web of thin scars marring her once-stunning face, scars that covered much of her body as well. “You

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know what he’s capable of. You know how strong he is. Why would you even take the chance sending just one or two slaves? You should have sent an army.” She cast her gaze to the ground. Her feet shuffled against the beige rug. “You’re scared of him. He terrifies you, doesn’t he?” Tomaz laughed. “I thought you were stronger than that. I thought I could trust you to take care of this for me.” She snapped her gaze back to his, her eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you take care of it yourself? Oh, that’s right. Because you’re a fucking wimp who can’t handle his own dirty work.” She started to turn away, but he grabbed her arm and hauled her back to face him. “We aren’t done here yet. You’ll stay until I tell you to go.” She opened her mouth to speak and he slammed his hand over it. “No talking. No arguing. You have a job to do, and you’re damned well going to do it.” She bit him, hard enough to break through the skin. He cursed her name as he hauled back and slapped her another time. “Don’t do that again, bitch. You’re mine. You should never hurt me. Ever. You have to pay for your actions today, and your failure to dispose of Faith Richardson twice.” He backed her into the wall, tearing at her pants as he went. Her eyes flashed hate and flames, her face reddening. It only spurred him on more. “Be angry all you want, sweet, but you know the truth. I’ll give you one more chance to do as I ask, and then you’ll lose your life. Do you understand?” “Yes,” she hissed. “Yes, I understand. But watch your back. The first chance I get, I’m going to kill you.” She wouldn’t dare. She acted tough on the outside, but Aiala, like all women, didn’t have a truly assertive bone in her body. That was exactly how he wanted it. He preferred his women in his control at all times—demon and human alike. “No, sweet, I don’t think you will.”

***** The click of the door swinging open made Faith jump. Sam walked into the room, a couple of brown paper fast food sacks in one hand and a drink tray with four cups balanced on his arm. He gave her a half smile that made her stomach flutter and her mouth run dry as he shut the door with his foot. “I hope you’re hungry.” How could he expect her to be hungry after all that had happened? She sat up on the bed and frowned. He acted like everything was perfectly normal when her world had just caved in around her. She hadn’t been able to shake the surreal feeling since finding out what Sam was, and she didn’t see it happening anytime soon. He set the bags and the tray on the little table and started pulling out wrapped cheeseburgers and red cardboard boxes filled with French fries.

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“There’s no way I can eat all that. I can’t believe you bought that all for me.” He winked at her as he crumpled one of the bags and tossed it into the trashcan across the room. “It’s not all for you. Have as much as you can eat, but I have a feeling I’ll end up eating most of it.” “I thought vampires didn’t eat anything but…” Her voice trailed off. Just the thought of drinking blood for nourishment turned her stomach. It didn’t turn you off earlier. No. It had the opposite effect, sending her into a fierce, spiraling climax that had shaken her very foundation. Even now she wondered if she’d wake up from this strange, erotic dream in her own bed, alone. “Most don’t eat.” “And you’re different?” He shrugged, unwrapped a cheeseburger and took a big bite. “What is that supposed to mean? Are you different, or not?” “It’s a very long story. And you have to remember that what you know of vampires comes from books and television.” He picked up a burger from the stack and tossed it to her. “Think fast.” The burger bounced off her hands and hit the mattress next to her. “Oh, that’s real mature. So tell me, Mr. Kincaid, what is true about real-life vampires?” She picked the burger up, hunger overriding manners. She flopped down on the bed and crossed her legs. “I think you need to explain yourself.” Before I call the nearest mental hospital and tell them to expect a new patient. “You wouldn’t understand.” He polished off the burger and picked up another. “Try me. I think I’ve been pretty understanding so far.” “This isn’t a normal situation.” “Ya think?” She was sitting in a hotel room in some little town in the middle of nowhere, eating fast food burgers with a vampire who had a way of turning her sexuality inside out like no man had ever been able to do. “Can it really get any weirder than this?” “Oh, yeah.” Sam tore into a third burger. “What’s with the closed-mouth crap? What exactly is it you’re hiding from me?” “Eat something, Faith. You need to keep up your strength.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “I’ll eat after you tell me what’s going on.” “I don’t think so. You eat, and I’ll talk at the same time.” “It isn’t nice to talk with your mouth full.” The words left her mouth before she had a chance to think about them. She winced, waiting for his reaction, but he just laughed. “Sweetheart, no one has ever accused me of being nice.” She couldn’t argue his point, so she didn’t reply at all. She unwrapped the crinkly paper from her burger and took a bite. She hadn’t eaten in so long the ninety-nine cent 52

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burger tasted like a gourmet meal. Running for one’s life had a way of making a person appreciate the little things in life. After she swallowed the bite, she turned her attention back to Sam. “Can I ask you a question?” He shrugged again, worked on polishing off a box of fries. “How long have you been a vampire?” “A vampire?” He glanced up at the ceiling with a frown on his face. “Just about five hundred years, I think.” She let out a breath. At least he didn’t say five thousand. “So you were born in the sixteenth century?” Her question only added to the dreamlike quality of the day. Was she really talking to a man about being born five hundred years ago? “I didn’t say that.” She blinked at his words. “Actually, you did.” He took a long draw of soda through a striped straw. “What I said was that I’ve been vampire for about five hundred years.” “I realize that. Any fool who can do math can figure out…” She shook her head when she noticed his amused expression. “What is this, some kind of guessing game? Twenty questions?” He said nothing, just stared at her with a blank look on his face. “Okay. Fine. How about this question instead. Where did you live, when you were human?” “I didn’t.” She slapped her burger, wrapper and all, down on the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Stop it. What do you mean, you didn’t? I thought all vampires were human once.” He shook his head, that sexy half smile back on his lips. “You’re assuming again. Most vampires are human. They started out that way, and even after the change they continue to be human, with a slight mutation to their DNA. They live, they breathe, some even have children. But there are a few vampires, very few, who didn’t start out as human.” A cold chill crept its icy fingers up her spine. “Are you trying to tell me that you aren’t human?” His gaze darkened. He gave a slight, slow nod of his head. “You’ve never been human? Ever? Not even a little bit? Then what exactly are you, Sam?” Her blood froze in her veins. Her heart stopped. No. Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “Promise you won’t run away again when I tell you.” Oh God. “I already know you’re a vampire. Could anything possibly be worse than

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that?” “That depends on your outlook. What I am, for the most part, is called a Panthicenos. Ever heard of it?” She shook her head. “I’m not surprised. Demons tend to be dumped into one big category, even though there are hundreds of species.” She opened her mouth to speak, but as his words hit she couldn’t get her voice to work. Demon? Demon? “Whoa. Wait a second. This is a joke, right?” “No, Faith. It isn’t a joke. I’m very, very serious.” He got up and walked toward her. Instinct prodded her to run, to hide, but he’d find her. She stood and ran around the bed, putting as much distance between them as she could. Fear overwhelmed her common sense. A demon. The man was a demon. It wasn’t possible, yet somewhere in a dark corner of her mind, she accepted the truth. Demons possessed. Demons hurt. Demons killed. Sam reached her, cornered her against the wall. “Do you remember all the times I told you I wouldn’t hurt you?” He raised his hand to her face. She batted it away. “Don’t touch me.” “Don’t do this, Faith.” His eyes grew nearly black. “I hadn’t wanted to tell you so soon. I’d wanted to make you understand first, but you didn’t give me much choice.” He leaned in, his hot breath feathering her cheek. Her heart skidded to a stop and she couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat. She tried to run, tried to scream, but her muscles refused to work. Her mind shut down and everything faded to black.

***** Faith woke up with a splitting headache and a mouth that felt like she’d been sucking cotton. She brought her hand to her lips and coughed. What had happened to her? Why did she feel like someone had pounded on her head with a sledgehammer? “Faith?” Sam’s voice called her from somewhere far away. Sam. She shook her head from side to side, thrashed her body. No. Not Sam. She had to get away. What would he do to her, now that she knew the truth? Oh God. She’d had sex with a demon. Wouldn’t she go to hell for that? Sam sighed. “There is no hell, Faith. There’s no absolute evil, just as there’s no absolute good.” She snapped her gaze open to find him kneeling over her, his gaze searching, his expression worried. “Were you reading my mind?”

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“Yes,” he answered as casually as if he’d just told her it was going to be sunny today. She sat up and squirmed away from him. Her back hit the headboard and she curled her knees up to her chest. “Don’t ever do that again.” He held his hands in front of him in surrender. “I won’t. I don’t make a habit of invading people’s thoughts, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. You scared me.” “Okay? Okay? What happened to me that I wouldn’t be okay? What did you do to me?” “Nothing. You passed out.” She glared at him. “I do not pass out.” “Well, you did.” Amusement laced his voice, sparkled in his eyes. “No, I did not. You did something to me. You made me pass out. You put some kind of spell on me. You made me fall asleep.” “I wouldn’t do that. Come on, Faith. You should know me better than that by now.” He scooted closer to her, crowding her with his big body and his intimidating presence. She sucked in huge gulps of air, tried to control her raging pulse. “Are you crazy? I’ve known you for all of a few weeks, not much more. I obviously don’t know you at all.” “You know me better than you think you do. Better than I’ve let anyone get to know me.” His voice, soft, low, mesmerizing, clenched something inside her. Something she had to ignore, or it might rip apart her sanity. “Okay, we’re going to skip this conversation and just stick with the whole you protecting me scenario.” He shrugged, though his expression was anything but casual. “Sure. Works for me.” “Good.” She let out a breath. I’m sitting in a hotel room with a real, live demon. In the same bed as the demon. “You won’t hurt me or anything, right?” His expression darkened, his gaze angry. He pushed away from the bed and paced the room. “No. Fuck, no. Don’t you think, if I’d planned to hurt you, I would have done so by now?” “I don’t know. Isn’t that what demons do?” She nearly choked on her words. Could any of this be real? He stopped in front of her and scrubbed his hand down his face. He met her gaze with weary, tired eyes. “There are many types of demons, Faith. Not all demons are evil. Some are mostly good, some are mostly bad, and some are in between.” She gulped. “I’m guessing by your tone of voice that you aren’t one of the good ones.” “No, but I’m not one of the bad ones, either.”

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“So you’re in between. Doesn’t that make you Switzerland or something?” He laughed. “Not quite. Panthicenos, by nature, are mediators. Some are appointed balance keepers, to keep the balance even between good and evil in the world.” “Is that what you are? A balance keeper?” “Not anymore.” “But you were. What happened?” “Nothing you need to be concerned with.” He sat down on the end of the bed and pulled one knee up to his chest, draping his arm across his leg. “Exactly what happened isn’t important. Maybe someday, when I get you out of this mess, I’ll bore you with my mistakes. For now, why don’t we focus on what it’s going to take to save you from the things which are after you?” “Sounds like a plan.” A crazy one, when she took into account the man she’d asked to be her bodyguard was a demon, but a plan nonetheless. “Where do we go from here?” “You never got around to giving me the details of what happened with Paul,” Sam reminded her, his voice going soft. “I think we should start from there. Why is it that these demons are trying to kill you?” A nervous laugh bubbled from her throat. He had to be kidding. He wanted her to think when he’d just sprung something so huge on her? A thought hit her, leaving her cold. “Um… I couldn’t be… We didn’t use any protection before. Can I…?” “You couldn’t be pregnant. It isn’t possible.” “Why not?” “It’s just the way it is. We aren’t compatible in that way, okay?” A touch of annoyance laced his voice, but his words calmed a small part of her. It was bad enough to think she’d slept with him, a…a…not a human. But to think of the possibility of getting pregnant with his child? She didn’t even want to go there. “Do you have horns?” Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized what she’d said. “I mean, I’m assuming that you don’t look like this all the time.” He smiled, shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t have horns. I have some pretty cool claws, though. Wanna see?” Her eyes widened and she shook her head. Okay, enough crazy talk for the day. “I don’t think so. You’re right. We should figure this thing out before it gets too late. Paul told me about a rival company that wanted to steal his cancer cure and market it as their own. I think they had Paul killed, assuming they’d be able to find the formula and claim it as their own, but they didn’t find anything. He warned me about this. They probably think I have it.” “Do you?” She fought the urge to shift her eyes away. “What do you think?” He searched her gaze, ignored the question. “Your theory is good, but it’s just that.

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A theory.” “What are you saying?” “I don’t buy it. This rival company, as your husband put it. What is its name?” “Marganis Pharmaceuticals.” Sam’s eyes darkened and he cursed under his breath. “What’s the matter?” He opened his mouth, shook his head. “Nothing. It isn’t important.” He flopped back onto the mattress. “I just realized how tired I am. Why don’t we get some sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning.” She snorted. The closed-mouth syndrome again. “Not gonna happen. We’re going to talk right now. You got very upset when I said the name of the company. Want to tell me why?” “It might be nothing. I won’t know for sure until I get someone to look into it for me. I promise if I hear anything of interest, I’ll tell you about it.” He jumped off the bed and strode to the door. “I forgot something. Stay here for a second. I’ll be right back.” He walked out the door, returning moments later with a huge plastic shopping bag. He dropped it onto the bed next to her. “Here. I had to guess at the sizes. I hope I got close enough.” “What’s this?” She opened the bag and pulled out two pairs of jeans, a couple of tshirts, a big hooded sweatshirt, and some lingerie way too skimpy to be comfortable. “This is great, but I’m not so sure about the undergarments. I don’t wear stuff like this.” “You do for now. It’s part of the deal.” He fixed her with a heated gaze. She trembled under his scrutiny. She gulped, cleared her throat. No. Now that she knew what she did about him, she couldn’t continue with that. “You’re not still stuck on this deal thing, are you?” “That depends. Are you still stuck on the bodyguard thing?” Jerk. He didn’t mean it. She refused to dissect how she knew, but the knowledge was there, deep inside her. He didn’t care about the deal any more than she did. So why couldn’t he just let it go? Because he was damned stubborn. She held a midnight blue thong between her thumb and forefinger, dangling it in the air in front of her face. Leave it to a man to pick out something like this. “Do me a favor, Kincaid.” “Yeah?” “Though I appreciate the effort, and you have no idea how much I appreciate the jeans and t-shirts, next time either take me shopping with you or stick to the granny panties and cotton bras.” He flopped back down on the bed on his back and put his hands under his head. “What fun would that be?” She didn’t even bother to answer. Apparently, the “men as pigs” theory extended to

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supernatural creatures as well.

***** Through half-closed lids, Sam watched Faith hurry into the bathroom and slam the door. His gut clenched and his cock tightened at the thought of her in the skimpy blue underwear. He’d grabbed it because it had looked expensive, like something Paul Richardson’s wife would wear, but also because the deep blue would look perfect against her fair skin and deep brown hair. He’d expected her to put up a fight over the casual clothes he’d bought, but she hadn’t. Why, when all he’d seen her in up until she’d come to him for help were designer outfits? Every time he expected something from her, he got the opposite. His fascination grew with everything he learned. Stop. Keep it about the bargain. It’s the only safe way to deal with her for now. The shower turned on and he thought about her under the hot spray, her nude, toned body glistening with water droplets and frothy with soapsuds. He groaned. How could she possibly still affect him like this? He’d had her hours ago, and yet he wanted her again. A memory of the taste of her blood, tangy and sweet, flooded his mouth and he had to force himself not to follow her into the bathroom and take her against the shower wall. He’d given her a lot to digest, and she’d need the time alone to think about it. But not too much time. When she came out of the bathroom she’d be all his again. It was the only way to keep her from running once his words sunk in. And when she found out who really killed her husband. He unclipped his cell phone from the waistband of his pants and dialed Eric’s number. His friend answered on the fourth ring. “What do you want now, Kincaid?” Sam laughed. “Nice to talk to you, too, Malcolm. Do you have a free minute?” “Just about that. Ellie just walked through the door, and she’s in a mood, if you know what I mean.” Sam smiled at the mention of Eric’s mate. Ellie had been human too, when she and Eric had met. Maybe there was a chance that he and Faith… Don’t go there, Kincaid. Ellie’s loss of her human life, and his involvement in it, was one of the reasons the Council was investigating him. “I won’t keep you long, then. I need a favor.” “What’s up?” “I’m away from my computer for a while. Can you look into something for me?” “Sure. What is it?” “Marganis Pharmaceuticals.” Sam heard Eric’s low whistle on the other end of the line. “Does this have anything to do with Paul Richardson? Or maybe his wife?” “Yeah, it kinda does.” “You know she’s missing, right? I wasn’t going to say anything, knowing your 58

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twisted fixation with the woman, but it’s been all over the news.” Damn it. “She’s not missing. She’s with me.” “What?” Eric coughed. “What the hell did you do?” “I didn’t do anything she didn’t ask me to do. She came to me and asked me to protect her.” “The Council is going to be seriously angry over this. You’d better watch your back.” Sam scrubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t care. Let them be angry. This is a lot more important.” “How can a human woman be more important than…?” Eric stopped. “Oh.” “Yeah. Oh.” Sam nearly laughed at his situation. A year ago, he’d taunted Eric for a similar problem. He’d never been a big believer in karma, but now he had to wonder. “Just look up the name for me and get back to me when you find something, okay?” “Sure. Take care of her, okay?” “I plan to.” “Oh, and Sam?” “Yeah?” “If you get into any trouble, you know you can call me. Give Mrs. Richardson my number too, just in case.” “Thanks. I will.” He disconnected the call, set his cell phone on the table next to the bed. With any luck, it wouldn’t come to bringing in outside help. But if it did… No. He wouldn’t think about it now. He closed his eyes, determined to get a little rest before Faith finished her shower. He’d need all the strength he had when it came time to face her again.

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Chapter Six After an obscenely long shower—partially because the hot water felt incredible after what she’d been through but mostly because she wanted to make Sam suffer after what he’d done with the underwear and his annoyingly domineering ways—Faith stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but the thong, a towel clutched in front of her chest. He hadn’t provided her with pajamas, and as exhausted as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to care. So he wanted her to sleep naked. So what? She’d brought it upon herself when she’d offered him her body. Though if she’d known then what she knew about him now, she would have ignored Paul’s advice and run in the other direction. Holding the towel secure over her breasts, she stepped to the bed against the far wall. Sam slept on the other bed, his chest rising and falling with his even breaths. Too many emotions raced through her mind. He worried her, scared her with his confessions and his domineering behavior. Yet at the same time heat rose in her at the thought of him controlling their play. But he was a demon, and some kind of vampire. Or so he said. She didn’t know what to think, what to believe. Her upbringing, everything she’d grown up knowing, pulled her in one direction while instinct shoved her in another. Did he have powers that could make her want him, even when her mind warned her against it? She wouldn’t doubt it. Why else would she have let him touch her like that in the woods? Take her right up against a tree, in full view of anyone who might have passed by. She pulled back the covers on the bed and was just about to let the towel drop when Sam stirred. “What do you think you’re doing?” A curl of arousal formed in her belly as fear welled in her heart. “What do you mean? I’m tired, and I want to go to bed.” “It’s early.” “Not that early. It was a long night, and a long day. I need some sleep.” She glanced at him, her hands on her hips. “I’ll take this bed, and you take that one.” His expression turned stormy. “I don’t think so. We made a deal.” “Listen, asshole, I need a break from the deal, okay? I’m about two seconds away from freaking out here, so I suggest you shut the fuck up and let me get some sleep. You’ve really thrown me for a loop, and I need some time to work it out. I’m going to sleep here, and you’re going to sleep there, and you’re going to like it.” Without another word, she dropped the towel and slid under the covers. Despite his gaze on her, scorching her skin, probably angry as hell and ready to strangle her, she fell into a fitful sleep.

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***** Faith walked through her house—not the motel room she shared with Sam, but the mansion back in Connecticut she’d shared with Paul. She made her way down the long hallway to Paul’s den, his favorite room in the house. Something warned her not to go inside, but she stepped over the threshold anyway. A strange, dark shadow hung over the oak-paneled room, something she couldn’t see, but felt deep inside her. Sinister. Evil. She gulped as her blood turned to ice in her veins. “Paul?” “I’m right here, Faith.” She spun around, her eyes half-closed, expecting to find Paul as she’d found him the night he’d been killed—broken, lifeless, his neck snapped and his eyes glassy. But he stood in front of her, full of the life and vibrancy she’d admired in him during the course of their brief marriage. He smiled. “How are you?” Laughter bubbled inside her at the inane question, given the seriousness of the situation. “You’ve asked a lot of me.” “I wouldn’t have asked more than you could handle, Faith. You know that. I chose you because you’re strong. You can carry on and finish this, even without me.” “I don’t want to. Paul, they’re trying to kill me.” Hot, salty tears streamed down her cheeks, and no matter how much she swiped them away, they kept coming. “I want out of this. I never agreed to this when I agreed to marry you.” Paul ran a finger down the side of her cheek. Her husband’s touch should have stirred something inside her, but it didn’t. It never had. Instead, the touch comforted, and reinforced her decision to carry on with his plan. “You will do this for me, Faith, won’t you?” Paul asked, his tone tender and caring, the way she’d always remembered it to be. She couldn’t let him down. He depended on her. The world depended on her. “Yes. I will.” “You still have the formula?” “Yes, Paul. I told you I would guard it with my life, and I’ll do that.” “Good girl.” Paul smiled the charming smile that had turned her heart over the day they met. “You remember where it needs to go?” “I do.” She returned the smile, her heart aching for the loss of the friendship she and Paul had, before he’d been killed. He was the first person to ever care about her, the first person in her life who hadn’t cast her aside for bigger and better things, and for that she’d always be grateful. “That’s my girl. I knew I could count on you.” Guilt sliced through her when she thought of Sam. Sam with his rugged face and dark demeanor and body to die for, and for the first time, she felt unfaithful to Paul. She shouldn’t…they’d agreed on an open marriage from the start, but faced with Paul as she remembered him in life, the attraction she’d always felt for Sam seemed wrong. Maybe it was, but she couldn’t help it. “Have you told Kincaid what you need to do yet?” She shook her head. She’d planned to, from the first night, but something inside her told her

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to wait. She knew now that he wasn’t what he had seemed. “You need to tell him, Faith.” “I will. Soon.” Paul nodded. “I’m counting on you. He will protect you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You deserve more than I could give you. What he can give you, now that I’m gone.” “Paul, don’t.” “Do it, Faith. Bring the drug where I told you to. Tell Sam. Trust me. Once he knows where it’s going, he will help you get it there.” The ominous tone of Paul’s voice wasn’t lost on her. She shivered. The shivers soon faded as something soft, wet and warm stroked between her legs. Paul? No, not Paul. Never Paul. Sam. She snapped her eyes open, blinked in the dim light provided by the parted curtains. It had all been a dream. Paul was dead. She’d never have the chance to speak to him again. And she wouldn’t give Sam the formula. Not until she was sure she could trust him to do the right thing. The warm stroke came again, harder this time than the first. She hadn’t dreamed that. Her mind reeled, her gaze searching the darkened room. When had the sun set? She must have been more tired than she thought if she’d slept the day away. Well, she had been up most of the night before—and running for her life—to blame for that. She shook her head, her mind finally shaking off the last remnants of sleep. She lay on the mattress, naked, uncovered, her legs parted with Sam’s dark head between them. A shock of arousal coursed through her and she bit back a moan. He must have removed her panties while she was still asleep. Didn’t she tell him they were going to sleep in separate beds? She fisted her hands in his hair and pulled his head up. “What do you think you’re doing?” He smiled, his face glistening with her cream in the dim moonlight. The visual only increased her arousal. “If it’s not obvious, you have issues.” His smile, genuine and honest, made something hitch inside her. She’d never met someone so cold, so intense. So precise and calculating that just watching him work scared her. But when he smiled, his whole face changed. No. This is wrong. He isn’t even human. She tried to scoot away, but he held her in place with his big palms on her thighs. He dipped his head again, his tongue stroking along the wet folds of her slit. She shivered. “No, Sam. This is wrong. We shouldn’t be… I shouldn’t be…” He lifted his head, exasperation heavy in his eyes. “You spend way too much time thinking of how you shouldn’t feel, shouldn’t act. For once, just let yourself think about how you should. Do I make you feel good?” She licked her lips, nodded. Yes, he made her feel good. Too good. He made her forget her situation—which would break only break her heart in the end. 62

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“Then what’s the problem?” “You’re…you’re not human.” “I’m a demon, Faith. That’s not a bad thing. You won’t burst into flames just saying it.” “I know.” “I don’t think you do.” He nipped gently at her folds, making her entire body quiver. “But you will. I promise. Trust me. I’ll show you that I can be just like any other man you’ve ever known.” She froze, her blood chilling in her veins. He had no idea what he was saying. “No. I don’t want you to be like any man I’ve ever known.” “You haven’t had good experiences with men.” She shook her head. “I can change that.” Without further comment, he brought his mouth back to her pussy. He spread her folds with his thumbs, dragged his tongue from one end of her slit to the other before swirling it over her clit. Her body responded instantly, cream coating the walls of her cunt as desire curled in her belly. He sucked the hard bud into his mouth, tugged and pulled with his lips and teeth. Shards of arousal shot through her stomach, lighting a fire deep inside her. She arched her hips toward the irresistible touch of his mouth, wanting more. Needing more. Needing to forget. “That’s it, baby,” he breathed against her skin. “Don’t think. Just feel.” She obliged him without argument. Thinking, in this instance, could be dangerous. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she was making a mistake in allowing him such free rein, but she was powerless to stop him. Powerless to stop what she wanted as much as he did. Maybe more. Had she known she would respond to him so strongly, she never would have used her body as a bargaining chip. She’d spent her whole life avoiding heartache, but she wouldn’t be able to with Sam. His tongue circled the entrance to her cunt before he pushed it inside, stroking in and out of her like she wanted his cock to do. The rough-slippery feel of him against her inner walls drove her arousal higher, sent waves of chills racing through her body as her heart rate speeded up. Thinking again became impossible, any important thoughts lost in his sensual onslaught. Her hands flew to his hair, clenching, tightening in the strands until he groaned. She held his face against her, didn’t let him move past the motions of his lips and tongue. Her nipples pebbled, begged for his touch. She moved one hand away from his head and brought it to her breasts. Her fingers played over her nipples, tugging, squeezing, their touch shooting fire from her breasts to her cunt as she imagined it was Sam’s fingers instead of her own. His groan snapped her gaze to his. He lifted his mouth from her long enough to give her a seductive smile.

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“Oh, yeah. That’s awesome. Keep playing with those amazing breasts.” Oh God. His request turned her on as much as her actions did. She pinched her nipple between her thumb and forefinger, rolling it back and forth. His tongue swirled around her clit again, his lips nipping the tender flesh with gentle caresses. Each stroke of his wet tongue brought her higher and higher, tightening her stomach until her climax rocked through her, sending a gush of cream to her cunt. Sam lapped it up, milked shudder after shudder out of her until she collapsed on the mattress, wrung out and sleepy. He crawled up her body, pulled her in for a long, scorching kiss. The taste of herself on his lips and tongue sent a quiver of arousal through her pussy. The head of his cock probed her entrance and slipped inside. She moaned at the feeling of being stretched so fully by him. He made her feel things she’d never before even wanted to feel, but now, with him she welcomed them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, preparing to hang on for the ride. Instead of the fierce taking, the pounding thrusts she anticipated, he stroked into her with slow, measured movements that comforted as well as aroused. His weight on top of her, his lips on her face, her throat, warmed her from the inside out. She’d never expected tenderness from such a man. Everything about Sam warned her he was harsh, domineering, dangerous. Yet this…it shocked the breath from her lungs. Her body and mind spent, she clung to him, rode wave after wave of soft, shimmering orgasm as he wrung tremors through her. He offered her refuge, a safe place away from fear and stress and threats against her life. She ran her hand down his back, urged him to take his own release. His thrusts grew faster, less controlled. His breath came in short, hard pants. His eyes closed, his lips parted and his face strained as his climax took him over the edge, her name on his lips. She’d never seen a sight more beautiful. For once, she stopped thinking of him as wrong—the wrong man, the wrong situation, the wrong reasons. None of that mattered anymore. He might just be the only thing in her crazy, messed-up life that had gone right. Where had that thought come from? She frowned, shook her head. It wasn’t possible that she could think of him as anything other than a temporary bed partner. She’d had enough pain in her life. Adding to it wasn’t an option. She pushed the thoughts out of her head, letting herself get lost instead in what he could make her feel. Anything beyond that was too dangerous to contemplate. Sam’s lips brushed her shoulder as he pulled out of her, rolling to his side on the bed. His hand rested on her stomach, his fingers lightly stroking her sensitized skin and inciting a riot of tingles. “You were having a nightmare.” She nodded, tugged on her lower lip with her teeth. “Do you want to talk about it?” She opened her mouth to tell him what she’d seen, but something held her back. “I don’t remember much of it.”

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He seemed to accept her answer. He pulled her to him, fit her head against his chest, and kissed her hair. “It’s going to be fine, Faith. I promise.” She tried to smile, but it fell flat. She had a feeling it was going to be anything but.

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Chapter Seven Faith woke with a start, goose bumps pebbling every inch of her skin. She shivered, reached for Sam to keep her warm. She found his side of the bed empty. Her heart lurched into her throat. Had he left her alone? She reached for the light, but a hand closed over her wrist. She would have screamed, if another hand hadn’t slapped over her mouth seconds before the sound erupted from her throat. Her heart stopped for the brief moment it took her to recognize the spicy masculine scent of the man holding her. Sam. He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear. “Get dressed. Now.” She shoved his hand away from her face. “It’s dark. I can’t see.” “Stop talking.” He handed her a pile of clothes. “Put this stuff on. Now. We need to get out of here. We don’t have much time.” Her body chilled to the core. Running on autopilot, she slid out of bed and did her best to dress in the dark. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sam shushed her with a finger to her lips. He leaned in close again. “Don’t speak. Just follow. Don’t make any noise.” He hefted his duffel bag over his shoulder, grabbed her hand, and pulled open the room door. “Follow,” he whispered. She clung to his hand, her fingers so tight they went numb. He paid her no attention, his gaze swiveling around the parking lot as he raced toward the car. “Get in and close the door quietly.” He unlocked the doors, pushed her toward the passenger seat, and slid behind the wheel. She did as told, awed by his grace and the complete silence of his movements. He tossed the duffel bag in the back, gave her a quick, hard gaze as he started the car, and peeled out of the parking lot. The second they hit the street, the back window of the car exploded. Sam’s hand landed on her shoulder. “Get down.” He pushed her forward until her head hung between her knees. His hand lingered on her back for a brief second before he pulled it away. “Stay that way until I tell you it’s safe, okay?” Her blood rushed so loud in her ears she had to struggle to hear anything else. Somewhere along the way, her heart had lodged in her throat, swelling and growing until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t swallow. “Faith, did you hear me?” “Uh-huh.” She cleared her throat. “Yes. Yes, I heard you.”

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“Good. It’s going to be fine. Just give me a few minutes.” She’d believe it when it actually happened. Every time she let herself believe she was safe, something terrible happened to shatter the fragile illusion. Tears formed in her eyes, dripped onto the floor mats. Hatred for Paul, and what he’d put her through, welled inside her. But she had to do it. She’d made her promise, and she wouldn’t back out now. She’d have to trust in Sam enough to believe he’d keep her alive. If she stopped believing, she might as well give herself up to the men trying to kill her. The car’s tires squealed as Sam cut the wheel hard, sailing around one corner and then another. A horn honked from somewhere behind them. Their pursuers, or someone else? She didn’t dare peek her head up to find out. “Sam?” “Shh.” She shook her head, tried to swipe away the flow of tears that wouldn’t be stemmed. What was wrong with her? She never cried. Never. Not when her mother had died, not when Paul had. Why now did she seem to cry at every turn? Because everything had gone wrong. Everything. No matter what happened, whether or not Sam upheld his end of the bargain, her life would never be the same. It seemed like an eternity before his hand once again rested on her back. “You can sit up now, if you want to.” “Did you lose them?” “I think so. I hope so.” She sat up, glanced around them. The sun had just started to rise, bathing the trees and the dirt road in an eerie yellow glow. She swallowed. “Um, thanks.” He slid her a glance. “For what?” “For sticking to the bargain.” He looked at her again, his eyes hard and cold. “Yeah. No problem.” “What happened?” “They found you, obviously.” A shiver ran through her at the darkness in his tone. “They found us. I’m not in this alone, am I?” He shook his head, his expression grim as he stared at the road. “You saw me kill one of them. You know they aren’t human. They know I’m not—and they know a simple bullet isn’t going to do me any permanent damage.” His words settled like a rock in the pit of her stomach. She clenched her hands together. Fear pushed common sense out of the way and she lashed out at the closest available target. “Well, why can’t you keep them away? Isn’t that why I’m sleeping with you? So you can protect me?” Guilt hit her hard as the words left her mouth, but she refused to back down. She couldn’t. She’d put her life in his hands, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

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Sam slammed his hands down on the wheel, his face reddening as his expression turned hard as stone. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I’ve saved your life twice. I suggest you shut up or I might stop the car and leave you on the side of the road.” All too happy to oblige, she sank back onto the seat and closed her eyes.

***** After what seemed like hours, Sam turned down an empty dirt road. He slowed the car to a near crawl. The sun poked through the canopy of tress hanging over the road. He squinted through the bright shards of light splashed across his line of vision. Faith stirred, sat up. “Where are we?” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his anger still strong from her cutting words. “Connecticut.” “Still?” She frowned. “We haven’t left yet?” “We will, when the sun sets again. For now, we need to hide out and stay out of view.” “And we’re going to do that in the middle of the woods?” He heaved a sigh. “No. There’s a place around here that’s abandoned. We can spend the day there, though there won’t be much to do.” He returned his focus to the road, looking for the break in the trees that would indicate the driveway. Once he found it, he turned left down the rocky path that led to the old barn. She put her hand on his arm. “You know where we are?” “Yeah.” He shrugged away from her touch. “How? Have you been here before?” He nodded, pushing his anger—and every other emotion—aside. She wanted this to be about the bargain? Fine. He could handle that. He could be the coldest son of a bitch she’d ever met, if that’s the way she wanted things. “Sam?” He ignored her questioning tone, ignored the heat of her gaze over his skin. If he looked, his resolve would cave. A few minutes later the barn came into view. The structure looked ready to fall in on itself, but he knew better. Though nothing spectacular to look at, the old barn he’d bought too many years ago to count would serve their purpose, give them a place to hide out for the day. He pulled his car around the back, out of view from the drive, and turned to Faith. “Get out.” Her breath hitched. “What are you doing? You’re not going to leave me here.” “As much as I’d like to, we made a deal. I don’t go back on my word.” Without

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giving her another glance, he stepped from the vehicle and walked into the barn. Soft footsteps on the dusty wooden floor told him she’d followed. “How do they keep finding me?” Her question drew him up short. He spun, shrugged. “They have ways. I’m sure there is someone very powerful behind them, someone who can back them with whatever they need.” “Like money?” “Money, weapons, poisons that would kill a human. Tracking devices of all kinds, electronic and otherwise. They’re after you, and they intend to take you out. They aren’t going to stop, and they aren’t going to give up easily.” She shivered. His heart clenched at the sight, some of his anger dissolving. “Sam?” Her voice held unshed tears. “So what you’re saying is I’m basically screwed? That nothing is going to stop them?” A bitter laugh escaped her. “I’m on my own, on the run, and everything I had with me is back in that hotel room. What am I supposed to do now?” “Shit.” He reached out for her, pulled her into an embrace and kissed her temple. “Don’t look at me like that. It isn’t the end of the world. You’re not alone. And your stuff is all packed in my duffel bag. It’ll be okay. I made you that promise, and I intend to keep it.” She snorted. “Yeah, I definitely believe that one.” Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smiled. Even running for her life, Faith had a stubborn streak he never would have figured on. She was beautiful, polished, and knew her own mind. Even faced with the kind of stress that would break a man, she kept going. Didn’t give up. He tightened his hold. Up until recently, he’d rarely seen a Panthicenos with a human mate. Not until Eric, a man he’d raised like a son and had later become his friend, had found his mate in a human last year. Though Ellie was no longer human, he had had no doubt that she was the right woman for Eric. Though he’d never himself experienced the feeling of finding his true mate, he’d known Faith for who she was when she stepped into his cabin that night. He’d noticed something about her before that, something he’d refused to name but couldn’t shake. But that night she’d come to him for help and he hadn’t been able to deny it any longer. She belonged with him, to him, for the rest of her days. His heart clenched as the last words echoed in his head. The lifespan of a human was like a month in the life of a Panthicenos. He would lose her almost as soon as he’d found her, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. The only way to make a human a Panthicenos was to use an ancient curse—one that was not an option. Yes, he had changed Ellie, but she’d been dying. She’d had no other hope. Provided he could keep Faith alive until he figured out how to stop the demons

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chasing her, she was a normal, healthy human. Young, with plenty of life to live. He was bound by the rules that stated he couldn’t change her, and he couldn’t turn her vampire, either. Human blood didn’t respond to demon blood in any way. It left him with no options, save enjoying what little time they had together. Provided she didn’t run when he told her the bond had been forged. Faith shivered again and he wrapped his arms tighter around her. Pain for her filled him, along with something else. Something a little too close to the all-too-human emotion of love. Panthicenos don’t love. But Eric had found Ellie, and Merida, Eric’s sister, had found…well, he didn’t approve of the annoying vampire she’d chosen as a mate, but from a very early age Merida had known her own mind. The way she saw it, it was her world and everyone else just got in her way. She and Faith would get along a little too well. “It’ll be okay,” he repeated, more for his own benefit than hers. “I don’t know if it will.” Her voice sounded so soft, so wounded, that his heart nearly broke for her. Why hadn’t he tortured Richardson when he’d had the chance? He’d let the man off too easy, breaking his neck with such swift precision. The man had deserved so much worse. If only he’d known… Red-hot anger spiked inside him, turning his insides to molten lava. Every muscle he had clenched and his nerves snapped. “Sam?” The worry in Faith’s voice broke through his anger. He glanced down at her, into those big brown eyes that would forever haunt his dreams. “Yeah?” “What’s the matter? You’re scaring me.” “That’s the last thing I want to do.” But it happened, time and again, nonetheless. Helplessness surged through him, a foreign and unwelcome emotion. In desperate need of a distraction, he tilted her chin up and kissed her. When he broke the kiss, she glanced up at him. “I’m sorry for being so rude earlier.” He shrugged. “It’s to be expected. You’re under a lot of stress.” “Yes, but that doesn’t give me the right to treat you so poorly.” She stepped away, walked back to the barn entrance and leaned against the doorframe. “You’ve done everything you can to keep me alive. I shouldn’t have talked to you the way I did.” His heart clenched at her words. He walked to where she stood, leaned on the opposite side of the doorframe and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ve heard much worse. There isn’t anything you can say to me that I haven’t heard before.” Though, coming from her, the words wounded him straight to his soul. “You’re lying. I can see it in your eyes.” He took a step back, frowned. Turned away and walked out the barn door into the bright sunshine. How had she known? He hadn’t survived all these years, done the job that he had for so long by allowing his every emotion to pass over his expression. He’d

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made a career out of distancing himself from his emotions. Becoming a hard, cold shell of a man without feeling. But now… Her hand on his arm pulled him from his thoughts. He turned, took her fingers in his and squeezed. She smiled in return. “Can I ask you something?” “Anything.” Though he couldn’t guarantee her an honest answer. “What do you really do? I know Paul had hired you as a bodyguard, but that doesn’t seem to fit you.” He let out a breath, raked a hand through his hair. Dropped her hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s a question you don’t want me to answer.” She laughed. “Why? What are you, some kind of assassin?” Unable to look at her, not wanting her to see the undeniable truth in his eyes, he turned away. She gasped. “Oh, my God. You are.” Her words chilled his blood. He turned back to her, grabbed her hand in his. “It isn’t what you think.” Her fingers were stiff under his touch. She shook her head, her face paling. “Then I think you should explain to me what it’s really all about. You’re making me nervous. I mean…you kill people for a living, Sam. That doesn’t exactly inspire trust.” And it shouldn’t. He fought the urge to walk away, to run from the emotions attached to the conversation. “Do you remember when we talked about Panthicenos, about balance keepers?” She nodded. He drew a breath, let it out on a sigh. How could he explain himself without scaring her off? If she’d been any other woman, he would have brushed off her questions and told her it was none of her business. But with Faith, all the rules changed. “That’s part of it. It’s what I used to do for the Council, when I was still a balance keeper. And now I still do the occasional job for them, when they request me.” Her expression turned horrified. “That’s terrible. How can you do that?” “To keep the balance, sometimes killing is necessary.” “Killing is never necessary.” “Maybe not, if you live in your cozy little human world with your blinders firmly in place.” “Give me a break, Sam. I don’t wear blinders.” “Did you know of the existence of supernatural creatures before I confessed my secrets to you?” She blinked, swallowed. “No.” “Blinders.” He swung his gaze around the forested area. “The supernatural is all around you. Most humans choose not to see it. And believe me, however bad your 71

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human world is, it would be a thousand times worse without some of us taking care of certain problems before they can grow into something out of control.” “Still, it doesn’t seem right.” “Because you live in a society that touts a strict moral code it doesn’t adhere to. Life in my world is a little simpler.” “Do you live somewhere else, besides here?” Confusion, doubt flashed across her delicate features. He laughed. “No. Unlike some, I don’t reside on the demonic plane.” A nervous smile twitched her lips. “There’s a demonic plane?” He nodded. “But it isn’t any place I’d want to visit. Most of the time I’m quite happy living among you humans, as well as the other creatures that inhabit this plane of existence.” “There are other creatures?” There seemed to be no limit to her curiosity. “Do you really want me to answer that?” Her eyes widened. “I’m thinking I don’t. So, in your…ah…job, you don’t kill innocent people, do you?” He sighed, fixed her with a glare. “What do you think?” “I don’t know what to think.” Her eyes told him a different story. He reached out, snagged a lock of her hair and tugged. Brought her closer until her soft scent wrapped around his senses. “Yes, you do. You know the truth. You know I would never hurt innocents. And I would never hurt you. I’m doing all I can to protect you, Faith. You’ve got to believe that I’ll continue to do so, no matter what.” She glanced down at the ground. “Why, Sam? I get the feeling this isn’t about the bargain.” He’d never met a human so perceptive. “No, it’s not. But like I told you, I gave you my word and I intend to make sure nothing stops me from keeping it.” “Thank you.” Her soft, sincere words struck him through the heart. It wasn’t often that he did anything that even deserved thanks. And with the way he’d treated her when she’d first asked for help, he sure as hell didn’t deserve it. But he’d take it. He’d take all he could get until they ran out of time. He pulled her into his arms, hoping they had a lot more time than he thought.

***** They got away again.

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Tomaz stomped through the old mansion, his anger reaching a dangerous level. How could this have happened? Did he have anyone working for him who wasn’t completely incompetent? He’d sent his own men after Kincaid and the woman this time, and they’d failed as Aiala’s had. It ate him up inside to think he couldn’t stop the man. Couldn’t control him. Couldn’t bend him to his will, as he could everyone else in his life. His own flesh and blood. Kincaid had shunned him at an early age, acted ashamed of the blood they shared. From those early days, Tomaz had realized Kincaid’s worthlessness as a son. He’d taken after his mother, and for that he could no longer be trusted. He had to be destroyed. But the man showed powers far surpassing the norm for Panthicenos. For years Tomaz had been trying to get rid of him, to no avail. But now things had changed. He was traveling with a human woman who would do nothing but slow him down. Did he care for this woman? Tomaz smiled. He could only hope. If so, it might prove to be the weakness he’d been waiting centuries for. The way to finally remove Sam Kincaid from his life once and for all.

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Chapter Eight Faith leaned against the open barn door, her gaze following Sam as he searched the grounds for trespassers. Shirtless, the pale blue moonlight glistening off his muscular back, he made her stomach flip and her knees knock together like a schoolgirl with a crush. She bit back a sigh. At any given moment, death was just a heartbeat away, yet she couldn’t stop wanting him. She’d tried to distance herself, would probably keep trying, but it wouldn’t make a difference. As long as he was around, she’d keep going back for more. In another time, another place, things would have been different. Sam was exactly the type of man she would have been attracted to in her former life, the life before she married Paul and moved up about a hundred notches in social stature. But back then, when she’d been working in the club, she hadn’t had the best taste in men. Bile rose in her throat at the thought. For so long she’d tried to forget what her life had been like, what she’d had to stoop to in order to survive. No matter how much time passed, something always reminded her of what she’d been before she’d met Paul. Bad taste in men…what a joke. It went well past that. Back then, she hadn’t had a choice. Giving her body to Sam in return for his protection wasn’t any different. If he knew some of her secrets, he’d drop her off at the nearest bus stop and wish her luck eluding the creatures who wanted to hunt her down and kill her. Sam made his way back to the barn, stopped in front of her with one hand shoved in the pocket of his jeans. His stance would have looked casual, had it not been for the gun gripped in his other hand. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair, plucked out bits of hay. “Is that going to stop these…things that are after us?” “No, but it’ll slow them down. And I thought I might need it to take care of any curious humans wandering around. Luckily, the area is clear.” She stiffened, bit back a gasp. “You wouldn’t really shoot an innocent person, would you?” “What do you think?” He stepped past her into of the barn, set the gun down on a shelf, and grabbed his shirt off the floor where he’d tossed it earlier. His back to her, he tugged it over his head. “I don’t know.” He came back to her and lifted her chin with his thumb. His gaze snagged hers, his eyes dark, angry. “I wouldn’t use it to shoot anyone, but I wouldn’t hesitate to scare them off with it. Come on, Faith. Don’t you know by now that I wouldn’t hurt an innocent person?”

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“Don’t you get your kicks from killing humans?” The words slipped out before she had a chance to pull them back. She grimaced. Sam’s gaze darkened even more. It chilled her to the bone. He dropped his hand to his side. “If I did, you’d be dead by now.” He shook his head, walked over to the shelf and picked up his gun, stuffed it into his waistband. “Get ready. We need to get out of here.” Without even giving her a glance, he strode to his car and opened the door. She grabbed her things and raced after him, caught him just before he slid behind the wheel. “Don’t do this.” “Don’t do what? Walk away when I really want to scream at you?” His gaze slid toward the barn, back to her. “I want to shake some sense into you right now. But something tells me even that isn’t going to make you believe me. If you still can’t trust me, even after all this, we have some serious problems. Get in the car.” “It isn’t that I don’t trust you, Sam, it really isn’t. There’s so much going on. I don’t know who’s my friend and who isn’t.” He slid her a scathing glance. “Get in the goddamned car, Faith.” She ignored his command. “Sam, hold on. I’m not finished. We still need to talk—” “Shut up for a second. Just shut up.” He lifted her by her arms, walked her around to the passenger side door and dropped her on her feet. He yanked the door open and crossed his arms over his chest. “Get in the fucking car.” The low, harsh whispered tone sent a shock through her. She jumped into the seat and slammed the door closed. Her heart pounding, she fastened her seat belt and rubbed her hands up and down her sore arms. After a few minutes, Sam slid behind the wheel, cleared his throat. “Faith?” “What?” She stared straight ahead as he started the car and pulled it away from the barn, back onto the dirt drive. “I’m sorry.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, took in his contrite expression and worried gaze. She swallowed hard. When had she last heard those words from a man’s lips? She couldn’t think of a time. The two simple words melted some of her fear and anger. She’d asked a lot of him, and he hadn’t let her down yet. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too.” “You have nothing to be sorry about. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Shouldn’t have grabbed you.” He let out a rough sigh, ran a big hand through his hair. “I just don’t like to have my integrity called into question.” “Yeah, I kinda noticed.” She put her hand on his arm. “Look, I’ve had a hard life. Trust doesn’t come easily to me, especially trust in men I barely know.” “You know me better than most women do.” He shook his head, shrugged off her touch. “And I’m sure being married to Paul Richardson, living in that big, expensive house was a real hardship.” 75

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Her stomach twisted into a painful knot. “You don’t know anything about my life, Sam. Nothing at all. You have no idea the hell I had to live through, what I went through before I met Paul.” He barked a laugh, turned his car onto the rural road that would take them away from the barn—and safety. “Sure you did. Hell, huh? Did you grow up in a house that only had four bedrooms and no big screen TV?” She clenched her hands into fists in her lap. Her pulse kicked up a notch. Tears formed in the corners of her eye, the images of her childhood flashed through her mind. A house big enough to hold even two bedrooms would have seemed like a mansion. “I grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in a crappy building that was falling down around us. The neighbor on the left sold drugs and the one on the right beat his wife every single night after he downed a six-pack or two. My mother was sick. Really sick. She had cancer. We had no insurance and couldn’t pay for medical care, and she couldn’t work to pay the rent and buy groceries, so I did what I had to do to make money.” The tears left her eyes, streamed down her face in red-hot rivulets. All she’d tried to bury came racing back, the stench of sweat and garbage and decay, the peeling paint, the broken light fixtures, the walls so paper-thin they seemed to amplify noises rather than disguise them. The acrid scent of beer, whiskey on their breath. Their sweating, roaming hands. The rundown room above the club with the bare mattress and worn rug. She’d been barely nineteen, working long hours at a local club just to pay the rent, buy food, and pay for her mother’s doctor appointments. “What did you do?” He spoke so softly she barely heard him. His hand hovered over her leg, but he pulled it back before he made contact. She stifled a sob. “I did what I could. What I had to do. I waited tables at a seedy little strip club, a place close to the house so that if my mom needed me I could be there in a few minutes. The money wasn’t great, and when my boss offered me a much better opportunity, I took it.” She slid a glance to him. His grip tightened on the wheel, his knuckles white. His hard gaze focused on the road. “What did he offer you?” The harsh tone of his voice made her hesitate, but when she looked at him again she caught a glimpse of anger in his eyes. He knew what she would tell him, and he didn’t like it. She pressed on with her story, a small part of her glad to finally get the truth out in the open. If he decided he didn’t want her after that, she would find a way to deal with it. “I stripped, Sam. I took off my clothes in front of men every night, just to make a buck.” A small laugh escaped her throat. “But you know, I didn’t mind the stripping. I made decent money, even though the club was small, and it was just my body. None of them could touch, at least not there.” He sucked in a breath. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 76

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“The money was good, but after a while it wasn’t enough. My dad had walked out not too long before my mom got sick, left us with a lot of gambling debts that had to be paid back somehow. I didn’t want anything to happen to me or my mother, and I didn’t want to end up on the street, so I found a way to make more money. This time, taxfree.” Sam jerked the wheel to the right. The tires squealed as he pulled the car over to the side of the road and slammed it into park. He smacked his palms down on the wheel, his face red, his gaze still focused on some point ahead of them. He said nothing, but tension radiated off him in droves. “What’s the matter? Don’t have anything to say to that?” He turned to her, his eyes nearly glowing with anger. “I want to kill them all. Any man who put his filthy hands on you.” “It was just my body, Sam.” He wanted the truth? Well, he’d get it all. Every last sordid detail. And then she’d see, once and for all, where they stood. “Did you really think I was some innocent little rich girl who’d never been touched until she married? Not even close. Paul was the only one who didn’t use me. And the only one who didn’t lay a hand on my body.” “Not even once?” “No. I told you before that Paul and I didn’t have that kind of a relationship. He wasn’t all that interested in women, especially women half his age. But when we met, he was at the club with some business partners and he saw me dance. To make a long story short, he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse. We married, and he took care of me and my mom until she died last year. I’d saved up some money to live on my own and had planned to file for divorce. But now…” She sniffed. Though she’d never had romantic feelings for him, Paul had been a good friend. She missed the friendship now more than ever, when she was running for her life, alone and scared. No. She wasn’t alone. She had Sam. She stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. Where Paul had been fair, jovial and caring, Sam was dark and dangerous. Mysterious. Terrifying. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up hurt. But she trusted him. With her life. Not with her heart. She’d never given her heart to any man, and she wouldn’t start with a demon that had no use for her past a warm body to fill his bed. “No comments, Sam?” “No. No comments. We have a lot to do. We need to get you to safety.” He pulled the car back onto the road. They rode for a while in silence, what seemed like an eternity, before Sam finally spoke. “I’m sorry I misjudged you.” “What’s this? Another apology? Two in a day. In an hour, no less. That has to be some kind of record for the male species.”

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“Ha, ha. I have a deal to make with you.” He glanced at her. Humor danced in his eyes, lightened her heart. She raised her eyebrows. “Oh yeah? And what kind of deal would that be?” “How about I stop judging you, if you stop thinking I’m some kind of monster who’s going to turn on you at the first opportunity?” She smiled. “I think we can work that out.”

***** Faith lay silent in the seat next to him, soft snores escaping her parted lips. Her angelic beauty struck Sam through the heart. He laughed softly. When she woke, she wouldn’t seem nearly so innocent. Her confessions had stunned him, sent a ball of rage through his gut. He never would have let her live like that, in poverty, giving her body to a different man every night just to keep her and her mother fed and with a roof over their heads. Even though he hadn’t known her then, still he felt like he’d failed her in some way. She hadn’t deserved it, any of it, and he hadn’t been there to protect her. It would never happen again. He lifted his phone from the clip, flipped it open and dialed Eric’s number. Eric answered on the first ring. “Yeah?” “Find anything yet?” He let out a long, frustrated breath. “Yeah, I think so. How is she doing?” “She’s fine. Sleeping. What did you find?” “First, I think you should know something.” Eric paused, continued in a softer tone. “The police are after you.” “What?” “Don’t they get the news in those hotel rooms you’ve been staying in?” Sam pushed a hand through his hair, glanced in the rearview mirror. “We didn’t stay in a hotel today. Tell me what’s going on, Eric. Why are the police involved?” “I don’t know where they got their information, but they think the person who murdered Paul kidnapped Faith.” He shot her a glance. “I didn’t kidnap her.” “Yeah, I know. But they don’t.” Eric paused. “There’s more.” A hard knot of dread formed in Sam’s stomach. “What else?” “It took a little bit of digging, but I found the owner of Marganis Pharmaceuticals.” “Well, then. Don’t keep me in suspense.” “I traced the company back to Thom Nicholas. Sound familiar?”

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“Tomaz.” The knot of dread turned into a two-ton weight, twisting and turning until he thought he’d double over from the pain. Why had he not seen this before? He’d known Richardson had been involved in some bad dealings, but this new information took it to another level. He’d been involved with a ruthless demon that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. In this case, he wanted the formula Richardson had created. A formula with very sinister implications. “Where are you headed?” Eric asked, his tone soft. “We’re in New Jersey right now. These guys don’t give up.” “And they aren’t going to. They think she has the formula, and they want it. Sam, you’d be better off turning around and coming back. We could help you.” “No.” He tightened his grip on the wheel, pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal. The scenery flew by. “Where is he, Eric?” “Going after him yourself isn’t a good idea.” “Save the righteousness for someone who cares. Tell me where he is, or I’ll rip your throat out the next time I see you.” Used to Sam’s threats, Eric laughed. “I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with Ellie’s wrath if you did something that stupid and impulsive. Trust me. Right now is not a good time to piss her off. Stay somewhere out of the way. I’ll come down and help you. We’ll take care of this together.” “No. Tell me where he is.” Aggravation, anger welled inside him, driving him to the breaking point. Destroying Tomaz, after all these years, was something he needed to do on his own. He wouldn’t put Eric’s life at risk. Eric let out a resigned sigh. “Georgia. In a little town in the mountains near a place called Clayton. If you give me another couple hours, I can get you directions.” “Yeah. Fine. Let me know when you have an exact location.” He disconnected the call before Eric could again make his offer of unwanted assistance. Sam wouldn’t involve anyone else in this mess. If he got himself killed, so be it. But he wouldn’t allow anything to happen to a man he considered family as much as friend. He turned to the right, steered the car onto another quiet back road. For the rest of the journey they would have to avoid the main roads, lessening their chances of running into the police. With no back window, his car would arouse speculation— which would lead to all kinds of problems. Better to drive an extra hour or two than to risk Faith’s life, and maybe his own. Tomaz. The name sent a chill through him. The demon who had once tried to destroy him—who had succeeded in destroying everything that meant anything to him all those years ago. He drew a deep breath, let the soft floral scent of the woman next to him ease his nerves and strengthen his resolve. He’d failed his son so long ago. He wouldn’t fail his

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woman now.

***** “Shit.” Eric pushed away from the desk and stood up, stalked to the window across the room. Had Sam known what he was getting himself into from the start? Most likely. The man didn’t do anything without a reason. And now he was heading south toward something that would break him, pull him apart. Probably kill him. “What’s wrong, Eric?” He glanced over his shoulder to find his mate standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows raised. “What are you doing awake?” “I couldn’t sleep. You talked to Sam?” He nodded. Ellie walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Where is he?” “On his way to Georgia.” Her lips brushed his back. “And I’m assuming you tried to stop him.” “Of course I tried, but you know as well as I do my words meant nothing to him. Not when he’s already set in his purpose. All he cares about is killing Tomaz. Everything else has to take a backseat to that.” “No. He cares about her, too.” “Faith?” “Yes.” She kissed between his shoulder blades, moved toward the desk and sank into his chair. “He wouldn’t take her with him if he didn’t.” “I don’t know. He said she was in danger. It’s a bad situation all around. He’s going to get them both killed.” Ellie shook her head, her silky dark hair fanning over her shoulders. “What are you saying?” “I’m saying that I’m going to Georgia, whether he wants me there or not.” Ellie sighed, settled back in the chair. “I figured as much. I’ll call Merida. You go and pack.”

***** Faith woke just as Sam shut off the car. She covered her mouth, yawned and stretched. The sun had yet to rise, the world around them still dark and gloomy as it had been when she’d fallen asleep. She glanced around at an empty expanse of parking 80

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lot surrounded by trees. A single, dark building sat at the edge of the lot. Just past the hunkering building, she caught sight of houses cast in the golden glow of streetlights. A neighborhood. “Where are we?” Sam didn’t even look at her. “Nowhere. We’re going for a walk.” “Where?” “No questions right now, Faith. Just trust me and get out of the car. Keep quiet.” Her heart kicked into overdrive, her stomach clenched in a knot. She grabbed her purse and followed him out of the car. He made a quick stop to pull his bag from the trunk before he led her away from the lot into the ghostly, empty darkness of the quiet streets. The scent of ocean water filled the air. “What is this place?” “New Jersey. Shoreline.” He picked up the pace, dragging her along with him. “Come on. Let’s get moving. We don’t have much time left here.” “Is this safe?” “I think we’re okay for now. It won’t last long, though, I’m sure. The trackers after us are pretty good. Excellent, even. And now with the police involved…” She froze. “Police?” “They seem to think I kidnapped you.” He gave her hand a tug. “Come on. We have things to do, Faith. You didn’t leave anything in the car you needed, right?” She glanced at him, her eyes narrowed. “Why?” He shrugged. “Just curious.” He stopped in front of a small blue house. “Wait here for a second.” “Where are you—?” He silenced the rest of her sentence with a short, hard kiss. And then he was gone. She waited, alone on the deathly silent street, fear twisting her stomach in time with the chirping of crickets and the rustle of the cool breeze through the trees and bushes. What was he doing now? She could swear if she was quiet enough, she’d be able to hear her knees knock together. Come on, Sam. This isn’t funny. I don’t like being left out here alone. The roar of an engine turning over made her jump. She shot a glance around the neighborhood, looking for a place to hide. The car backed out of the carport attached to the blue house. She stood frozen, unable to move, while it stopped next to her and the window rolled down. Sam sat in the driver’s seat. “Get in.” “What are you doing?” He shook his head. “Get in before someone sees us.” She scrambled to open the passenger side door, slid into the seat. He backed out of the driveway and headed away from the house. They hadn’t driven more than a couple hundred feet when a loud crash echoed behind them. She spun in the seat just in time to see the sky go up in flames.

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Her eyes widened. “What was that?” “My car.” Sam turned onto another quiet road, this one less populated than the first. He switched on the headlights. “What? Your car? What the hell did you do?” “We have to cover out tracks. It’s the only way we won’t be found.” “But how? A bomb?” She shivered at the thought. He shook his head. “Then how did you do it?” Fear welled up in her throat, threatening to choke her. She tried to push it away, but it wouldn’t be forgotten so easily this time. “How did you manage?” A small smile curved his lips. “It doesn’t matter. It’s done. We were sitting ducks in that car. In this one, we’ll be safe for a little longer. By the time anyone notices the car missing, we’ll be in another state.” She glanced behind them again. “You did it with your mind, didn’t you?” He let out a breath. “Yeah.” “You can do things like that?” “Sometimes. But it takes a lot of energy. I’m going to do whatever I can to keep you safe.” The ominous tone of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. Safety was such a relative term. She’d learned that well in the past couple of days. “Where are we going now?” “The man we need to see is in Georgia. The head of Marganis Pharmaceuticals.” She froze, glanced at him through narrowed eyes. “Why do you want to see him? Shouldn’t we take this to the police?” “He isn’t a man the police will be able to stop.” His hand fell on her knee, squeezed gently. “This is something we have to take care of without the involvement of the law or government.” She gulped, her heart beating a rapid thump against the wall of her chest. Why did it feel like time was running out?

***** Faith didn’t sleep any more that night. She sat facing the window of the stolen car, watching the trees flash by at a breakneck pace as Sam led them toward the one place she never wanted to go. The longer they rode, the colder she grew. Hours upon hours passed until everything faded into one big blur. Desolate forests, suburban neighborhoods, busy city streets…after a while, none of it mattered. They drove all day, into the next evening, making only a few quick pit stops for food and gas along the

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way. Fear and frustration warred inside her, struggling to break free. He wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t rest until they’d reached Georgia. His gaze stayed fixed on the road, his mouth set in a grim line. He seemed different than she’d ever seen him. Cold. Professional. Calculating. This is the man you’ve been the most afraid of. The one who could hurt you, kill you, and never look back. He’d barely said a word since telling her where they were headed, still hadn’t spoken to her since they’d rented a room at a tiny bed and breakfast in the Georgia mountains. The fact worried her more than it should. This is about the bargain. You seem to have forgotten that yet again. No. There was more to it than that. Much more he hadn’t yet told her. What was he hiding? She needed to find out. Needed to feel some sort of emotion from the man. Anything. She moved across the room, stopped beside him. Dark stubble again covered his strong jaw, his gaze weary and focused. Intense. She let out a breath, put her hand on his shoulder. He flinched, glanced at her as if he’d just noticed she was in the room. “Huh?” “What are you thinking about?” “Nothing.” His answer was no more than a whisper. “Sam?” He sat down on the edge of the mattress of the only bed in the room. “What?” “What’s next?” He heaved a sigh. “Now we wait for the time to be right, and then we take care of the problem.” Her eyes widened. “What are you planning to do?” He shook his head, ignored the question. “Let’s get some rest before the real work starts.” “Do you think the desk clerk recognized us?” He shook his head. “We’re far enough outside of New England that it shouldn’t be a problem.” He stood up and took a quick step toward her. She jumped, backed away. “What’s the matter?” How could she explain to him all she feared, all she felt inside? All the worry his cold distance had caused? “You can kill people, or…things just by touching your hand to their heads, you can blow up things with your mind, read my thoughts…” Her stomach churned. What had she gotten herself into? She shook her head, refusing to think any more about it tonight. If she did, she might jump out the third-story window just to get away. “I need to go to bed. I can’t deal with this right now. It’s very late, and I’m tired.” She pulled back the covers of the king-sized bed, stripped down to her underwear,

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and climbed between the soft white sheets. Sam came up behind her, his hands gripping her waist. He leaned in and brushed a kiss over her shoulder. “Sorry, Romeo. Not tonight.” Without waiting for his reply, she climbed into bed and tugged the covers up to her chin. Shutting her eyes did nothing to ease the fears dogging her every step.

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Chapter Nine Sam sat in the chair in the corner of the room, watching Faith sleep as the sun came up all around them. She’d turned him away. He didn’t blame her, and the fact that he deserved to be shunned did nothing to ease the disquiet raging inside him. His gut ached, his cock throbbed. He needed something only she could provide. Her body. Her blood. Her love. The thought made his gut clench. He’d never have that. She wouldn’t allow him to take that much of her. And he wouldn’t allow himself to be held back by such human emotions. His fangs elongated, the tips biting into his tongue. If he didn’t feed soon, he’d be as out of control as the time he attacked her in the woods. Maybe more so. It would be so easy to slip into bed next to her, to take what he needed while she slept on. But he wouldn’t do that. He’d already betrayed her trust in too many ways, used her and took advantage of her. Never again. The chirp of his cell phone broke through the silence. He flipped it open, lifted it to his ear. “Kincaid.” “It’s Eric. I have the info you wanted.” “Hold on.” Sam stepped out onto the small balcony, slid the door closed, and took a seat in one of the wicker chairs. “Okay. What’s up?” “I’ve got an address for you.” “Go ahead.” Eric rattled off the address. “Are you going to be okay with this?” “I’ll be fine.” “Are you sure? I can come help you, if you want to.” “Ellie would kill me if anything happened to you. I’ll take care of it.” Now, more than ever, Sam wanted to see this thing through. Anger burned in his gut, the thirst for vengeance stronger than ever. Tomaz wouldn’t get away this time. He would finally pay for all he’d done, to so many people. “Sam, listen to reason for a second,” Eric said, his tone harsh. “You need someone else there, someone without such a high stake in this. You aren’t going to be able to look at the situation through objective eyes. You’re tied up in this too personally.” “All the more reason to do this. I’ll follow through. I’m going to protect Faith, whatever it takes.” And it would give him a chance to seek his revenge on a demon he’d been trying to

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destroy for years. His father.

***** Aiala stood at the white picket fence that surrounded the sickeningly cute little inn. How sweet that he would find such a place to bring his new love, even in the middle of all this discord. She sneered at the thought. Sweet? Not likely. Sam Kincaid didn’t understand a thing about sweet or caring. He only knew how to destroy. So much like herself. They were perfectly matched that way, she and Sam. Two rivals, brought together by the same things that drove them apart. Anger. Hatred. The overwhelming need for vengeance. But Sam sought vengeance against Tomaz. She smiled. She sought vengeance against Sam. Not much more than a year had passed since he’d tried to destroy her. He’d almost killed her, sent her into hiding for months while she nursed her wounds and her injured pride. She’d survived, come out of the experience even stronger than before. And now she would get what she deserved. Sam’s body, and then his soul. She would enjoy his cock, just as much as she would enjoy taking him apart piece by piece. And if all things went as planned, he wouldn’t be able to do a thing to stop her. The little human was of no consequence to her. She’d leave her to Tomaz. He had plans for the woman, plans she wanted no part of. The real prize lay with the man who had maimed her face and body in such a hideous way, and ruined her fun a year ago. Once she’d had her fill of him, she’d destroy him the way she should have so long ago, when he’d first shunned her advances. He’d made a big mistake then, not taking what she offered. He wouldn’t get the chance to make it again. And this time, she knew just how to destroy him. His love for the human woman would be his downfall. With Sam out of the way, that would leave her with only one problem. Tomaz. She was still weak, had lost a lot of power from her injuries, but it wouldn’t stop her from doing all she needed to do to get rid of him. He’d held his control of her over her head for far too long. That stopped now. Today. Kincaid had come to Georgia to remove Tomaz from the picture. He wouldn’t make it that far. He had no idea how big of a mistake he’d made in trying to protect his woman. He and his little girlfriend were about to walk right into a trap. She laughed. Could it get more perfect than this? No. Everything would go exactly as planned, and he would be powerless to stop it now that it had been set in motion. She turned and walked away from the little inn. Soon, Kincaid. She’d been at his mercy for far too long. It was well past time to turn the tables and put the man in his place. 86

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***** Something heavy and warm landed on Faith, yanking her from a turbulent, dreamless sleep. She opened her eyes and pushed the offending objects—her clothes— away to find Sam standing over her. “Rise and shine. Time to get up.” She yawned. “Already?” “Already? It’s nearly noon.” A fleeting smile passed over his lips, disappeared as quickly as it appeared. “I think we need to have a talk.” Uh-oh. Her breath stuck on her throat. She lifted herself up to a sitting position, stretched her arms over her head. Her gaze flashed to the clock on the small table tucked in the corner. Eleven-fifty. She swung her gaze back to his. “Why did you let me sleep so late?” He shrugged, turned away and grabbed his shirt off the end of the bed. “You needed it.” “And you needed the space.” He froze in the process of pulling the shirt over his head. “I guess you could say that.” His deep, harsh tone and impersonal demeanor made her stomach clench. He was a study in extremes—one minute tender and loving, the next cold and professional. Which man was the real Sam? Do you really want the answer to that question? “Are you angry about something?” “Do I have a reason to be angry?” Not in the mood for a challenge, she let it drop. “No. What are we going to do now? We can’t very well go joyriding in a stolen car.” “Jesus,” Sam muttered. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know what I’m doing. For once in your damned life, will you just trust me?” She bristled at his tone, rolled her eyes. Her hands clenched into fists, itching to strike out at him for hurting her yet again. “Fine. Whatever you say, Oh Great Master.” He stopped and turned to her, amusement warring with irritation in his gaze. “Don’t say that unless you mean it.” “You wish.” His gaze raked her body in a way that pebbled her nipples and dampened her panties. He shook his head. “Nah. I like you just the way you are. But you really need to get dressed. You’re too much of a distraction to me the way you are.” “Distractions aren’t always a bad thing.” “No, but in this case, they could be. We have some things to discuss. If you still want to be a distraction afterward, I’ll be more than happy to take you up on the offer. But I doubt you’ll still feel the same in a minute.” His eyes darkened to nearly black. “You might decide to renege on your part of the deal.”

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“I wouldn’t. I made the offer, and like you, I don’t go back on my word.” He cupped her chin in his hand, kissed her hard and fast. “In this case, you’ll want to make an exception.” She brought her fingers to her tingling lips, dropped her hand and tugged her shirt over her head. Her pants quickly followed and she sat cross-legged on the end of the bed. “Okay. You want to talk. Go for it. I’m ready to listen.” “Don’t you want to get something to eat first?” Her stomach churned so hard that if she put anything in it, it would likely come right back up. “No. I have a feeling this is going to be bad. Let’s just get it over with and get on with our lives.” Sam heaved a sigh, propped his hip against the footboard of the high bed. “Okay. First, I have one question for you. Do you know a man named Thom Nicholas?” She shook her head. “You don’t? Are you sure? Did Paul ever mention that name?” She sucked her lower lip into her mouth, rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Nope. Sorry. It doesn’t sound familiar. Why are you asking me this?” “Apparently he’s the man who heads Marganis Pharmaceuticals.” “Why should that mean something to me? Paul and I never talked business.” “Maybe you should have.” He sat down on the mattress a few feet away from her, his face expressionless. She shivered. “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to tell me something I don’t want to hear?” A small laugh escaped him, the coldness in his eyes softening for a moment. “Maybe you’re psychic. So you have no idea why Thom Nicholas is after you?” She shook her head. “All I know is what Paul told me.” “He’s partly right. Nicholas does want the formula. He thinks you have it.” She gulped. “Oh, really? What would make them think that?” “Probably because they can’t find it anywhere else.” His gaze searched hers for endless seconds, making her pulse kick up a couple of notches. “Where is it, Faith?” “What makes you think I have it?” “Do you know what you’re carrying for your husband?” “A cancer cure.” Her voice lacked conviction. She cleared her throat. Oh God. Had she been wrong to put her trust in Paul? “That’s what Paul’s big discovery was. A cure for cancer.” Sam shook his head, a slow, nearly imperceptible movement. “Sorry, honey, but that’s a lie.” The sudden warmth, compassion in his eyes made her scoot back on the bed. Her back hit the headboard with a soft smack. Her brow pinched into a frown, a thousand emotions running through her mind. What did he mean? Paul wouldn’t have lied to her. They’d trusted each other with their deepest secrets. Didn’t they? “No. It isn’t. It’s 88

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not a lie. Paul wouldn’t have done that to me.” Sam moved toward her, rested his big palm on her knee. “But he did. He wasn’t trying to cure cancer, Faith. That was never his goal. Thom Nicholas paid him a great deal of money to do something else. An experiment that, if Nicholas got a hold of it, would change the world as you know it.” A lump formed in her throat, nearly choking off her air supply. “No. You’re wrong. Paul was trying to cure cancer. He’d been working on it for years. Years. He promised he would cure my mother, but she died before he finished the formula.” “Think about it, Faith. Really think. Even you aren’t believing Paul’s story anymore, are you?” She dropped her head back against the wall, defeat welling inside her. He’d lied to her. The one man who she’d thought hadn’t used her. He’d been the worst one of all. “No.” “Where is the formula?” She shook her head. “Explain this to me first. What is it, Sam? What have I almost gotten killed over?” He let out a breath, raked a hand through his hair. “Faith…” “Stop stalling, Kincaid. Spit it out. I’m a big girl. I can take it.” His gaze drifted around the room, everywhere but her. His throat worked as he swallowed. “The drug mimics the DNA mutation that causes vampirism.” “Excuse me?” “People have been trying to do this for years. Centuries. Thom Nicholas is one of those who had been trying and trying before he hired someone to do the work for him. Your late husband finally did it. He studied vampire blood and got his formula to match the virus that causes the mutation.” “It’s a virus?” “For the most part, yes. It’s complicated.” His dark gaze returned to hers. “Thom Nicholas is a terrible person. He wants to exploit the formula, use it to create his own personal army. A strong, nearly immortal army. Do you understand why I can’t let this happen?” “I understand what you’re telling me, but I’m seeing something below the surface. You have other reasons. What are they, Sam?” “Do you remember when you asked how long I’d been a vampire?” She nodded, licked her lips. “Yes.” “I was one of his early experiments, a guinea pig of sorts, when he was trying to create a formula on his own.” A short, humorless laugh escaped him. “He was using real vampire blood then, a strong, pure strain from natural-born vampires. Back then, I had thought I could trust him. He used me, tried to turn me into some kind of a monster.”

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“He’s an immortal too?” “You could say that.” He shook his head. “Where is the formula, Faith?” This had to be some kind of bad dream. Things like this didn’t happen in real life, at least not the life she’d known before she’d met Sam. Before she’d married Paul. “What are you going to do with it, if I give it to you?” “Destroy it.” “But then how will we get Thom Nicholas off our backs?” A tear slid down her cheek, landed on her lap with a soft plunk. “I don’t want to die, Sam.” He reached out, took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You won’t. We have to destroy him too. That’s always been a given. It’s why we’re here.” She blinked, her breath stuck in her throat. “You knew all this time exactly where we were going, and you didn’t bother to mention it to me?” He paused, nodded. “I’ve known for a little while. This is important, Faith. More than important. Where is the formula?” “When you say you need to destroy him, you mean kill, don’t you?” “It isn’t quite as simple as that. He isn’t easy to get rid of.” “You sound like you know him.” “I do. Much better than I’d like to.” He let out a harsh laugh, snagged her gaze. “He’s my father.” His what? She jumped up off the bed, paced the length of the room a few times before slumping into the chair in the corner, as far away from him as she could get. All this time, he hadn’t said a word. Had he agreed to help her in order to seek revenge? Why had he dragged her along? Did he plan to use her as bait? “Why do you want to destroy your own father?” “I have my reasons.” She raised her eyebrows. “Explain, Sam.” “No.” “Yes. You forced me to talk about my past when I didn’t want anything to do with it.” She tried to smile, but the effort failed. “Now it’s your turn to bare your soul.” He flopped back on the mattress, draped his arm over his eyes. “It’s a long, boring story. You don’t want to hear it.” “Yes. I do.” She needed to. She wouldn’t be okay again until she did. Maybe then they could move past their trust issues and find a way to keep each other alive. He laughed, a self-deprecating sound. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Thom— Tomaz—has always been bent on destroying things that are good. Apparently, that included me. I didn’t turn out the way he expected, I took on my mother’s nature more than his.” He paused. His tone dropped to a whisper. “I had a son once. James. He was a great kid, grew into a great man. He got involved with the wrong woman, a woman 90

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who was in allegiance with Tomaz. It got him killed.” “I’m sorry.” “Yeah, me too.” “When did it happen?” “About four hundred years ago, give or take a few decades.” She gulped. This was all so strange, so surreal. “What happened to your son’s mother?” “Dead. A long time ago.” “Was she human?” “No. Only a few types of demons can impregnate a human. Panthicenos aren’t one of them.” “Thom Nicholas is a Panthicenos?” He sat up, shook his head. “No.” Never in her life had she imagined she’d be sitting in a room at a bed and breakfast, discussing different types of supernatural creatures with a demon. “Then what is he?” “He’s an incubus.” Her heart jumped into her throat, nearly gagging her. Holy hell. “A sex demon.” “Yes.” What did you get yourself involved in? “So you’re…” “A mutt. A one-of-a-kind mixed breed. Let’s leave it at that, okay?” She shook her head. “But an incubus—” He held up his hand to stop her. “I’m Panthicenos. Like my mother. As I said, I followed her nature instead of my father’s.” Why did she find that hard to believe? Was it really possible that he could ignore one half of himself, keep it locked in a cage and never let it free? No. One thing she had learned early in life was that it was impossible for a person to hide his true nature. “I’m not buying that, Sam. How can you ignore such a strong aspect of what makes you who you are?” “I never wanted to be like him. He’s so bent on destruction, on taking what he wants without thinking of the consequences. That isn’t me.” He let out a harsh breath. “At least it wasn’t, until I met you.” “Sam, don’t.” “Let me finish. When you made me that offer, it stirred something inside me. Something I’d tried to bury for far too long. But now that it’s out in the open, I don’t think I can lock it away again.” “Nobody’s asking you to.” He slammed his hands down on the mattress, scrubbed them down his face. “I need you, Faith. All the time. The burning never goes away. I’ve never felt like this before,

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and I’m not sure if I like it.” He walked over to the chair, sank to his knees in front of her. “There’s still so much you don’t understand. So much we need to discuss. But now there isn’t time for it all.” She cupped his chin in her palm, leaned down and kissed him. “Okay. It’ll keep for a little while. But once this is over, I expect nothing less than the truth.” He nodded. “Your father killed my husband, didn’t he?” Sam’s expression shifted, turned desolate. “No.” “Yes, he did, Sam. I know it. I’m sure it’s hard for you to admit, but it’s the only explanation I can come up with that makes any sense.” He pushed away, slumped against the side of the bed. “You’re wrong.” “Am I, now? Would you care to explain to me why you think so?” “Because I know who killed Paul, and I’m positive it wasn’t my father.” Her stomach twisted, her heart froze in her chest. Don’t ask. You don’t want the answer to this question. “Then who was it? Who broke Paul’s neck and left him lying on his den floor?” His gaze met hers, cold and hard. “Me.”

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Chapter Ten Faith jumped out of the chair and bolted for the door. Sam lunged off the floor, caught her just as she swung it open and shoved it closed with his fist. He pulled her into his arms, her back against his chest. No matter how much she kicked, struggled, he wouldn’t release her. Not until he’d made her understand. “Faith, knock it off and listen for a second.” “No.” Her heel connected with his shin. He nearly doubled over, but held his ground. “Yes. You’re going to listen.” She opened her mouth. Afraid she’d cause an uproar, he clamped his hand over it “Promise you won’t scream or try to run.” Her teeth bit into his palm. With a surprised grunt, he dropped his hand. “I’m not promising anything. Let me go.” She twisted, her small body slipping from his grasp. Before she could get one foot away from him, he’d pulled her to him again. “If you don’t hold still and listen, I’m going to hogtie you and toss you on the bed. I bet that’ll get your attention.” He dropped her to her feet, but stood in front of the door, his arms crossed over his chest. She faced him, her shoulders hunched and her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides and her face had gone deathly pale. “What are you going to use? The sheet?” “Sweetheart, you’re forgetting what I am. I don’t need rope, or any material objects to bind you.” His words stilled her. She froze, glaring up at him with a mixture of hate and fear. He could handle the fear. The hate chilled his blood. “Come here, Faith.” She moved back even further, bumped the bed with the backs of her legs. “You killed my husband.” “He was going to help a demon destroy humanity.” “Paul wouldn’t have done that.” “But he did.” He sighed. “Think about it, Faith. What was the most important thing in the world to Paul?” She blinked, confusion clouding her expression. “His money.” “And everything else came second.” “No. Not me.” He walked closer, stopped an inch in front of her. “Faith?”

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She nodded, averted her gaze. “Okay. Maybe he did put his money before me. But that was fine. I didn’t need anything but a place to stay.” He cupped her chin in his hand, tilted her face up. “I would never put you second, Faith. Not to anything.” A small, nervous laugh escaped her. “I’d never expect anything from you, Sam. Past this, I don’t have a place in your life.” “Because I killed your husband.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “No. Because this is all a bargain we made. There is nothing else going on between us. Remember?” “No.” “Sam?” He shook his head, refused to answer. Refused to admit the bond between them, though they were both aware of its existence. A tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another. A broken sob racked her body. She swiped at tears with the back of her hand, ducked out of his hold and turned away. “This is too much. I can’t handle this right now. I need a break.” “Faith, wait a second.” She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, open and closed her mouth a few times before she shook her head, rushed into the bathroom, and slammed the door. Sam sank down on the bed, raked a hand through his hair. The job. Remember the job. Get in, get it done, get out. But it wasn’t that way with Faith. He would have to find a way to make her understand. He needed her, more than she would ever know. He was bound to her, had been from the first night. He couldn’t let what happened to Paul change everything between them. He would have to find a way to make things right for her. No matter what it took.

***** Eric swung open his hotel room door to find his sister on the other side, her usual bright smile firmly in place. The vampire she passed off as her mate didn’t look nearly as happy to see him. The feeling was more than mutual. “Thanks for coming, Merida.” He smiled at his little sister, glared at Royce. “No problem. Sam has done a lot for me. For both of us. I couldn’t let him do this alone.” She walked past him into the room, flopped down on the end of the bed and crossed her legs. “The sun is almost up. We’re going to have to wait until it’s dark again before we move.” Because of the vampire. Eric sighed. “Couldn’t you have come alone?”

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Royce pushed his way into the room, came to stand beside Merida. “I asked her the same thing.” Merida laughed. “You two are going to have to try like hell to get along. If you’re going to act like a couple of kids with grudges, I’ll knock your heads together. Got it?” She glanced up at Royce, who rolled his eyes and nodded. Her gaze swung to Eric. “And you? Are you going to play nice, or do I need to give you a time-out?” He snorted. “I’ll be nice.” Even if it killed him. He nearly laughed. It just might. “Good. So fill us in on what’s going on.” Eric sat down next to her. “Tomaz had been working with a chemist to come up with a DNA mutation formula. The Council found out and ordered the chemist be put to death. Since he’s been assassinated, Tomaz has been trying to kill the chemist’s wife.” “I’m assuming Sam killed the chemist?” Eric nodded. “That was the plan. But it goes a lot deeper than that. If I’m right, it involves his mate.” “His what?” Both sets of eyes swung toward him. Merida laughed. “His mate? Are you for real?” “Apparently.” He smiled. “She’s human.” Merida snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding me. All this time he laughed at us.” “Yeah, and provided he gets through this, we’ll have plenty of opportunity to poke fun at him as well. But he’s putting himself in a lot of danger. Getting in too deep, too personally.” “And why is that?” Royce asked, his eyebrows raised. “I don’t know how this happened, but the late chemist’s wife is the woman he’s taken for his mate.” Merida’s brow knit together in a frown. “Are you sure about all this?” “Yes. I’m positive. And now he’s going to need all the help he can get, even if he refuses it.” He sighed. “Since your mate has an obvious handicap in the form of being weakened by sunlight, we will have to wait until tonight. Hopefully Sam will want to do what he has to do in the cover of darkness, and we won’t have to worry about him doing something stupid like storming the place and getting himself killed.” “Sam wouldn’t do that.” “I wouldn’t have thought so before, but in this case, I think he might. He’s too involved, on too many levels. He can’t distance himself from it like he usually does with this kind of job. He wants to end this once and for all, but I have a feeling it may not end in his favor. But we’re going to have to be careful we don’t end up dead, as well. I have strict orders from Ellie to return home in one piece.” Royce perked up at the mention of Ellie’s name. “Why didn’t she come?” Eric gritted his teeth. The vampire and Ellie had been close before Eric had even met her. He had learned, grudgingly, to accept her friendship with the man, but he

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didn’t like it. “It isn’t safe for her to be here. She can’t be putting herself in the middle of things, and you know Ellie. If she’d come, she would want to take care of everyone.” He paused. “She’s pregnant. I don’t want to see anything happen to her.” Royce’s eyes widened. Merida gasped. “No way. You, a dad? That ought to be interesting.” That had been his initial reaction as well. But when he’d seen the joy in Ellie’s eyes, he hadn’t wanted to confess his worry to her. If he had to admit the truth, the idea of a child had started to grow on him. “I’m excited. Really.” “Yeah. Sure you are.” Merida smacked his arm. “Good luck, buddy. You’re gonna need it.” He pushed her hand away. “We can talk about what I need and what I don’t later. Right now we have to work out a plan.” And, with any luck, keep Sam Kincaid and Faith Richardson from getting killed.

***** Faith lay in the huge copper bathtub, her head and bent knees sticking out of the hot water. Her tears had long since dried as Sam’s confession had washed over her and his words had started to make sense. Could she accept his reasons for what he had done to Paul? She had to. She couldn’t believe him a cold-hearted murderer. Ever. He’d come to mean too much to her in way too little time. And as much as he professed to only want her because of the bargain, her heart told her different. His eyes, every time he looked at her, mimicked what she felt in her heart. Paul hadn’t been the man she thought he was, the man he professed to be when she’d married him. All that time she’d trusted him, and he’d lied to her. Used her. Deep down, she’d seen things that weren’t right, things that made her wonder, but she’d chosen to ignore them. Sam’s word meant more to her than the word of her dead husband, now that she knew the truth. Paul’s reasons for asking her to take the formula to Sam chilled her to the bone, despite the warmth of the water. He’d thought Sam was on his side. He’d probably thought Sam would take it to Marganis Pharmaceuticals. But he wouldn’t. He wanted to destroy it instead. Though it surprised her, Sam’s confession of his involvement in Paul’s death strengthened her trust in him even more. The story was too farfetched to be anything but the truth, and he had more integrity than Paul had ever had. Sam would destroy the formula. And she would let him. Gladly. She climbed from the tub, dried off and let her hair down from the knot that had held it out of the water. Now that she’d come to her decision, she needed to talk to Sam.

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So much had happened. Her life would never be the same again. But the life she’d been living had been a lie. Paul had lied, and he’d done so without any guilt. Something inside her had warned her of his ruthlessness, of his manipulation, but she hadn’t listened. Sam had never lied to her. He’d tried to avoid the truth, but he hadn’t hid what he was, or what he’d done. He told her everything, even knowing that it might scare her away. That took more courage than Paul had ever had. He deserved the same from her—nothing but open honesty. She left the sanctuary of the bathroom, walked back into the bedroom. It’s now or never. Just do it. Tell him how you feel. Her hands shook. What if he rejected her? No. He wouldn’t. She knew it deep inside. He lay on his back on the bed, his eyes focused on the images on the TV screen. He lifted onto his elbows, swung his gaze in her direction. His eyes widened. “Do you need some clothes? There’s a robe in the closet.” Goose bumps broke out over every inch of her bare flesh. Her nipples pebbled, and a trickle of moisture ran down her thigh. She walked to him, stopped next to the bed. “No. I don’t want clothes.” He sat up. Hope lit his eyes. “Then what do you want?” His voice sounded hoarse, strangled. Interested. She smiled. “You.” He let out a harsh breath, sat up and held his hand out to her. “Are you coming to bed?” She swallowed, nodded. “But it’s morning. I don’t really feel like sleeping.” A grin broke out on Sam’s face. “That’s okay. Neither do I.” She took his hand, let him pull her toward the bed. When her knees bumped the mattress, he gave her hand a sharp tug. She toppled onto the bed and, within seconds, he covered her body with his. His lips met hers in a fierce, possessive kiss that stole her breath and left her clawing at his shirt, trying to tear the material from his body. His tongue swept into her mouth, stroking and plunging. She met him thrust for thrust with her own tongue. It had been a long time since he’d touched her, too long, in her opinion, and her body cried out for him to give her all he had. It was crazy, but she’d missed him, even though they hadn’t been separated in days. What about him made her want him so much? Was it his incubus blood? Something else? She didn’t know, but she couldn’t get enough. He brought out a side of her she hadn’t known was there. A wanton, wild side she could no longer bury in the back of her mind. His erection pressed against her mound, the barrier of his jeans hot against her skin. She reached between them, fighting with the zipper to free him of the cumbersome fabric. And then his mouth left hers, his teeth grazing the side of her neck. Fangs. She froze, shivered. The one time he had bitten her, it had been incredible. Orgasmic, in and

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of itself. But what if that was a fluke? Maybe she’d been so far gone with fear and arousal that it had overshadowed the pain. What if this time, he hurt her? He nipped her skin and she thrashed against him. “Sam, don’t.” “Easy.” His tongue darted across her skin, leaving a trail of quaking flesh in its wake. Her nerves settled a little, but tension still tightened her muscles. “I’m not going to hurt you. But I need this. It’ll take the edge off so I won’t be too rough with you.” She stilled, part of her afraid and part of her intrigued at the idea. Maybe even a little excited, if it affected her the same way his feeding had the last time. “Are you sure?” He lifted his head, glanced at her. Humor danced in his eyes, along with lust and a healthy dose of frustration. “Oh yeah, I’m sure. I want this to last today. I don’t want to do anything to rush it. And if I don’t feed, I won’t be able to hold back.” She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. Nodded. “Okay. I understand. Just don’t…I don’t like pain.” “If you have any pain, it will be a good kind of pain.” He nipped her neck again. “You do like the good kind of pain, don’t you? Just like last time. Remember?” She shivered at the memory of being up against the tree, of coming with nothing more than the touch of his teeth on her skin and his clothed body between her legs. Her body went liquid at the thought. “Yes. I remember.” “Then trust me. It’ll be fine.” He smiled against her skin. “More than fine.” She expected him to sink his fangs into the side of her neck, as he had before, but he apparently had other ideas—ideas that had her questioning her sanity. His lips trailed down her throat, past her collarbone. He took a peaked nipple into his mouth and laved. Would he bite her breast? No. That would be too much. Yet the idea made a frisson of lust shimmy up her spine. The moist heat of his mouth sent sparks of pleasure through her. A gush of cream flooded her cunt, as a long, ragged moan escaped her lips. He moved from one breast to the other, offering her other nipple the same treatment. But this time, his fangs sank into the turgid flesh. She gasped at the sharp, stinging pain, tried to twist away from him, but he held her still. Soon the pain faded to a dull ache, settling in her cunt. The ache morphed into full-blown lust, clawing at her insides, driving her into a near-frenzy. She arched against his mouth while he drank from her breast. It was indescribable, the way he made her feel when he fed from her. She’d never felt anything like it before, and she knew she never would again. The skin under his mouth heated, burning, bathing her in wet heat. Waves of pleasure washed over her, clenched her muscles, sending quivers through her cunt. Her hands flew to his head, tangled in his hair, holding him in place in case he thought to move away. “You taste so damned good,” he growled around her flesh. “So perfect.” He tore his mouth away from her, glanced up at her with uncertain eyes. An expression that both thrilled her and scared her. “Tell me you won’t leave me.” 98

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“Sam, I…” Her voice trailed off, her protests dying in her throat. She blinked at him, tried to pull him back to her. He couldn’t mean what she hoped. He swirled his tongue over her nipple once, twice, placed a kiss between her breasts. “Say it, Faith. Tell me you won’t walk out on me. I need to hear you say it.” His earnest plea struck her like an arrow through the heart. She couldn’t deny him what he needed to hear any more than she could deny her body the pleasure of his touch. “I’m not going anywhere, Sam. Not without you.” He smiled. Not the rakish grin, not the come-hither curve of his lips, but a real smile. One that shone with trust, affection. Love. No. She pushed the thought away. Better to concentrate on the release they could give each other’s bodies than to focus on an emotion she imagined in his eyes. Sam could never love her. Not the way she needed him to. He wasn’t capable of that kind of love. He’d never said as much with his words, but his actions had been clear on more than one occasion. Or had they? Stop. If she thought about it any more, it would break her heart. She returned the smile even as a chill shook her insides. His lips traveled down her abdomen in wet, openmouthed kisses, until he reached her mound. He pressed his nose to her, drew a deep breath and sighed. “You smell amazing.” She leaned up on her elbows, her body blushing a thousand shades of red. Even after all they’d done, it amazed her that he still had the power to unsettle her as much as he aroused her. “Sam, don’t. Please.” “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I love the way you smell. I can’t get enough.” He leaned in again, pressed his lips to her clit. A tremor ran through her, her inner muscles spasming. She dropped back to the quilt and grabbed fistfuls of the soft material to still the emotions raging through her body. Any thoughts of embarrassment faded with his sensual touch. “Sam, please.” He circled her clit with his tongue, stroked, pressed down with enough force to bring her hips off the mattress. What would she do when he was gone? She licked her lips. She’d be forever comparing every man she met to Sam. “Is this what you want?” She nodded, her breath escaping in short, harsh pants. His lips and tongue roamed her pussy, alternately stroking and plucking her clit, kissing their way down her folds. He plunged his tongue deep inside her. The slippery wet feel of him there sent another wave of tremors coursing through her. She clung tighter to the quilt, her body screaming for release but her mind not yet ready to let go. Sam didn’t give her a choice. He drove her over the edge, pushed her further than he’d pushed her before. She tumbled, fell into oblivion as her body writhed against him. With his lips on her pussy, he drank her cream as she gushed on his face. Shudders shook her body for what seemed like an eternity, dragging her along helplessly. And

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still, he didn’t let up. Only when her tremors stopped did he move back up her body. His lips covered hers, his tongue plundered, his hands roaming her body with expert skill. Every inch of her skin tingled, her body still crying out for more. And with Sam, she knew there was always so much more. His body fit hers perfectly, his lips firm and warm against hers, his chest pressing her against the firm mattress. The kiss ended too soon. Sam moved away, pushed himself off the bed and her body went ice cold from the loss of contact. He stood in front of her, his gaze never leaving hers as he stripped out of his clothes and tossed them into a pile on the floor. The mattress dipped, the springs creaked as he joined her on the bed. A sense of urgency to get him closer filled her, knowing that their time together was limited. It wouldn’t be long before it all ended and she went back home—by herself. It would kill her to let him walk away, but it would be selfish for her to ask him to stay. But until he was out of her life, she planned to enjoy everything to the fullest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down and kissed him. His cock prodded her soft entrance. She lifted her hips, urging him inside. He grabbed her ass in his big palms, slid himself deep. “I’ll never get enough of you.” His rough whisper feathered across her ear. Something in the region of her heart clenched, filled with hope where before she’d had none. His tone told her he spoke of her in more than the physical sense. “Do you mean that?” A small smile lit his face. “Yes.” His tenderness once again took her by surprise, rendering her speechless as he stroked into her cunt in a slow, unhurried rhythm. Her body stretched to fit his size, molded around him. She ran her hands down his arms, up his back, leaned up and softly kissed his lips. The kiss grew more passionate, deeper, as his strokes shortened, driving his cock into her over and over until the stirrings of another orgasm built low in her belly. He hadn’t been like this with her before—so slow, so careful—and she liked it. A lot. It showed her a different side of the man she’d come to care so much about, and gave her a sliver of hope for the future. He ground his hips against her, lifted her ass to change the angle of his thrusts, sending a wave of sensation rocketing through her. The orgasm wasn’t powerful or explosive, but the strength of it, and her feelings for the man, took her breath away. Her nails grazed his skin, her eyes snapped shut as her muscles clenched and unclenched around him. Her hands flew to his ass, cupped the cheeks, and pulled him closer to milk every drop of pleasure out of her writhing body. Sam’s lips brushed her jaw, her chin, trailed down her throat. He placed a wet kiss at the tender spot where her shoulder met her neck, whispered her name just before he stiffened above her, his hot seed jetting into her womb. She clung to him for a long time after, not willing to let him go. As much as she 100

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wanted to deny it, there would be a time when he’d leave, and he wouldn’t come back. A man like Sam, a demon, needed more than what a simple human could provide. She wouldn’t be able to hang on to him for long. Once he’d destroyed Tomaz, he would walk out of her life for good. She didn’t see any way of preventing that from happening. A tear slid down her cheek, followed by another. She stifled a sob. Sam pulled back and looked at her. “What’s the matter? Why are you crying?” “It’s nothing.” She tried to brush off his concern. “Stress.” He shook his head, but didn’t press her for further answers. He pulled out of her, sat up and held his arms out to her. “Come here.” She struggled to sit, moved into his arms and collapsed against his chest. Now that the tears had started, she couldn’t stem the flow. She cried against his bare chest, cried for everything she’d lost. Cried for the life she’d left behind. Cried for the one man she’d ever wanted, but could never keep. “Relax.” His warm palm stroked her back. “It’s almost over.” His words only increased her tears. That was exactly what she was afraid of.

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Chapter Eleven The fading daylight surrounded Sam as he stood on the private balcony overlooking the garden. Soon, he would have to leave. Too soon. He didn’t want her here all alone, but he couldn’t take her with him. He wouldn’t see her hurt because of his own personal battles. The muffled sounds of the shower reached him from across the room, hardening his cock all over again. He’d never felt so insatiable in his life. She brought that out in him. Along with other things. Other things he’d prefer not to put a name to. She brought out the best in him, as well as the worst, and he didn’t know if he liked it. He stepped back inside, thought about getting dressed and ready to head out to find Tomaz, but something stopped him. Faith. He couldn’t leave her yet. If he didn’t come back… He didn’t even want to think of the possibility. She’d cried for nearly an hour, buried in his arms. It killed him to see her like that, so upset, so desolate. But what could he do? Reassurances didn’t work. He’d almost tapped into her mind to find out what the real problem was, but he had held himself back. He would keep his word not to read her mind without permission. But not all his reasons were so gallant. He hadn’t wanted to know the truth. It might have forced him not to go to Tomaz. It might have held him back, if he knew the real feelings. He could let nothing stand in his way, not even his mate. But he couldn’t leave things the way they were, either. He needed to reassure her, and himself, that everything would be fine. Because if it wasn’t, if he got himself killed, she would find another man to take care of her. No. She belonged to him. She had to know that. And if she didn’t, he would show her. The urge welled in him, overcoming all else. He stormed into the hotel room. He walked into the bathroom, slammed the door shut. Faith peeked her head around the shower curtain, her gaze uncertain. “Sam?” Without a word, he stepped into the shower and pushed her up against the wall, crushed her lips in a hard, claiming kiss that would leave no doubt in her mind who she belonged to. But if he didn’t come back… Humans didn’t mate for life, as much as they liked to think they did. If he died, she would find someone else. She wouldn’t hesitate, wouldn’t look back before she married another man. He broke the kiss, tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. He had to come back. The thought of her with any other man chilled his blood, hardened his heart.

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“Sam?” she asked again, her tone tinged with worry. He looked down at her, into her big brown eyes, and the truth socked him in the gut. He loved her. He’d spent all his life avoiding human emotions, walking away when he got too tied up in it all, but this time he couldn’t. He’d do anything for her, not because of the ever-strengthening bond they’d formed that first night, but because of love. She loved him too. He saw it in her eyes, though she was just as stubborn as he was and would never admit to it first. He opened his mouth, the words ready to spring free, but he bit them back at the last second. If he got himself killed, and the odds tipped toward that possibility, he wouldn’t have her pining over him. No matter what happened, he wanted her to be happy. She wouldn’t be content acting like some kind of grieving widow for the rest of her life. He kept the words to himself. Hearing her say the words back would fortify his strength for what was to come, but he wouldn’t put her through that. He’d have to be content with what he saw in her eyes. If he destroyed Tomaz and lived to tell about it, he would be free to confess everything to her. But not before then. He lifted his finger to her lips, traced their full, plump lines. Traced the line of her jaw, the gentle slope of her cheekbone, the curve where her shoulder met her neck. His hands, his eyes, memorized everything. Every curve, every soft line, every inch of her fair skin. He pushed the wet fall of her hair out of the way and pressed his lips to that spot. Her taste, her scent would be forever emblazoned on his senses. His lips followed the line of her throat down to her collarbone, his tongue dipping into the hollows to taste her warm, wet skin. His cock hardened, pressed into her soft belly, begging for the attention only Faith could give. Even if he survived, there was still a possibility that she’d leave him once she learned the whole truth. It would kill him, but he wouldn’t stand in her way if that was what she needed to do. He concentrated on burning her into his mind so, in case she did choose to walk away, he would have memories to keep him going for the rest of his lonely life. She arched against him, took his cock in her hand and stroked. A wave of heat washed over him, tightening his muscles and sending shocks of arousal through his gut. His hand came over hers, tightening her grip, forcing a shudder out of him. Together they stroked for what seemed like an eternity but could only been a matter of minutes, dragging shiver after shiver out of his body, driving his arousal to a nearfevered pitch. The feel of her soft, silky palm covering him pushed his need higher until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to get inside her—right that second. He reached over her and turned the shower off. She blinked up at him, confusion lighting her eyes. “What are you doing?” “I need you.” He pulled her hand away from his cock and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I can’t wait.” “We just spent most of the day in bed.” They had, but something deeper, stronger drove him this time. The need to be inside her, to feel the hot walls of her cunt squeezing him one more time. “This is

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different.” He picked her up, carried her out of the bathroom, and set her on her feet next to the bed. She shook her head. “Let me dry off first. I don’t want to get the sheets wet.” “No. No time.” He dropped to his knees in front of her, grabbed her hand and tugged. She followed him to the ground, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, uncertainty blazing in her eyes. Did she know too, that this might be their last time together? She had to know, on some basic level. It would explain the tears that welled in her eyes. An answering sadness filled him and it was all he could do to push it away. Not knowing what to say, knowing nothing would change what he had to do—and what might happen as a result—he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Their bodies met, their lips coming together, their tongues mating in a primitive dance. Lips and teeth gnashed, their skin slick from the shower. Faith’s wet hair dripped cool water on his arms. Goose bumps broke out on his flesh, as much from his intense love for the woman in his arms as the cool air in the room. He dipped a hand between her legs and stroked his fingers along her folds. She was wet. Soaked. Ready for him. His cock hardened even further with that knowledge. What would he ever do without her? That was assuming, of course, that he even made it back to her in the first place. A sob threatened to tear from his throat, but he forced it back. There was no time for sadness, no time for tears. Only time for claiming his woman one last time. Faith apparently felt the same sense of urgency. Her hands rested on his chest, pushed until he fell onto his back on the carpet. A secretive grin on her lips, she straddled him, grasped his cock, and guided him to the entrance of her cunt. She sank down on him, her nails grazing his nipples as she set a maddeningly slow pace. Her breasts bounced as she rose and fell over him, her lips parted and fire sparkled in her eyes. She said nothing. Didn’t need to. Everything she felt, every emotion flashed across her dark gaze. All thoughts of Tomaz, of what he would have to do, fled from his mind as he immersed himself in the woman and the pleasure. The slick heat of her sliding over him wrung a shudder from his tensed muscles. His fingers found her hips, dug into the skin to speed her pace. The urge to rush, to barrel toward orgasm welled in him, taking over his mind. They didn’t have much time left. He had one last thing to accomplish, something he’d been waiting too many years to do. And then, if he survived, he’d be free to convince Faith that she needed to stay with him. That he wanted her. Loved her. She’d never been loved before, not in the way she deserved to be. And he’d never opened his heart enough to allow himself to feel the very human emotion. It hadn’t interested him before, but now everything had changed. He did love her, and he’d spend the rest of her life showing her how much. If he was given the chance. He dragged one finger down the softness of her belly to her mound, circled it around her clit. She bucked, pitched forward until her hands landed next to his arms and her hair brushed his chest. The wet strands tickled his nipples, drove him wild. The scent of her shampoo filled his senses. He inhaled a gulp of air, then another, adding it to the list of memories that would have to keep him going once he left her to deal with 104

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Tomaz. With a small bit of luck, he’d be able to return to her soon. But just in case… Stop. The strength of his emotions took his breath away. How could she come to mean so much to him, in such a short amount of time? It made no sense, yet it was the only thing in his world that still seemed right. He pulled her down to him, held her tight as her orgasm took her and her body bucked and writhed over his. The tensing of her inner muscles, pulling his cock deeper and deeper inside her, wrung his own orgasm from his body. He tangled his fingers in her hair, stiffened as his cum erupted from him in long, hot bursts. Every nerve ending tingled, light danced in front of his eyes. He pulled her down for a searing kiss. Please don’t let this be the last time I get to hold her. He didn’t want to let her go, but come a few hours down the road he might not have a choice. He let his head flop back on the carpet, closed his eyes, relished in his pounding blood and his sated body. He loved her, but he wouldn’t be able to show it. He pushed all thoughts of love and tenderness aside. Focus on the task at hand. Tomaz. Don’t let emotions get in the way. Stay calm, stay cold and collected. He heaved a sigh. What had once been as simple as flicking a switch had now become a nearly impossible task.

***** Sam tugged gently at a lock of Faith’s hair, pulling her out of near sleep. “You never did tell me where it is.” She frowned. “Where is what? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “The formula, Faith. Where is Paul’s formula?” Oh, that. She rolled her eyes despite the shiver that ran through her. “It’s in my purse. Inside an empty lipstick case.” “How unimaginative of him.” He sat up, nodded, fixed her with an intense stare. “He gave it to you. Why didn’t you admit that yesterday?” “Yes, he gave it to me. And he told me to keep it safe. To bring it to you, and you’d know what to do with it. Thinking it was something else, I wanted to make sure I could trust you before I let you know I had it.” She rolled onto her back. “Do you think he had second thoughts?” “Sorry to disappoint. His only thoughts were to make sure it got into the hands of Marganis. He assumed, as money hungry as I appeared to be, that once I had the formula in my hands I’d be itching to sell it off.” He glanced down at her. “Before you let this get you down again, keep this in mind. 105

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He knew what Tomaz intended with the formula. He supported the idea, relished in it, even. He did everything he could to make sure it got to Tomaz, even if he himself died. He thought I would have no use for you once I got the formula into my hands. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Her eyes widened. Her blood turned to ice in her veins, her heart lurching into her throat to cut off her air supply. She sucked in a strangled gasp. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Why had she let Paul’s kindness cloud her judgment? “He set me up. All he wanted me for was to deliver his formula. He was going to let you do what you wanted to me, even kill me. Did he know what you are?” He nodded. “He was well aware of my…abilities.” She pushed away from him, sat up, grabbed her purse from the floor by the end of the bed. She snagged the lipstick case and thrust it toward him. “Here. I want nothing to do with this any longer. Get rid of it.” “Believe me, I plan to. And then I’m going to get rid of Tomaz.” He slid the small black case from her fingers, pulled off the cap to remove the glass vial hidden inside. “Is this all?” “Yes. He said Marganis Pharmaceuticals had a lab where they could duplicate the formula and produce it in large batches.” “I don’t doubt it.” He pushed off the mattress and walked across the room, stepped out the door onto the balcony. Faith followed, curiosity compelling her to watch his every move. She wrapped her arms around her bare body, shivering as the cool breeze kissed her skin. He stood naked in the moonlight, the pale blue glow bathing him in an eerie light. The sight brought to mind a pagan god, strong, untamed and all-powerful. She would never get enough of him, the only man she’d ever cared about, the only one who’d ever cared about her. If they made it through this alive, she would do whatever she could to make sure he didn’t walk away from her. If he left, she might fall apart. “Don’t come closer,” he warned. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” She shivered at his tone. “What are you going to do?” He didn’t answer, didn’t lift his gaze from the pale red liquid inside the vial. He curled his hand over the tube, squeezed until his knuckles turned white. The tube exploded with a loud pop. Small shards of glass broke free from the top, peppering the balcony floor. Drips of liquid leaked out from between Sam’s fingers, dissolving as they hit his flesh. He waved his hand over the glass shards. They disappeared into smoke. She gulped. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing things like that.” He glanced up, his expression dark. “Let’s hope you don’t have to.” He pushed past her, back into the room, and started pulling on his clothes. “Where are you going?” “Now it’s time to destroy the demon who ordered that formula.” She snapped into action, collecting her own clothes from the floor. Sam stopped her 106

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movements with his hand on her shoulder. “It isn’t safe for you there, so you’re going to stay here and wait for me.” “I don’t think so. We’re in this together.” He shook his head, sadness and worry passed over his expression. “Not this time. I won’t put you in danger like that. You stay, wait for me here.” “No, Sam. I want to come with you.” He scrubbed a hand down his face, pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have to stay. Please understand that, Faith. I could force you to stay in this room, but I don’t want to have to do that. For both our sakes, stay put.” He grabbed a notepad and pen from the table near the door, scrawled something on the paper. “This is Eric’s cell phone number. He’s a trusted friend. Call him if I don’t come back in a couple of hours.” He cupped her chin in his palm, lifted her face and brought his lips to hers. The hard, fast kiss sparked even more worry inside her. She wanted to go with him, to help him, to make sure he pulled through, but he wouldn’t allow it. Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced them not to fall. “Sam, please take me with you. I won’t get in the way.” “I know. But I won’t put you in that kind of danger.” He glanced down at her, his eyes conveying an emotion he didn’t put into words. “Stay put. Don’t go anywhere. And call Eric if I’m not back by midnight. He’ll come and get you out of here.” With that, he was out the door. She ripped the sheet of paper off the pad, shoved it into her pocket. Something inside told her not to wait, to call now. Sam was in grave danger, and his friend would be able to help. She nodded with her decision, turned to rush to the phone. And ran smack into a solid wall of hard flesh. Her gaze shot up to see a tall, lean man with long, dark hair standing in front of her. His smile chilled her to the bone. “Hello, Mrs. Richardson. We finally meet.” She stumbled back a step, looked into the blackest eyes she’d ever seen. “Who are you?” “It depends. To your husband, I was Thom Nicholas.” Her breath stuck in her throat, her heart racing so fast it threatened to beat out of her chest. She turned and ran for the door, twisted the doorknob. It wouldn’t budge. She tugged, pulled on the knob, but got no results. “I wouldn’t even bother. It’ll just be a wasted effort. I’ve sealed the door. You can’t get out until I decide to set you free.” She froze, pivoted around to face him. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. “Sam is going to kill you when he finds you.” His smile widened, revealing a row of perfect, gleaming white teeth. “My dear son won’t have the chance.”

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She slumped against the door, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “What are you talking about?” “He won’t find you. You’re going to come with me.” “No.” She struggled to keep her voice strong as a line of sweat broke out on her brow and her legs threatened to give way. “I won’t do it.” “Oh, I think I can change your mind. Come with me, or I’ll kill you both.” He spread his hands in front of him. “If you come quietly, you’ll be able to save his life.” “Why do I have a hard time believing that?” He took a step closer, then another. His strong, masculine scent wrapped around her, overwhelming her senses. She remembered what Sam had told her about him, fought the pull, leaned even further back against the door. “How do I know you aren’t lying?” His smile widened, turned sensual. “You’ll just have to take your chances.”

***** Sam crept around the back of the old, decaying mansion, careful to avoid the small piles of dead leaves scattered about the grounds. The scent of rot hung heavy in the air. The house, lit only by the half moon, brought to mind the haunted houses often depicted in horror movies. Knowing Tomaz as well as he did, knowing the man’s taste for the finer things in life, a house that looked to be falling down around itself didn’t suit him at all. But Tomaz was a master of illusion. Nothing here was as it seemed. He came to a stop in front of a low window in the back, peered into the darkness of the house. He saw nothing. No lights. No movement. No signs of life. Come on, Tomaz. Where the hell are you? An unsettling thought hit him with the force of a punch in the gut. Had he walked into a trap? Had he done just what Eric had warned him against, and let his personal involvement cloud his judgment? His thoughts flew to Faith, across town in the tiny inn room. He never should have left her. It wasn’t safe. He needed to get to her, before someone else did. “Hello, Kincaid.” The familiar, feminine voice made him freeze in his tracks. He spun to find Aiala standing behind him. Shit. She raised her hand, rested it on his cheek. Her touch sent a chill through him, made bile rise in his throat. There was no goodness in her. Not a speck. When he’d told Faith that there was no absolute evil, he’d been lying. Absolute evil stood in front of him in the form of a small, striking blonde woman. A demon even more powerful than himself. “I should have known you were involved.” “Yes, you should have. The woman has you acting like some sort of lovesick fool.” 108

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She smiled, shook her head. “That isn’t like you. How did you let it happen?” “None of your business. I’d like to say you’re looking well, but obviously you’re not.” She laughed, a haughty, humorless sound. “Thanks to you, I never will again.” “What do you want from me?” “My revenge. What else?” He shoved her hand away. “Not tonight. I have things to do.” “Not anymore. You will come with me.” “Not in this lifetime.” Her eyebrows shot up, a knowing look passing over her features. She ran the tip of one long nail down the side of his face, traced the scars that marred his cheek. “Tomaz has your mate. You will come with me, or she will die.” “You’re lying.” “No. I’m not.” She dangled a set of large gold handcuffs in front of her. “Give me your wrists.” He swallowed hard at the sight. Those weren’t ordinary cuffs. They’d been specially designed to hold demons and other powerful creatures. He’d helped develop them, so many years ago. He knew exactly what they would do. Render him completely powerless. “No.” She lifted one delicate shoulder in a shrug. “Suit yourself. I bet Tomaz would like you to watch as he kills your woman. Would you enjoy that, Sam?” Shit. “No.” “I didn’t think so. Give me your wrists.” She touched her hand to his arm when he hesitated. “Now, Sam. The longer you drag this out, the more you lessen her chances for living through this. And getting out of it…untouched.” Anger spiked inside him. If Tomaz laid one hand on Faith… He shook his head. He had no choice. He would find a way to get out of the mess. Somehow. He held his hands out in front of him. “Good boy.” Aiala snapped the cuffs onto his wrists, gave them a tug. “How does that feel?” His strength waned, his head spun. His knees buckled and it took all his strength to remain on his feet. “Fine. I feel no change.” “Liar.” She pulled him in and kissed him on the lips, her tongue snaking into his mouth before she moved away. “Now I have you just where I want you. Unable to refuse me anything.”

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Chapter Twelve Faith sat on a metal folding chair shoved in the corner of a tiny, windowless room somewhere in Tomaz’s decrepit mansion. He’d tossed her into the room more than two hours ago, and had yet to return. He hadn’t bothered to tie her up, as she thought he would, but had posted a demon guard at the door. A guard much like the ones who had been sent to kill her. All muscle, no brains. A face that would give her nightmares for months. She shifted in the chair. Its legs scraped across the floor and the demon shot her a dirty look. “Hold still. You were told,” he growled. “Sorry.” He pointed a meaty fist in her direction. “No talking. Sit. Shut up.” She wrinkled her nose at his foul stench and settled back in the chair. With a shake of his head, he turned his attention back to the door. How was she supposed to get out of this? She had to get to a phone, had to call Sam’s friend. Where was Sam? Was he here? Hurt? Dead? Her stomach clenched at the thought. No. He wasn’t dead. She would have known if he’d been killed. But something wasn’t right. He was hurt. He needed her. She had to find a way to get to him, had to find a way past the demon slave blocking the only exit. If she could just get rid of him, she’d be able to get away. Tomaz hadn’t thought she’d try to escape. She smiled to herself. He’d underestimated her. Severely. As silent as she could manage, she pushed out of the chair. The demon didn’t turn around, didn’t seem to notice she’d moved. She took a deep breath, settled her hands on the folding chair, and lifted it over her head. With one quick swing, she brought it down against the back of his skull. He cried out, fell to the floor and writhed. A pool of blood grew around his head where it lay on the floor. She let out a sigh of relief. And then he stood up. Her stomach bottomed out. “Oh, shit.” His eyes glowing red, blood still pouring from the wound on his head, he lunged for her. His shoulder connected with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She toppled to the floor with the heavy demon on top of her. He wrapped his hands around her throat. No. She wouldn’t let it end this way. She jabbed her knee into his balls. He screeched and flung himself off her, hunched over his knees in pain. “Well, I guess that works on men of all species.” Without letting herself think about her next course of action, she came up behind him and grabbed his head. Her stomach 110

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churned, bile rose in her throat. Don’t think about it. He isn’t human. If you kill him, it doesn’t count. She grunted, twisted her arms. The sickening crack of bone washed over her, nearly bringing her to her knees. She dropped the demon’s lifeless body to the ground, wiping her palms down her thighs. Tears formed in her eyes, her breaths coming in heavy gasps. What had she done? She reached down to touch him, to feel for a pulse, when the body disappeared in a ball of thick gray smoke. She jumped back, smacked into the wall, her heart beating a frantic rhythm against her ribs. “This is so not normal.” She pushed the fear, the worry, everything else out of her mind. If she was going to make it, and if she wanted to save Sam, she had to think on her feet. It wasn’t time for emotions. It was time for action. She rushed to the across the room to the door. She turned the knob, edged it open, and peeked into a long, dark hall. An empty hall. She crept out the door, sticking close to the dark paneled wall as she moved away from the room where she’d been held captive. She’d only made it a few feet when footsteps sounded ahead of her. Her heart jumped into her throat. She hadn’t made it this far to get caught now. If Tomaz caught her, he’d kill her. Of that, she had no doubt. She backed up a few steps, ducked inside another small, dark room. At least this one had windows. She glanced around, making sure she was alone, before she ran to a window, unlocked it, and pushed it open. With a silent prayer for her safety, she stepped out onto the sloped roof two stories above the ground. The moss and mold coating the roof made for dicey traction. Her foot slipped. She cursed, crouched down to steady herself. If she lost her footing, she’d fall to the rockand brush-strewn yard below. And then no one would be able to help Sam. She pressed on, making her way slowly across the roof until she found just what she needed. A large, gnarled tree sat ten feet from the house. She glanced at the ground, measured the distance, weighed her options. Finding no other solution, she took a quick breath for strength and jumped.

***** Sam knelt naked on the cold stone floor, the dampness of the room seeping through his skin into his bones. Aiala had strung his arms over his head, taut enough to put constant pressure on his shoulder sockets and keep him from resting back on his heels. Every muscle he had screamed and shook. How much longer would she keep him like this? How much time had passed? It felt like days, but couldn’t have been more than a few hours. His mouth had long since gone dry, his head pounded. The alloys in the metal acted like a drug, sapping the strength of the person who wore them. Rendering them useless. He couldn’t break free. Could barely keep his eyes open.

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An image of Faith flashed through his mind. Where was she? What had Tomaz done with her? Had she been able to get away? He tried to shake his head, couldn’t make the muscles move. He groaned in agony. Aiala appeared in front of him, her high heels clicking hollowly across the stone floor. “Are you sorry now, Kincaid? Sorry you scarred me? Sorry you rejected me?” “No,” he ground out, his voice harsh and grating to his ears. “I’d do it again. Just wait until I get out of these chains.” She laughed. “You won’t. You know that as well as I do. Funny that you, one of the creators, are bound by them now. I like you like this. At my total and complete mercy.” The pointed toe of her shoe connected with the side of his thigh. He fought the urge to cry out in pain. Don’t give her the satisfaction. “Where is Faith?” “Dead.” His stomach lurched, his breath clogging his throat. “No, she isn’t.” She couldn’t be. There would be no point to surviving if he couldn’t be with her. “She will be. By tonight.” Aiala’s cold, amused laugh filled the room. “You’re a fine specimen of demon, Kincaid. Too bad you work for the other side. We could have had some fun together.” “Wouldn’t have happened.” “We still could, but in the state you’re in I’m not sure you’d be much good to me.” She grabbed something off a shelf on the wall, brandished it in front of her. A long length of thick chain. His stomach seized. “What are you doing?” With a flick of her wrist, the metal chain slashed against his side, sliced through his skin. He hissed out a breath, trying to work through the searing pain. It did no good. She gave him no chance to recover, lashed him again. His skin split under the force of the blow. Warm blood dripped from the wounds, dropped to the floor around his legs. He gritted his teeth, another hiss escaping his lips. He wouldn’t cry out. Wouldn’t let her see how much she hurt him. His resolve slipped seconds later, when she lashed the chain across his open wounds. A low growl ripped from his chest, followed by a cry of pain. His body fought to shift into his true form, allowing him to heal, but the cuffs wouldn’t let it happen. He would die if she kept this up much longer. And she knew it. She stepped away and he dared to hope she’d finished for the moment. The chain brushed his back, teasing, taunting, telling him she wasn’t nearly done with him. He sucked in big gulps of air, tried to still his racing heart. He’d be lucky if he had any skin left after her unique brand of torture. His side burned with an intensity he’d never felt before. Never wanted to experience again. But he was trapped, and there was more to come. He wouldn’t walk away from this unscathed. Might not walk away from it at all. Faith. Please let her be okay.

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The crack of the whip against his chest dragged him from his thoughts and threw him into the present. Shit. Fire burned through him, searing right to his soul, as she slammed the chain against another open wound. Blood trickled down his chest, fat droplets hitting the floor. In this form, his body wouldn’t heal. Not from wounds like this. Every lash of her whip was killing him slowly. Brutally. She was stripping him of everything, and she was enjoying every second. “Payback is a bitch, huh?” Another lash across his chest. He groaned. “You’re a bitch.” “I seem to remember you calling me that before, on more than one occasion.” She tipped his chin up with her finger. Her smile sent a chill through him. “What is it you want from me?” “I want to kill you, of course. But I want to wait until your woman is dead first. I want you to know what real agony is.” “I’ve known real agony before.” He felt it now, burning along every nerve in his body. “Not like this.” She crouched in front of him, bringing her face too close to his. She leaned in and kissed him, hard and fast, her tongue sliding into his mouth before she pulled away. He spat on the floor in front of her. Her eyes narrowed and she slapped his face. “Do not even consider disrespecting me, Kincaid. I could kill you with one more stroke of my whip, in just the right place.” With the state of his body, he didn’t doubt it. He struggled against the chains, but he was too weak to do more than clank them together helplessly. She grasped his cock, and stroked up and down his length. His body, too weak to be controlled by his mind, responded to her touch. “I’m glad to see you still have some strength left in you, after all. Tonight, we’ll put this to good use. Lots of good use. And then it won’t matter whether you live or die. She won’t want you once I’ve had you. And I will have you, Kincaid. You no longer have a say in the matter. Your mind may not want me, but your body disagrees. Behave yourself while I’m gone, and maybe I’ll give your body a chance to heal before I take what’s mine.” She stood and stalked to the door, giving his back one final lash before she stepped out. The hollow click of the lock sounded through the room. Time dragged while he faded in and out of consciousness. Faith. He had to get to Faith. But he couldn’t. Even if he did find a way to break free, in his weakened condition he’d be no help to her. The thought brought some semblance of a grimace to his face. Once free—if he got free—he’d need to feed to regain his strength. His control would hang by a thin thread, and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from hurting her. He froze. Was that what Tomaz had planned? He wouldn’t do it. Wouldn’t hurt Faith.

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He’d kill himself before he laid a hand on her in this condition. Sometime later, the lock clicked open and someone stepped into the room. He waited for Aiala’s cackle, the scrape of her heels and the lash of the heavy chain against his wounded skin, but heard a low whistle instead. “Holy shit. What the hell happened to you?” His gut clenched. “Eric?” “Yeah.” Eric stepped into his line of vision, crouched on the floor in front of him. “I heard you needed some help. I didn’t realize it was this bad.” “How did you hear that?” “Your mate is a very resourceful woman. She got out, Sam. Got out and called me.” “She did?” He would have smiled, if it hadn’t hurt so much. His insides felt ready to come through his skin. His stomach roiled and he fought the urge to vomit. “Is she okay? Where is she?” “She’s fine. Back at the hotel with Merida.” “Merida is here? Then Royce is—” “Right behind you.” At the sound of Royce’s voice, Sam groaned. “Jesus, Eric. Did you invite everyone?” Eric chuckled, but it sounded strained. “Ellie isn’t here. She’s home, and has issued strict instructions for me to come back in one piece, or else heads are going to roll.” “Her words, not his.” Another voice. Wil Brogan. The hair on the back of his neck rose. The only vampire he loathed more than Royce Cardoso. “What the hell did you bring him for?” Eric’s hand landed on his arm. “For this, we need all the help we can get. Relax, Sam,” Eric warned. “You’ve got to relax. I’m going to get you out of here in just a second. First, I need to know how bad of a state you’re in right now.” “Very, very bad. It probably isn’t safe for you here.” “Well, I refuse to just leave you.” Eric sighed and shook his head. He stood, ran a hand through his dark hair. “I suppose we don’t have a choice. We’ve got to get you out of here.” “How do you plan to do that? If you touch the chains, your power will fade too. Then you’ll be no help to anyone.” “That’s why I’m not going to touch them.” The two vampires stepped up, one on either side of him, and grabbed the chains. With a few sharp pulls, they’d snapped them away from the ceiling and dropped them to the floor. Another couple of tugs and they had him free of the cuffs. A small sliver of power raced through him, enough to give him the strength to move off the floor. He crouched, faced Eric, warred with the beast inside that had just been given free rein. The beast that threatened to overtake his sanity. “Are you okay?” Eric asked, his tone tinged with worry. 114

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“No. You should have left me there. You would have been safer.” Sam lunged, slammed Eric into the wall. It had been too long since he’d last fed deeply, and he needed blood too much to worry about the source. Eric didn’t struggle, didn’t fight at all. Sam’s fangs elongated, burning his gums, but Eric’s passive reaction brought him back to some semblance of humanity. He narrowed his eyes at the other man, pushed away from him. “Why didn’t you fight me?” “We all do what we have to do in order to survive. You raised me and my sister. If you need something from me, all you have to do is ask.” He swung his gaze to Eric. “You have no idea what I need.” “Actually, I think I do.” He couldn’t. Sam had never confessed his deepest secrets to anyone. No one but Faith. “What did she tell you?” “She was worried about you. Afraid of what might happen if you didn’t feed. She told me to be careful.” He paced the length of the cell, trying to walk off the remnants of the cuffs’ effect. He’d barely fed not long ago, from Faith. There is no need to feed now. None. “What did she tell you, Eric?” “Everything you told her.” Eric shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me? I had no idea. It wouldn’t have made a difference. I’ve known from the beginning you aren’t the same as Merida and I.” A good deal of his control slid back into place. He sighed, tried to push away the constant, throbbing pain. “We can discuss it later. Now I have more important issues to take care of.” Royce handed him his jeans. “Are you able to put these on?” “Of course I am.” Even if it killed him. Faith was safe. Now he had to take care of Aiala and Tomaz. Getting into the jeans was almost more than he could take. He didn’t bother with the shirt or shoes. Not yet. He’d need time to heal before he attempted something like that. “I need to find Aiala. And Tomaz.” Eric’s hand settled on his shoulder. He shook his head. “Not in the condition you’re in. You have to go someplace dark and quiet and heal before you do anything strenuous. Let us take care of this.” Sam stood to his full height, a good five inches over Eric’s, and let out a low growl. Eric shook his head as he dropped his hand. “You’re crazy.” “Either crazy, or in love,” Royce said. Wil scoffed. “In my experience, I think they’re both pretty much the same thing.” Sam opened his mouth to answer when someone walked around the corner. Aiala. “What’s going on in here?” She rushed at Sam, teeth bared, arms stretched out in

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front of her. “No! You won’t get away from me.” Wil stepped in front of her, a long, thin knife in his hand. He slid the knife through her abdomen, gave it a twist. Pulled it back and shoved her away from him. Her long, piercing scream filled the room, raked at Sam’s eardrums. Her body hit the ground with a hiss and a sizzle just before she disappeared in a burst of flame. “What the hell?” Eric’s gaze snapped to Wil. Wil held the knife, glistening with demon blood, in the air and smiled. “You never know when a zirye will come in handy. I picked it up a couple of months ago. Found it in an antique store, of all places. If the owners knew the blade’s real use, I bet they would have gotten rid of it quick.” Sam tried to smile, but the weakened muscles failed to cooperate. “Thanks. Keep that with you. I have a feeling it’s going to come in handy in a few minutes. Let’s go get Tomaz.” Eric cleared his throat. “I still don’t think that’s a good idea.” “Good thing I didn’t ask you, then.” Keeping his back as erect as he could given his injuries, Sam strode from the room.

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Chapter Thirteen Tomaz paced the length of the small room that served as his library, his face red with the anger seething inside him. How had this happened? He’d gone to look for the woman, to make her pay for leading him on such a chase. When he’d reached the room where she was being held, he’d found it empty. Even the slave who had been assigned to guard her was nowhere to be found. Either the slave had gone off on his own, taking the woman with him, perhaps, or she had somehow managed to kill the guard and escape. It didn’t seem a likely possibility, yet he wondered. What had Kincaid taught her in their short time together? How long had she been gone? Had she time to go for help? Would it matter? Now he would have to force Aiala to stop playing games with Kincaid. Without his mate, allowing her to torture him held no appeal. Tomaz sighed, shook his head. It would have been such fun to carry out his original plan. To release the man once all the humanity had been beaten out of him and lock him in a room with his woman. She wouldn’t have stood a chance. And Kincaid, racked with guilt over what he’d done, would take his own life. Tomaz would finally be free of the man, and he wouldn’t have had any blood on his own hands. But she’d ruined it. All of it. Why must she insist on veering away from the plan, every time? She should have died that first night when Aiala had sent her slaves to do the job. But she’d run, found Kincaid. Secured his protection. That alone should have sealed her fate. But it hadn’t. She’d slipped from his grasp yet again. He was no longer in the mood to allow her a relatively painless death at the hands of an out of control demon. Not anymore. Now she would suffer. And he would enjoy every second. He sat on the arm of one of the wingback chairs, checked the grandfather clock next to the fireplace. Where was Aiala? She’d promised to return nearly an hour ago. He fumed. Women, no matter what species, couldn’t be counted on to do their part. Footsteps sounded in the hall, just outside the door. Footsteps from more than one pair of feet. He stiffened, stood and walked to the side of the room. What had that damned woman done this time? The room door burst open, and Kincaid stepped inside. Tomaz’s eyes widened. How had he escaped? He got his answer in the form of the men who walked into the room behind Kincaid. He smiled. The evening had just taken a decidedly interesting turn. Four. Yet 117

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none as powerful as he. It had been a while since he’d had so much fun.

***** Faith crept around the corner, moved softly up the back stairs to the mansion door. She felt a tug on her arm, turned to the woman behind her. “What now?” “Nothing. For some reason, I’m having this strange sense of déjà vu.” Merida smiled. “Sam is so going to kill me for this. We probably should have stayed at the hotel.” “Probably.” Faith shrugged. “No matter what Sam believes, I want to be there in case he needs help. I’m not really feeling much like playing by the rules tonight.” “Good. Neither am I.” “Are there any more guards around?” Faith asked. Merida had taken out the three they’d come across. “I hope not. I broke all my nails with that last one.” Faith shivered. They were all so unaffected by all of this. How did anyone get used to such violence? She pushed open the back door, slipped inside the house. The dark, eerie quiet of the outside extended to the interior. It was too quiet, too still. Like the house itself waited and watched. She shook off the thought, squinted through the darkness. “Here, let me go ahead of you.” Merida stepped around her. “I can see fine in the dark.” She paused, turned to Faith. “Do you hear that?” Faith nodded. Muffled voices floated toward them across the thick, stale air. “Down that hall.” “Let’s go.” Merida grabbed her hand and rushed down the hall toward the voices. Faith caught sight of a sliver of light at the end of the hall. A door, cracked open a few inches. Was Sam in there? Had they gotten him out in time? She shuddered. What if they hadn’t? What if he was too hurt to be moved? She pushed past Merida, her only thought to get to the door and make sure Sam was okay. Merida caught up with her just as she stopped in front of the door. She peeked inside. Eric was there, the others she’d met earlier as well. And Tomaz. She seethed, her eyes narrowing. But where was Sam? She searched the room, found him a moment later. He stood a few feet from the demon, shirtless and shoeless, shoulders hunched, his beautiful golden skin torn, covered in angry red slashes. Her breath caught in her throat, her stomach tightened into a painful knot. What had they done to him? She reached for the doorknob, but Merida put her hand on Faith’s arm. “Hold on a 118

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second. We don’t want to distract them,” she whispered. Faith nodded, though her stomach clenched again when her gaze fell on Sam’s wounded body. He circled around Tomaz, saying nothing, his expression filled with hatred. And pain. So much pain. A tear fell from the corner of her eye. Merida leaned in close, whispered in her ear. “I know it’s tough. But you’ve got to let him be. He knows what he’s doing. They all do.” Faith tried to smile in return, but couldn’t quite manage it. “I can’t watch this.” But she couldn’t pull her gaze away. Tomaz faced the four men, his face placid. Calm. Serene. It turned her stomach. He had no doubts that he would kill all of them. Sam, please. Don’t do anything stupid. “You’re too weak to do anything but scratch my skin.” Tomaz laughed. “You can’t hurt me, Kincaid. Don’t you know that by now? Haven’t you tried enough in the past to have learned your lesson by now?” “There’s no lesson to learn.” Sam’s voice was weak, thready. It took all her willpower not to run to him. But Merida was right. If she got in the way, she could get all of them killed. “You’re not leaving here tonight. None of you are,” Tomaz continued. Fear flashed across his eyes, but his voice stayed strong. “I’m finally going to end this. You were a mistake. You never should have been brought into this world. I should have killed your mother when I found out I’d impregnated her.” Sam showed no reaction to his words, but they stung Faith to the core. She flinched, clenched her hands into fists. Come on, Sam. Stop stalling and do it already. “Then I guess you made a mistake.” Sam sneered. “You should have killed me when I was a child. Because now you’re not going to get the chance.” As if in slow motion, all four men lunged at Tomaz. Faith ducked back around the corner, unable to watch the struggle that ensued. Grunts and growls filled the hall, along with the occasional crack of bone and thump of bodies smacking into the floor. Merida’s gasp brought her back to the door just as Wil pulled out a long, very thin blade and stuck it through Tomaz’s heart. A god-awful, high-pitched squeal erupted from the demon’s throat. She covered her ears with her palms. Wil dug the blade deeper, twisted the handle until the demon went limp against the blade. Wil pulled back and Tomaz dropped to the floor, dead. Like the other demon killings she’d witnessed, Tomaz’s body disappeared with a pop and a puff of smoke—thicker, blacker than the last. Relief rushed through her, flooded her senses. It was over. Finished. Now she and Sam could finally be together. She had to get to him. She pushed open the door, rushed into the room and let out a strangled scream. Sam lay on the floor, his body in a lifeless heap.

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Chapter Fourteen Sam cracked one eye open, then the other, squeezed them shut against the bright light spilling into the room. His head spun, his throat had passed parched a long time ago. Every muscle ached, every nerve ending cried out in pain. But he was alive. He’d made it. He’d seen Tomaz destroyed, and lived through the entire ordeal. Of course, he would have preferred to destroy the demon himself, but in the end it had come down to the fact that someone had needed to get rid of him. Wil had done as much as Sam would have done himself. A small smile tilted the corners of his lips. “You are alive. I was beginning to wonder.” Faith’s soft voice made him crack his eyes open again. She sat on the edge of the mattress, a hopeful smile on her face. He reached up to touch her, dropped his hand when it hurt too much. “Hey.” “Hey? After what you’ve put me through, all the worry, all you say is ‘hey’?” He fought against the urge to close his eyes. Had to tell her something. What was it? Something important. He sucked in as deep a breath as his bruised body could manage. “Love you.” “That’s better.” Her laughter filled the room. “I love you too.” His heart nearly burst, hearing the words spoken from those soft lips. She loved him. He’d waited so long to hear her say it, thought it would never happen. She squeezed his hand as his eyes drifted closed. “Where am I?” “Your house in Maine. In your bedroom.” A wave of nausea rolled over him. “How?” “We’ll talk about it later, when you feel up to it.” He let out a low moan. “Tired.” Her fingers brushed the side of his face. “You should be. You’re hurt. Bad. Get some rest.” He tried to nod, couldn’t tell if he accomplished the task before he slipped back into a fitful sleep.

*****

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Faith let herself out of Sam’s bedroom, closed the door softly behind her. Her heart broke just to look at him lying there, broken and helpless. He would need time to heal. Lots of time. But he would pull through. He had to. He loved her. If she never heard those words again, she wouldn’t be able to survive. A tear burned a path down her cheek. She brushed it away. He would need her to be strong. If she fell apart now, she’d be no help to anyone. A hand rested on her shoulder. “How is he?” She glanced up at Royce, tried her best to smile through her tears. “Better. He spoke to me a little.” “He’s not out of the woods yet.” She nodded. “I know. I know. Do you think he’s going to be okay?” “Most likely. I’ve never met anyone as stubborn as Sam, except maybe Merida. He’ll be fine, as long as he allows himself time to heal.” He smiled down at her. “It’ll help if you spend time talking to him, holding his hand. Having you there will give him the fight he needs to get through this.” “I’m not going anywhere.” Royce led her down the hall to a small den. He gestured for her to sit on the brown leather couch. He perched on the arm of a chair. “When he heals enough to shift, his body will probably force him into his cat form. I wanted you to be aware of that, not to be frightened by it when it happens. He’ll heal faster that way.” “I understand.” “I don’t want to scare you, but I want you to be wary. I don’t think he would hurt you, but pay attention. If he does anything that makes you nervous, come and get me or Merida.” “Okay.” She shifted on the cushion, glanced out the window. A bird chirped, flew past the glass. The leaves of the trees rustled in the breeze. “Don’t you need to get some sleep?” “I will. In a little while. I just wanted to make sure he was okay before I lay down to rest. As his mate, you—” She snapped her gaze to his, held up a hand to stop him. Had she heard him wrong? “Excuse me? As his what?” Royce sank into the chair, steepled his hands in his lap. A worried look passed over his face. “He didn’t tell you?” “Um, no.” What was he talking about? “Explain.” He shook his head. “I think it’s something you need to discuss with Sam.” “And I would, if he wasn’t lying unconscious in bed.” A sliver of unease raced through her, clenching her stomach. “So I guess you’ll have to do. Start talking.” Royce closed his eyes, shook his head. His eyelids fluttered open and he sighed.

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“When a Panthicenos finds their mate, they form a lifelong bond.” She gulped. “What does that have to do with me?” “You’re Sam’s mate.” “How can that be possible? I’m human.” He shrugged. “Fate doesn’t take that into account. Look at Merida and I. And Ellie was human when she and Eric met.” Hope wedged its way into her mind. “If Eric changed Ellie into a Panthicenos, can’t Sam do the same for me?” “I’m afraid it isn’t that easy.” He let out a long, frustrated breath. “Sam changed Ellie, not Eric. It’s a difficult change, only works about half the time, and only balance keepers can even attempt it.” Her heart sank to her knees. “And since Sam isn’t a balance keeper anymore, he can’t do it.” Royce nodded. “Right.” “When you say they mate for life, does that mean, after I die, he would never…?” Her voice trailed off at the thought of dying, of leaving Sam alone to spend centuries living after she was gone. “He won’t bond with another mate again.” “And what, exactly, does that mean?” “The bond between mates for demons is like what love is to us humans. But in some ways, it’s even stronger. It can’t be broken by anything but death.” And when she died, Sam would have nobody. “I don’t want this. He deserves someone who can share his life, and not just a small part of it.” “It’s too late. The bond is already forged.” “No, it didn’t. I would have known.” “The simple act of sex cements the bond.” Her face flamed. She glanced around the room, avoided Royce’s searching gaze. It had happened that first night. The night she’d come to him, begging for his help. All because of her stupid bargain, she’d ruined his life. “It was an accident, then. We didn’t know.” “He knew.” She snapped her gaze back to his. “What do you mean? That first time…he couldn’t have known. If he had, he wouldn’t have let it continue.” Royce raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question her. “Trust me, Faith. He knew. It was obviously something he wanted, or he wouldn’t have done it. Sam doesn’t do anything without purpose.” She stood, paced the length of the room. When he woke, she’d kill him. She’d strangle the life out of him, and enjoy every second. “Why would he do that? Why didn’t he say something?” 122

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“Would you have accepted it, at the time? From what I’ve been told, it was a very stressful situation. He didn’t want you running away from him and getting yourself killed.” And all that time he’d let her believe he wanted her because of the deal they’d made, when it had been something else. Something stronger. Something she wanted no part of. Liar. She froze. The truth screamed in her face, telling her to stop her denials. She’d have plenty of time to be mad at him later. Right now she had to concentrate on helping him get well so she could kick his ass. “So what am I supposed to do now? What choice do I have but to grow old beside him while he stays practically the same?” She raked a hand through her hair. Just when she thought she’d gotten her life back, something happened to turn it inside out again. “There is an option, you know.” She turned to Royce. “What do you mean?” “A way you can live with him forever.” Hope filled her. Her eyes widened. “Tell me.” “You might not like it.” “I don’t care. I’ll do anything.” Royce smiled. “Then sit down and listen.”

***** It seemed like years since he’d been out of bed, yet it had only been a few weeks. Sam rolled to his side, stretched. Having spent most of his recovery time shifting from cat to human form, and everything in between, he needed to stretch his weak muscles. His strength had started to return now, the pain all but gone. “Hello again.” He opened his eyes to see Faith sitting over him, as she had many times over the past days. “Good morning.” “Actually, it’s night.” She pointed to the drawn curtains and laughed. “You look better. I guess Royce was right.” He stiffened. “What did Royce say?” “That once you were strong enough to shift, you’d heal a lot quicker.” “He told you that?”

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She nodded. “Among other things.” A sliver of unease wedged itself into his gut. What had Royce told her? Was it enough to make her want to leave? She ran her hand down his side. “No more welts. Barely any scars.” She smiled. “Oh, by the way. He explained the whole mating-for-life thing, too.” He swallowed, his heart lodging in his throat. “Oh really?” “Yep.” Her fingernails scraped over his nipple, stiffening the flesh. “He told me that the bond was created the first time we made love. And that you knew it would happen.” He said nothing, wet his lips with his tongue. Waited for her scathing reaction. She blinked down at him, a knowing smile on her face. “You knew, didn’t you? He told me the truth.” “Yes.” “Why didn’t you tell me?” He cleared his throat. “I thought it would scare you away.” “You owe me big time, buddy. I don’t like being lied to.” “I’m sorry, Faith. Really I am. I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you.” He tried to sit, but she pushed him back down on the mattress. “Not so fast. You will be making it up to me, believe me. But we have more important things to discuss now.” She scraped her nails down his side. His flesh quivered, his cock tented the sheet. She glanced down and laughed. “Very, very nice. I see you’ve healed quite nicely all over.” Her voice sounded deeper, throaty, slightly different than before. “There’s only one thing I dislike more than being lied to, Sam.” “What’s that?” He had to choke the words past his desert-dry throat. “Being kept waiting.” Her fingers slipped under the sheet that covered him to his middle. She rested her hand on his stomach, stroked with a gentleness that only increased his arousal. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to talk to you about this?” “Two weeks?” It was how long Eric told him it had taken him to heal. She nodded. “Two long, agonizing weeks. Two weeks waiting for you to be strong so we could discuss this forever thing.” He let out a breath. “There isn’t going to be a forever, Faith. I don’t have the power to change you anymore. And even if I did, I would never risk it. It’s too dangerous.” Her rich, amused laugh filled the room. “I wasn’t planning to ask you to change me.” “You weren’t?” Suspicion welled inside him. What did she have planned? “Nope. Royce kindly pointed out that there is another option.” She leaned in, ran her tongue down the side of his neck. 124

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His eyes went wide at the possibility. He’d kill Royce for even mentioning it to her, once he was able to get out of bed. He fisted his hands in the sheet to keep from grabbing her. “No way. That’s a terrible idea. Don’t even think about it.” She pushed the sheet away, straddled his waist. Smiled down at him to reveal gleaming white fangs. “Too late.” “Jesus.” He tried to sit up, tried to roll away, but she held him in place. “What’s the matter, Kincaid? Can’t handle a little biting?” “You’re not going to bite me.” “Wanna bet?” She laughed again, ground her cloth-covered mound over his cock. “You’re acting like you’ve never been bitten before.” Wetness seeped from her panties onto his skin and he gulped. God, he wanted her so badly. But a vampire? Biting? He shuddered. “I haven’t.” Her expression turned incredulous. “You’re telling me that, with all the years you’ve been vampire, you’ve fed from countless people but never enjoyed the experience yourself?” “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” “Well, then. I think it’s well past time to change that.” Without giving him time to stop her, she leaned in and pierced his chest with her fangs. It hurt, but not like he’d imagined it would. It was more of a heated pain, sending shards of arousal straight to his cock even as the small wounds on his chest throbbed. The burning sting lasted only seconds before it faded to pure pleasure. He fought back a groan, determined not to let her see how much it affected him, but she had to know. His cock had grown painfully hard and was pressing right against her pussy. His breath grew ragged at the thought, and Faith’s small smile let him know she understood all too well. She swirled her tongue over the wound, suckled and laved until he thought he’d come out of his skin. Every nerve he had jumped and snapped, his gut tightening, his balls drawing up against his body. If she kept it up much longer he’d come. He didn’t want her to ever stop. “It’s not so bad, is it?” Her soft breath feathered his chest when she spoke, ratcheting his arousal up another few notches. He was quickly moving into dangerous territory, and loving every second. He tangled his hands in her hair, holding her head in place. Why had he ever been averse to this kind of play? He nearly laughed at the thought. This new turn of events would certainly make life more interesting. She raised her head and smiled at him. “I won’t take any more. Not when you’re still healing.” “I’m healed.” A throaty laugh bubbled from her chest. “I’m not taking any chances with you. I don’t want to hurt you.” “You couldn’t.” He started to sit, to pull her into his arms, but she pushed him back 125

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down. “Now I could.” She moved away, stood up off the bed. He reached for her, his body aching from the loss of contact. “Where are you going?” “To get rid of these clothes. They’re in the way.” She winked, stripped and joined him back on the bed. She straddled his hips again, this time with nothing between them. Her wet pussy slid enticingly against his cock. “Are you strong enough for this?” He’d have to be, because he wasn’t going to let her stop. He gave her a half smile. “Stronger than you are.” “Hey, I’m pretty strong now, buddy. You’d better watch out for me.” “You think so, huh?” Not likely. She’d changed, gotten stronger and more agile, but it wouldn’t be enough to best him. His smile widened. As strong as she might be now, her strength would never match his. Not even when he’d been laying in bed, wounded, for weeks. In one swift move, he pushed her off him, flipped her to her stomach, and pinned her beneath him on the mattress. “Still feeling strong, sweetheart?” “Stronger than ever.” She wriggled against him, her ass pushing against his cock. He hadn’t thought he could get any harder, but he did. He nearly groaned at the thought. She moaned, spread her legs. His cock slipped against her folds and it felt right. More right than anything had in his long, long life. “Sam, it’s been so long.” “And you’ve missed me?” He pushed his hand between her legs, his fingers playing softly across the length of her slit. She was wet. Drenched. So ready for him to take what he wanted. And he planned to take it all. Now and always. “Yes.” Another moan escaped her lips, deeper and longer than the last. “I’ve missed you so much, Sam.” He buried his face in the side of her neck, nipped at her tender flesh with his fangs. “And I’ve missed you too. I won’t wait any longer.” Now it was his turn to feed. He bit down in earnest, his fangs piercing her tender flesh. She cried out, bucked against him, but their position didn’t let her move far. He liked her like this, under his body, under his control. Her ragged breathing and soft whimpers told him she liked it too. In truth, he’d liked it just as much when she’d been the one calling the shots. Maybe even more so, in some ways. It had been a huge turn-on, having her take him places that, before her, he’d never been willing to go. He hadn’t protested, hadn’t wanted to, and it only confirmed what he already knew. She was his. Made for him alone. And now he’d have her forever. He suckled her neck, the tangy flavor of her warm blood bursting on his tongue. His gut clenched, his cock tightened, and he pulled back. There would be plenty of time to feed from her later. He’d spent the past two weeks without her, and he needed to get inside her. Now.

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He lifted himself up, parted her legs and thrust his cock into her waiting cunt. In his still-weakened state, he didn’t have the capacity to be gentle, but Faith didn’t seem to mind. She pushed back against him, met him thrust for thrust. His balls slapped against her pussy with every stroke, her tight sheath squeezing him as he pounded into her. He fisted his hand in her hair, used his free hand to pull her hips to him. Slipped his fingers down to where they joined and brushed his thumb over her clit. That was all it took for her to scream out as her orgasm ripped through her, sending her body into fierce tremors that threatened to rip him apart. His balls and gut tightened with his impending climax. He didn’t bother to hold back, continued to thrust into her as it washed over him, weakening his muscles and dragging all the strength from his body. He pumped his cum into her in short, hard thrusts that rocked her forward until her forehead touched the bed. His chest heaved with his ragged breaths, his whole body ready to melt into the mattress. His stillweakened muscles chose that moment to refuse to hold him up any longer. Spent, wounded and tired, he pulled out and flopped onto his back on the mattress. Reached his hand out for the woman who would always be his. “Come here, Faith.” She smiled, crawled across the bed and rested her body next to his, her head on his chest. Her fingers danced across his skin, rested over his heart. “Tired, huh?” He laughed in response. “Shouldn’t have exerted yourself so much so soon after those injuries.” “I wouldn’t have exerted myself, if you hadn’t been so damned sexy and so available.” She lifted her head, quirked a brow. “So you think I’m easy, huh?” “Hell no. You’re one of the most stubborn, difficult women I’ve ever met.” He kissed her chin. “I like that about you, though.” “Good. I’m not going to change just to suit your ideals of what a woman should be.” A laugh bubbled from her throat. “And look who’s talking about stubborn. I swear you’re the man who invented the word.” He leaned back on the pillow, looked into her dark brown eyes. What had he done to deserve someone like her? Not a damned thing. He would have to spend the rest of his days making sure she understood how cherished she was. Would always be. “I love you, Faith. Always.” Her eyes misted. “I love you too. What would I have done if you’d gotten yourself killed?” “Gone on without me, I suppose.” She smacked his side, not lightly. He winced. “Hey!” “You deserve it, for talking like that. Knock it off.” She sniffed. “You’re going to make me cry, Sam.” “Oh, baby, please don’t cry. Nothing happened. I’m fine.”

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She traced her fingers down a long, white scar on his side. “Oh, yeah. You’re just fine. I’ve been through hell for you, mister. If you ever pull something as stupid as that again, I’ll take you apart with my bare hands. Understand?” He laughed. “Yes, ma’am.” “Funny, Kincaid. Real funny.” The smile slid from his face as his thoughts took a serious turn. “Are you okay with the whole forever thing? I should have discussed it with you first.” “Yes, you should have. But I think I’ll be able to forgive you.” “You think?” She nodded, her expression solemn, but the humor sparkling in her eyes gave her true thoughts away. “As long as you promise not to ever do something so utterly stupid and chauvinistic again.” “Done.” “Good. Then I think we can work out a deal on this forever thing.” She smiled. “But I’ve got to warn you, being a vampire makes me very horny.” “You don’t say?” She trailed a line of kisses down his abdomen, circled her fingers around his cock. Despite the fact that he’d just come, it sprang to life in her hands. “You up for a little more play, Kincaid?” “With you, always. Forever.”

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About the author Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Elisa Adams has lived most of her life on the east coast. Formerly a nursing assistant and phlebotomist, writing has been a longtime hobby. Now a full time writer, she lives on the New Hampshire border with her husband and three children. Eliss welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1337 Commerce Drive, #13, Stow, OH 44224.

Also by Elisa Adams: Dark Promises: Demonic Obsession Dark Promises: Midnight Dark Promises: Shift of Fate Dirty Pictures Dream Stalker In Darkness In Moonlight anthology Just Another Night

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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