Pixie's Prisoner

Rookery Cove: Pixie’s Prisoner Lacey Savage All rights reserved. Copyright ©2008 Lacey Savage Warning: The unauthor...

Author: Savage Lacey

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Rookery Cove: Pixie’s Prisoner Lacey Savage All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2008 Lacey Savage

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is

illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary

gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison

and a fine of $250,000.

ISBN: 978-1-59596-858-6

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HTML, Adobe PDF,

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Publisher:

Changeling Press LLC

PO Box 1046

Martinsburg, WV 25402-1046

www.ChangelingPress.com

Editor: Maryam Salim

Cover Artist: Reneé George

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Rookery Cove: Pixie’s Prisoner Lacey Savage Who says pixies are nothing more than mischievous tricksters? Not Laela Léa. She’s a scientist. A scientist with a mission -- to prove that the Cum-a-Chameleon formula she’s been working on for the past eighteen months actually works. But to do that, she has to find a real chameleon on which to test the formula’s decadent effects. Plagued by memories of endless experiments in dark rooms, ex-Marine Nathaniel Alexis wants nothing more than to be left alone. In solitude, he can dream about the woman who saved him -- the one who wrapped her long legs around his waist and took him to the edge of paradise the night before his life changed forever. Now he can do more than dream. Because she’s back -- and sexier than ever. Problem is, Laela needs him as a test subject. And while Nathan would gladly let her do anything she wants to his body, he’s vowed to never again be experimented upon. Not even in delicious, erotic ways. Not unless he’s the one in control…

Prologue “Another, please. Make it a double.” The bartender, an ebony-skinned man with a shiny bald head and thick, ropy arms, nodded his agreement. As he shifted to grab the bottle of rum from the shelf, Laela caught his arm. “Never mind that. Champagne. The best you have.” He grinned, showing even white teeth in the neon light swirling across the dance floor in front of the bar. “You celebrating?” She smiled back, a tremor of excitement sweeping down her spine. “New job. I start tomorrow.” He lifted the bottle in a silent toast, then tipped it so the bubbly liquid flowed into a flute glass. “Good luck.” She took a sip, wincing a little as the carbonation hit her tongue. “Won’t need it. I’m gonna knock ’em dead.” An hour later, Laela Léa was still nursing the same glass of flat champagne. She twirled round and round on her bar stool, letting her legs hang over the edge. On each full turn, she peered out into the darkened dance floor. Bright laser beams bathed the Friday-night crowd, highlighting pink streaks in black hair, colored contact lenses that glowed florescent colors and more metal hooks, rings and studs than she’d seen in the entire tattoo and piercing parlor across the street. The frenzied beat of the techno music that flowed through the hottest night spot in San Diego soothed Laela’s restless nerves in a way the alcohol couldn’t. She stopped spinning, her heart fluttering madly in her chest at the thought of what tomorrow might bring. Her head spun, partly from the alcohol and partly from going around in circles for the last five minutes. She caught her breath, swung her hand back toward the bar to

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grope for her glass and used the back of her other sleeve to wipe away a stray bead of sweat that dripped down her temple. It was in the middle of that awkward move that she spotted him. From fifteen feet away, she could make out the hard line of the man’s jaw, the broad shoulders, the wavy black hair that barely brushed his shoulders. But as much as his appearance struck her, it was the way he seemed to stand apart from the rest of the crowd that had her stomach doing a quick flip-flop. Even surrounded by a hundred people who bounced, hopped and grooved all around him, he stood alone. He looked as out of place among Club Surge’s typical crowd as a nun at a burlesque show. Aside from his hair, which was a little too long to fit the rest of his clean-cut image, he looked… normal. While the other men took obvious pride in their leather jackets, rough tattoos and spiky hairstyles, the newcomer wore beige pants, black shoes, and a polo shirt. A polo shirt, of all things! And yet, somehow, he seemed to blend in. It made no sense, but there he stood, in the middle of the gyrating crowd, looking for all the world as though he’d just stepped out of the pages of Town & Country magazine, and no one gave him a second glance. No one but her. His posture, stiff but somehow resigned, spoke of weariness, perhaps even disinterest. His eyes, however, betrayed him. She couldn’t make out their color from this distance, but she could see the intensity in that determined gaze as it swept across the room and zeroed in on the bar. Without warning, that ardent gaze caught hers. And held. Laela lost her balance. The three-legged stool tipped and wobbled precariously. As she groped for the edge of the bar and hooked her foot around one of the stool’s spindly legs, he began winding his way across the club. Heading straight toward her. Heat pooled between Laela’s legs. It curled across her clit, sending a jolt of sensation deep into her pussy. She pressed her legs together and clenched her hands

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around the edge of her stool. Her breath halted in her throat as he came closer. The crowd seemed to part for him, though no one brushed against him or uttered the slightest disrespectful word. In fact, no one paid any attention to him at all. She couldn’t begin to fathom why. For her part, if she hadn’t been hanging on to the stool, she’d have fallen off long ago. And all because she couldn’t take her eyes off this one man. A man, for Pete’s sake. Laela didn’t go for men. She liked vampires, werewolves, even elves. Men were so… plain. Only there was nothing even remotely ordinary about this man. He oozed sensuality from every pore. It dripped off him in waves, wrapped around her and scrambled her thoughts until she was entirely focused on nothing but him. The woman who’d been sitting beside Laela stood, vacating the stool. The newcomer slipped into it as though he’d known all along it would be there, waiting for him. “Bourbon, on the rocks,” he said in answer to the bartender’s unspoken question. Even his voice made Laela’s pussy clench in anticipation. Low and husky, it sent a shiver down the length of her body. The space between stools was much too narrow for his wide shoulders and broad chest. His knee came within touching distance of her thigh. His arm brushed her elbow. Laela had stopped breathing the moment he’d sat down, but the unexpected contact kick-started her lungs. She gulped in a big breath of spicy male odor. Not sweat, but not cologne, either. Something else… something entirely unique. And altogether much too irresistible. She shifted slightly, rotating the stool so she was facing him. After that brief moment when their gazes had locked, he’d ignored her outright. Laela cleared her throat, gathering up the courage to say something. What, she didn’t know. Something that would get his attention. Something that would make him

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want to pick her up in those powerful arms, deposit her on the sleek surface of the bar, hike up her skirt, and bury his head between her legs. Yeah, that would do nicely. “Come here often?” She grimaced at the lame pickup line that slipped from her lips before she could stop it. She knew very well this wasn’t one of his regular hang-outs, because it was hers. And she most certainly would have noticed him before now. The man looked up from his drink. Instead of answering, his jet-black eyebrows arched up as he assessed her with a slow, deliberate sweep of his gaze. He started at the top of her head and worked his way down, pausing with what Laela hoped was appreciation as his gaze came to rest on her full breasts straining against her pink cotton tank top. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued his silent appraisal. She watched him glance at the strip of skin proudly displaying her navel just beneath the hem of her tank top, and then at her upper thighs, which a denim mini-skirt barely covered. She expected him to stop there but he kept going, glancing all the way down her bare legs to her feet. Feeling slightly awkward, she wiggled her toes, absurdly grateful she’d worn open-toed sandals that showed off her polished pink toenails. When he completed his assessment, he tilted his head to the side, an amused smile tugging at one side of his full lips. “Isn’t that my line?” Laela lifted a shoulder in a playful shrug. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the music. “I thought I’d hurry things along a little.” He took a long swig of his drink. The dark liquid disappeared in a flash, but he didn’t as much as flinch when it flowed down his throat. Unlike her, who grimaced at the taste of champagne. “You’re in a rush?” “It’s my last night in town.” She didn’t know why she’d told him. He didn’t need to know that. He didn’t need to know anything about her. She’d walked in here tonight feeling restless, anticipation flooding her veins with adrenaline. She needed a release.

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From the moment she’d climbed on her barstool, she’d been looking for something. She hadn’t even known what until she spotted him. Now there wasn’t a shred of doubt in her overheated body that what she’d been craving all along was exactly what he could provide. Hot, sweaty, fabulous sex. With a man who set her body on fire with a smoldering glance. A man she’d never see again. For humans, such an encounter would be risky. For someone like her, the opposite was true. As a member of the Papidae Laéane family -- what humans termed Pixies -- she was invulnerable to diseases of the flesh. Nor could she become pregnant by a human male. And if she happened to find herself in a rough encounter, she had a few tricks up her ethereal sleeve that would come as a big surprise to anyone who thought her easy prey because of her lithe build and casual demeanor. The man watched her intently, frown lines appearing over the bridge of his nose. “Mine, too.” She didn’t attempt to hide her surprise. “You’re kidding. New job?” “You could say that.” Without warning, he unbuttoned the few buttons on his shirt and tugged on the neckline, revealing dark curls across a tan, muscular chest. Laela’s mouth went dry. In the brief flashes of neon light, she could make out a tattooed circle etched in black ink across his skin. Within the circle sat the perfectly drawn emblem of the Marine Corps. Laela reached out and traced the shape of the eagle’s head. “You’re being deployed.” He nodded, once. She could barely contain her enthusiasm. Her grin widened, stretching her cheeks until they hurt. “Perfect.” His answering smile held no humor. “You just met me, and you’re already trying to get rid of me?”

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Heat rose into her cheeks. She ducked her head, realizing much too late that what she’d taken for intensity in his gaze was much more. Apprehension, perhaps. Indecision, maybe. Not fear, though. There was too much courage and determination in the depthless orbs to ever mistake his hesitation for true fear. There was a story there. She could feel it. But asking the myriad of questions that might get him to open up would cross the line, taking him from nameless wonder to a man with the potential to be so much more. Laela splayed her hand across his chest, marveling at the way warmth streamed through his body and seemed to pour into hers. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me. Let me make it up to you.” She didn’t remember much about the trek through the pulsing, writhing mass of people who stood in their way to the door. Yet she could clearly recall his hand in hers, the way his broad, masculine fingers dwarfed her smaller ones. The way she clung to his palm, her heart hammering against her ribcage until the door to the back alley opened and stale summer air forced its way into her lungs. He had her pressed up against the wall in the span of a heartbeat. “You like to take risks, don’t you?” he whispered as be buried his face in her neck. She moaned and let her head fall back against the wall. Tingles of anticipation thrummed through her bloodstream as he kissed his way up the column of her throat to nip at her earlobe. “I don’t take risks.” Her breath sounded hoarse. Ravished. “I make calculated decisions.” The resounding male chuckle shook the rest of her self-control. Her knees weakened and her sex clenched as moisture slicked her nether lips. Her anonymous lover seemed to know just what she wanted. His hand quested between her legs, hiking up the short skirt so that it bunched up around her hips. The broad span of his palm pressed against the crotch of her panties, sending a wave of sensation to stream slowly into her cunt.

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“Why?” His other hand moved up to her breast. He circled a nipple lightly with the tip of his index finger, his mouth never straying far from her ear. She fought the euphoric mist clouding her brain long enough to focus on the solitary word. “Why what?” “Why me?” The question gave her pause. She tried to come up with a suitable answer, but the pressure against her cunt made it impossible to think. “Because you’re different,” she managed at last. He sucked in a breath. His hold around her tightened. The hard length of his erection prodding her stomach told her he knew exactly why they were out in this alley, and it wasn’t to make conversation. Fearing he’d ask her another question that would force her to assess the situation in ways she had no intention of doing, Laela wiggled just enough to give herself room to graze her lips across the firm line of his jaw. A layer of thin stubble tickled her mouth. Parting her lips, she trailed the tip of her tongue across his skin until she found what she was looking for -- his mouth. Her pulse quickened as she leaned in for the delicious kiss she’d been anticipating since the moment she’d spotted him. Her mystery lover didn’t disappoint. With a groan that seemed ripped from the bottom of his soul, he claimed her mouth the moment she laid her lips across his. Going in, she’d thought she’d have the upper hand. In the blink of an eye, he proved how wrong she’d been. He took control with the self-assurance of a man who’d done this a time or two. Skimming her breast with his palm, he worked his hand up across her neck and cupped the base of her head, supporting it as he plundered her mouth. His tongue plunged inside her with a rhythm that mimicked the act of fucking to sinful perfection. When the full impact of his soft, hot tongue hit her, she gasped inside his mouth. Lust flooded her cunt. The thick ridge of his cock digging into her stomach became

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almost unbearable. Her clit swelled, aching with pent-up need against the heel of his hand. She arched reflexively against him, bucking sharply when he slipped a finger beneath the edge of her panties and grazed a sensitive spot along her soaked labia. Laela whimpered. Anticipation clawed at her with hot, needy talons. “I want --” “Shhh… I know.” He peppered her mouth with kisses. Soft ones, fast ones, delicate ones, intoxicating ones. His finger delved deeper between her folds, finding her opening, slipping inside just long enough to make her inner walls clench before gliding out again. Tendrils of pleasure swam through her pussy. She grasped at them, needing to come more than she’d ever needed anything in her entire life. He pushed the panties to the side and slipped two fingers along her slit. He worked them from her clit all the way down to her channel, where he paused just long enough to slip inside again in that maddeningly brief way before plunging back deeper. She yelped when he circled her anus, but he quieted her with another earthshattering kiss. He didn’t even have to shush her this time. Her panting groan was lost inside his mouth. He continued working her pussy with his fingers until she became a quivering, wobbly mess. She shook and ached in places she normally didn’t think about while having sex. The muscles in her legs tensed as she struggled to keep herself upright. Her stomach clenched and unclenched along with the inner walls of her pussy. Her breasts felt heavy and ripe, her nipples stiff as little rocks when they scraped across his chest. His thumb flicked across her clit. She arched her spine and bucked toward him, but only succeeded in getting further away from the euphoric bliss streaming through her veins when he touched her. “Please.” She didn’t know if he heard her. In fact, she had no idea whether she’d uttered her plea aloud, or if she did, if it went any farther than his intoxicating mouth.

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A tempestuous climax built inside her. It threatened to blow over with every brush of his hand against her swollen cunt lips, but nothing -- nothing -- had prepared her for the feel of his cock. He gave her no warning. He’d worked her into such a state of frenzy that she hadn’t even noticed him undoing his pants. One moment he was toying with her pussy and the next she felt the smooth tip of his cock nestle in the soaked crevice of her slit. She barely had time to gasp before he lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her to the wall. In one smooth motion, his cock glided inside her, filling her with its wicked, tantalizing girth. His groan carried through the back alley. He held her prisoner against the wall while he waited for her to adjust to the intrusion stretching her cunt. There was no need to wait. He’d driven her out of her mind with need. She was more than ready. Laela began to move first, proving there was no reason to hold back. She wanted no restraint, no hesitation. She only wanted him. Every inch of him, hot and heavy and pulsing hard inside her. With a growl, he pinned her into place, cupped her cheeks in his big hands, and forced her to look into his eyes. “I don’t know who you are, lady, or what you’ve done to me, but this isn’t like anything I’ve felt before.” She whimpered, unable to answer. Her pixie heritage shouldn’t have been able to affect a human male this way. Whatever had happened between them, whatever bit of magic had gone haywire and had heightened this fairly ordinary experience from mere sex to mind-blowing ecstasy couldn’t be blamed on any pixie charm she knew. Thrusting up slightly, she felt the brick façade scrape her back as she hovered at the top of his cock. Then, before he could say anything else, she let herself fall. Her pussy took all of him -- every last inch. They cried out together as her clit scraped his pubic bone so hard, it sent an intense jolt through her body that unraveled the final remnants of her restraint.

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He had only to swivel his hips a fraction of an inch and she was breaking into a million pieces. Thankfully, the tight grip of her thighs around his waist held her grounded enough so she didn’t fall apart when pleasure careened through her. He rocked against her, finding his release as she crested hers. A myriad of sensations bolted through her at once. She’d never felt anything nearly as intense as this man’s potent cum flooding her core. She clung to his shoulders, inner muscles fluttering madly. The reckless rush of orgasm demanded all her concentration. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to it. Laela’s head fell forward. She buried her face in his neck, breathing deeply, imprinting his scent on her senses. For a moment, she forgot she’d never see him again. His heartbeat thundered against hers, its powerful rhythm challenging the music spilling out into the alley. Laughter and gleeful shouts invaded the privacy of their unlikely cloister. When he scooped her in his arms and drew her away from the wall, all she wanted to do was sag against his powerful chest. She yearned to let him carry her away. Somewhere dark and private and quiet, somewhere they could get to know each other. She could spend a lifetime discovering what made him so damned irresistible to her -- her! -- a pixie who prided herself on listening to her father’s advice and never, ever, ever letting a male of any species get inside her perfectly logical brain. Not to mention anywhere close to her closely guarded scientist’s heart. In the back of her euphoric mind, logic still reigned supreme. Letting this man get close would be the end of her future as she knew it. If she let him, he’d burrow inside her very soul. He wouldn’t back away, wouldn’t let her have a moment of independence. He’d overwhelm her, possess her, until he stripped away everything that made her who she was. Until he left a mere husk of a paranormal being where a strong, self-reliant woman should have been. She’d seen another relationship unfold in this manner, and she’d be damned if she let this devastating man turn her into her sister.

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“I could stay a little longer,” he whispered in her ear. “I could call my Lieutenant and tell him I have a family emergency. You could stay, too.” Fear warred with desire. Her body called out to him, begged him to remain here. Forever. Or you could come with me. To Rookery Cove. Only… you don’t belong there. And I’m so scared -Reality came crashing back hard as that thought struck. Logic returned to take its rightful place front and center. Panic careened through Laela in the span of a skipped heartbeat. She splayed her palms against the man’s chest and pushed -- hard. He stumbled backward, clearly caught off guard. She used that moment of imbalance to pull herself off his rapidly hardening cock and land on her feet. Sucking in a deep breath as her cramped muscles groaned in protest of the abrupt movement, Laela barely took the time to straighten her skirt before whirling around and breaking into a run. Halfway down the alley, she came to a guilt-ridden stop. She could still taste his kiss on her lips. Her stomach twisted into knots. Remorse, regret, and rancid fear rose in the back of her throat. When she looked back, he stood where she’d left him, head hanging low, dark eyes piercing through the shadowy alley to bore into hers. “Thanks,” she called out. It sounded as absurdly stupid to her as it must have sounded to him, yet she couldn’t think of anything else to say. He didn’t answer. He didn’t even move. He simply faded into the red brick façade of the wall and vanished from sight, leaving Laela to wonder whether the bartender had slipped something into her glass that had made her imagine the entire encounter. The next morning, only the scratch marks on her back told her otherwise.

Chapter One Eighteen months later… “It failed. Again.” Laela hovered in mid-air, her small frame floating two inches above the door handle to her boss’s office. She’d been flying by on her way to the laboratory when Éliane Salina’s no-nonsense voice stopped her short. She’d barely had time to process the woman’s words before her spine stiffened and her chin shot up in an instinctive response she recognized all too well. Three little words from the pixie who signed her paycheck and Laela’s body had gone into defensive “fight or flight” mode. Considering they’d had the same discussion half a dozen times in the past two weeks, she didn’t think she was overreacting. Éliane stared at Laela over the rim of her gold-framed glasses. “Well? Come in here and close that door. What do you have to say for yourself?” Laela’s first reaction was to fly over the sleek metallic desk and jab her right hand into the woman’s eye socket. Since Éliane preferred to work in her human guise, it wouldn’t be difficult for Laela to use her tiny pixie figure to her advantage. Thankfully, the impulse to maim her boss quickly vanished. It was a damned good thing, too. She wanted to keep her job. She loved her work. She only wished Éliane believed in the Cum-a-Chameleon formula as much as Laela did. Then she wouldn’t have to continually justify the reason she’d spent the last eighteen months cooped up in a laboratory, working on an aphrodisiac that hadn’t earned the company a cent. It would, though. The moment Cum-a-Chameleon went on the market, it would take the paranormal world by storm. Rookery Cove Aphrodisiacs would be hailed as the most innovative company of all those who catered to magical beings. They’d

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accomplish what no other corporation -- paranormal-led or otherwise -- had ever managed. And she, Laela Léa, lead product development analytical chemist at Rookery Cove’s Pixie Pharmacology Institute, would finally get the credit she deserved. Until then, though, she had to play nice with her boss. “We’re testing on the wrong subjects,” Laela said as she kicked the door closed with her heels. She then flew to the desk where she landed lightly on the stack of papers Éliane had been perusing. “I’ve been telling you that for weeks.” Éliane gave a frustrated sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Grow up. It’s impossible to have a normal conversation with you when I’m worried about where I place my coffee cup.” As though to demonstrate, Éliane picked up a black mug with the words World’s #1 Boss etched in gold lettering and took a sip. Laela begged to differ -- on both counts. Wanting to avoid a bigger argument, she fluttered over to the leather chair on the other side of the desk. To avoid the disorientation that always came with gaining five-foot-two inches in two point four seconds, Laela closed her eyes before beginning the process of shifting into human form. With a low hiss that sounded like a vacuum bag being opened, her wings disappeared while her muscles elongated. As she focused on reshaping her appearance, she paid particular attention to lengthening her magically constructed lab coat so that it reached to mid-thigh. She’d be damned if she’d give Éliane another reason to voice her disapproval. When Laela’s toes hit the ground, she opened her eyes to find Éliane watching her intently. “Maybe the real problem with the formula is the fact that your measurements are out of whack. How can you expect to conduct proper experiments when you’re no bigger than a test tube?” Irritation simmered inside her, but Laela forced a patient smile onto her features. “I have better perspective when I’m small. You should try it sometime. Your budget

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numbers might even make more sense when you’re looking at them up close.” And you won’t feel the need to shut down my project before giving it a real chance, she added silently. Éliane shoved her glasses on top of her head. Without them, she looked freshfaced, wholesome, and much too young to have already climbed up the corporate ladder to this level. But she had, and as much as a part of Laela wanted to think she’d done it on her back, Éliane was clearly there because she deserved to be. Whether Laela liked it or not, Éliane was one smart pixie. Her business sense more than made up for whatever she lacked in personal skills. “This project isn’t successful, Laela, and you know it. Zwiffle has been conducting all the testing himself, and there’s no doubt about it. The formula does not work.” She said the last three words slowly, punctuating each one as if speaking to a child. The urge to poke her in the eye reared its ugly head again. “How can Zwiffle test the product properly if he’s not testing it on the client who will be using it? Even the head of QA is bound to make mistakes if he’s not given the proper tools to do his job.” Éliane rearranged her glasses on the tip of her nose. “You know, I’ve been thinking the same thing.” A spark of excitement leapt to life in Laela’s belly. It was quickly tempered by a flood of suspicion. “What are you saying?” “I’m saying,” Éliane murmured sweetly, “that you were right. We’re testing on the wrong creatures.” Laela instinctively reached out and covered the other woman’s hand with hers. “Thank you,” she said, meaning it. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I have a simulation running in the lab. It’s not perfect, but if you’ll take a look you’ll see that the chameleon genes will react positively when they come into contact with the formula. The chameleon prototype’s erection is almost instantaneous. He goes wild at the first touch of Cum-a-Chameleon, and the effect is only tempered by --”

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“You have seventy-two hours.” Éliane returned her attention to the papers in front of her. Staring blankly while her thoughts raced, Laela opened her mouth to continue, then quickly shut it again. Clearly, she’d missed something. “The simulation is complete. You can see for yourself.” Éliane’s pretty heart-shaped face seemed at odds with the glint of determination shining behind her glasses. “I have no interest in your simulation. The only thing it proves is that you spend way too much time in that laboratory, fantasizing about a cyber specimen who may or may not have anything in common with a real chameleon.” Blood rushed into Laela’s cheeks. It was true that she’d designed the prototype to be pleasing to the eye, and she’d taken some measure of enjoyment from experimenting on his digital physique, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t on to something. “But a real chameleon is impossible to find. You know that as well as I do. They’re recluses, blending in perfectly with humans whenever they must interact with them, and becoming one with their surroundings at the slightest hint of a threat. If we could find one to use as a real test subject, we’d have done so already.” Éliane shrugged. “Seventy-two hours. Find me a real chameleon and prove the formula works, or I pull the funding on your project. Are we clear?” The shrill ring of the telephone saved Laela from having to answer. Éliane’s eyebrows rose in unmistakable dismissal before she reached for the receiver. By the time Laela got to her feet, she was already shrinking, her wings flaring from beneath her shoulder blades. She jumped on the door handle with both feet, dislodging the latch before pulling on the edge of the door. The gap widened just far enough to allow her to fly out into the main hallway. There, she hesitated. She’d been given seventy-two hours to find the equivalent of a needle in a haystack. Chameleons were as real as pixies and werewolves, yet she hadn’t been able to find anyone who’d seen one -- much less interacted with one -- since she’d begun working on the Cum-a-Chameleon project. If she’d known it would be so

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difficult to validate her work, she might have reconsidered pursuing her wild idea in the first place. But there’d been something so alluring about reaching such a huge, untapped market. Chameleons were out there by the hundreds of thousands, just waiting for someone to create a product that worked with their unique physiology. Sure, the shadowy creatures might have been loners by nature, but they still had sex. And that meant they needed Rookery Cove Aphrodisiacs’ products as much as anyone else. Three days. She was three days away from flushing eighteen months of hard work down the drain. She owed it to herself to at least attempt to accomplish the impossible, if only for the immense satisfaction of seeing Éliane’s jaw drop when she dragged a real live chameleon into the woman’s office. Whirling in the opposite direction from her laboratory, Laela flew out the side window. Cool air and the salty spray drifting in off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean brushed her skin, causing a light shiver to dance across her flesh. Sunlight glinted off an oddly shaped octagonal roof in the distance. After taking a moment to orient herself, Laela headed toward it. Only one person could help her now.

*** “Would you stop pacing for two minutes? You’re giving me a headache.” “Huh?” Laela brought herself up short. She hadn’t realized she’d been walking back and forth across the top of Okibi’s keyboard. “Better,” Okibi said. Her red-tipped fingernails whirled across the black keys. Laela fisted her hands at her sides and willed herself to be still. She’d come here two hours ago looking -- all right, begging -- for help. The least she could do was try not to disturb Okibi while she worked. But it was impossible not to be restless. She could practically hear the clock ticking down seconds in the back of her mind.

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With a sigh, she plopped herself down on the smooth surface of Okibi’s desk. Directly ahead from where she sat, a holographic projection of Okibi as the filling in a Branimir and Viktor sandwich flickered briefly before returning to its full glow. “Sorry about that,” Okibi said, glancing at the holograph from the corner of her eye. A fond smile tilted the edges of her full lips. “I need to replace the batteries.” Laela picked at the hem of her lab coat. Try as she might to avoid glancing at the flashing image, she couldn’t keep her eyes off the darn thing. The two men pressed up against Okibi from the front and back, as though attempting to protect, seduce, and possess her all at once. Laela’s heart skipped a beat. The euphoric expression on Okibi’s face contrasted sharply with the intensity on the faces of her men. The sensual phoenix’s lovers had powerful, incredible bodies. They exuded confidence and masculine allure. For a brief, logic-free moment, she wondered what it would be like to be loved and cherished by such men. In varying states of undress, the stunning trio made an astonishing impression. Still, despite the two perfect specimens standing on either side of Okibi, Laela’s focus kept shifting back to the phoenix’s face. A grimace tugged at her mouth. Laela didn’t think she’d ever looked like that. Nor had she ever had anyone gaze upon her that way… like his entire world revolved around her at that exact moment. Sure you did, a small voice taunted her. That night outside Club Surge. You remember… I know you do. She swallowed hard. Oh yeah, she remembered all right. She’d even modeled the digital chameleon prototype after the mystery lover who’d so expertly fucked her in that back alley all those months ago. But that was a one-time thing. Okibi’s bliss was lasting -- which was a completely alien concept to Laela.

Lacey Savage


- 22 -

Okibi hadn’t seemed any worse for wear after mating with Branimir and Viktor. She certainly hadn’t lost her sense of self-worth or her ambition the way Laela’s sister, Aline, had. Since coming to live and work at Rookery Cove, many of Laela’s preconceived notions had been tested. She’d seen a number of relationships form over the past year and half. And while she’d kept her distance from the couples as she waited for the inevitable disintegration of the relationships to occur, she’d been stunned when it didn’t happen. In fact, as impossible as it seemed, every union she’d witnessed had lasted. More puzzling yet, each half of a couple seemed individually even more… complete than they did before finding their mate. Or mates, as in Okibi’s case. None of it made any sense at all. Maybe there was something in the ocean spray that kept lovers in a constant state of infatuation. But that didn’t compute, either, since Okibi and her mates balanced their time between Rookery Cove Island and a mysterious castle in Western Europe. “Aha!” Okibi’s triumphant shout pulled Laela out of her reverie. She leapt to her feet and peered up at the computer monitor that dwarfed her small frame. “You got something?” Okibi smirked, the expression at odds with the delicate features of her face. “Maaaay-be.” Something about the way the pretty phoenix’s eyebrows wiggled made a knot of excitement form in Laela’s stomach. “You’re kidding. You tracked down a chameleon? A real chameleon?” Shrugging uncomfortably under Laela’s enthusiastic praise, Okibi swiped a hand through her spiky black hair. “I called in a favor, that’s all.” “Wow. And you got a name?” Okibi’s satisfied grin returned. “I can do you one better. I have a name, an address, a social security number… and a picture.”

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- 23 -

A squeal escaped Laela’s lips before she could stop it. She didn’t care if the chameleon was a hundred and eight years old and had a body like a wrinkled sausage. Come to think of it, it might be better for her career if he did. Then she could prove once and for all beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the best analytical chemist to ever step foot on Rookery Cove Island. “I think you’re going to be pleased.” With a flourish, Okibi tilted the monitor so Laela could get a good look from where she stood off to the side of the keyboard. Sultry, hungry, instantly recognizable dark eyes blazed into hers. Laela blinked to clear her vision, confusion streaming through her in hot waves. “My prototype,” she murmured, stepping closer to the screen and reaching out a delicate hand to skim the man’s virtual cheek. He looked so real, she almost expected to feel the brush of stubble across her flesh. “I don’t understand.” “I don’t know anything about a prototype. His name is Nathaniel Alexis. He’s an ex-Marine.” Laela’s legs quivered as she slumped against Okibi’s round pencil-holder. If not for the metallic mesh supporting her, she was sure she’d have fallen on her ass, the same way she’d nearly done the first night she’d seen him. “Nathaniel,” she whispered. Her fingertips tingled where she’d touched his picture. “This must be a mistake.” Okibi peered down at her, almond-shaped obsidian eyes narrowing in concern. “I’m afraid not. Your chameleon is real. And I think I know where you can find him.”

Chapter Two Nathaniel Alexis was in ninth grade when he realized he was different from the other kids on that fateful day he’d snuck into the girls’ locker room. He thought he was being clever, hiding behind towel racks and crouching beneath benches. All he wanted was to peek at a few girls who’d never give him the time of day otherwise. He’d devour them with his eyes. No harm in that, right? He’d believed that, right up until the moment his questing gaze caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Or rather, didn’t catch a glimpse of himself. When he stared at the spot where his reflection should have been, his heart lurched in his chest. Logically, he knew the spot he’d chosen was completely exposed. If any girl was to turn her head and glance into the full-length mirror that tilted toward the ceiling, she’d see him splayed out on the ground looking up from beneath a low bench. Except try as he might, he couldn’t see anything beneath that bench. Not his mop of black hair, not his white sneakers, not his gray gym shorts. Nothing at all. It was as though he wasn’t even there. He still remembered walking up to that mirror on shaky legs and standing in front of it. He even touched it to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. It felt as solid as the ground beneath his feet. The only thing out of the ordinary was him. He’d peered closely at every scratch and dent in the glass, horrified at not finding the slightest shred of himself in there. Nubile girls in training bras bustled around him; yet enjoying the view had suddenly become the last thing on his mind. He had no reflection. Nothing made sense. Nothing but the horrifying possibility that he didn’t exist.

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- 25 -

Only when the principal’s naked daughter bumped into him did he realize that he hadn’t disappeared altogether. He wasn’t a spirit or a ghost, but neither was he a vampire. The girl couldn’t see him any more than he could see himself. He watched her back up a step and peer right at him, confusion etching a groove in her forehead. As relief swept through him, Nathan whirled around and stumbled over his feet in his mad rush to get away. Ten minutes later, he was back to normal, once again a mischievous teenager like any other. Except this teenager had a secret. One he knew he could never reveal if he wanted to be normal. And he did. More than anything else, he wanted to fit in, to belong. That’s why he’d joined the Marines. Unfortunately for Nathan, becoming one of the few and the proud had been as ill-advised as sneaking into the girl’s locker room. Only that brave adventure had cost him much more than a lesson in self-discovery. A breeze swept in off the Florida coast, jolting Nathan out of his trip down memory lane. He shook himself back to reality. He couldn’t afford to lose focus. Not now, when one wrong move could cost him everything he’d fought so hard to regain. A slow, steady ache spread through his shoulders and made his back tingle. He’d been standing with his spine flattened against a lamp post for the past hour, watching zigzagging lasers dance across the pebbled surface of the football field sized parking lot. On the other side, Zone 99’s laboratory compound loomed like a black shadow. No light shone from the small windows, giving the place a sinister feel even if Nathan hadn’t known what was inside. But he did know… intimately. Unfortunately, despite the fact that he was all too familiar with the interior of the laboratory, this was only the second time he’d seen the exterior. Even though Nathan could camouflage himself, his clothes, and anything he carried, he couldn’t make himself vanish altogether. Nor could he float above the stateof-the-art security system. His only option was to study the flickering lines and make some sense of the ever-changing pattern.

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- 26 -

It would have been easy to step inside the gaps and avoid tripping the alarm if all he’d had to worry about was a steady imprint of laser wires. But this security system changed shape, reconfiguring itself every thirty seconds. There was no way he’d make it even halfway across before it caught him off-guard and either brought down the entire base on his head, or fried him on the spot. At the moment, Nathan didn’t know which fate was worse. An unexpected flicker of light made him turn his head to the right. He squinted into the darkness, his body tightening like a rubber ball. Adrenaline flooded his veins. He clenched his hands at his sides, ready to take on whatever threat came his way. When nothing appeared out of the shadows, he allowed himself to relax just enough to slacken his jaw. That’s when he saw it. Another disturbance in the still air. One more flicker, this one brighter and even closer to where he stood. The bright spot of light floated in on a trail of golden sparkles, lighting up the night like a firefly. Nathan had to squint against the harsh light beaming through his infrared glasses. His muscles tensed as his body went into complete battle mode. In the span of a frenzied heartbeat, he’d ripped off the glasses, letting them hang from the leather cord around his neck. If he’d thought his imagination was playing tricks on him before taking off the glasses, things were infinitely worse now that he could see clearly. His firefly wasn’t a firefly at all. She was a tiny woman -- about the size of his thumb. She wore a low-cut pink top that showcased her full breasts to perfection, and a tiny skirt no bigger than his thumbnail. When she gazed in his direction, recognition slammed hard into his gut. Oh, God. He was going insane, pinning the face of the woman who’d haunted his dreams for eighteen months on… what? A butterfly? He had no idea what he was looking at, but the gauzy fluorescent blue wings and the sexy clothes certainly didn’t help him figure it out.

Lacey Savage


- 27 -

He rubbed his eyes with bunched fists. When he blinked and opened them again, she was still there, pirouetting around him, seemingly oblivious to the security system and the armed guard patrolling nearby. Fuck! Whatever Zone 99’s scientists had done to him during his long months in captivity, when they’d poked and prodded him in order to harness his ability and shape it into a weapon, had finally caught up to him. His mind was failing him. Now, when he needed it most. Panic flooded his core, quickening his pulse. He was determined to ignore the hallucination, but he didn’t dare move. Even without the infrared glasses, he knew the first of the laser beams darted in a new formation only inches away from his toes. “Nathaniel!” she hissed out his name in a whisper, but her voice was much louder than he’d expected from such a tiny creature. “Are you here?” The guard, who’d marched within twenty feet of where Nathan stood, stopped in mid-stride, rifle at the ready. Nathan froze. There was no way the man could have heard his hallucination speak. But if he could hear her, that meant he could also see her. And if he could see her… God, could the man see him, too? “Nath --” He clapped his hands around her shapely little figure before she could complete the word. The last thing he needed was even a hint of his name blown on the breeze to the guard’s ears. The compound was on high alert, ever-vigilant for his return. Rays of light peeked out from between his fingertips and a muffled cry echoed from inside. He prayed he could camouflage her the way he hid everything else about him. Whatever magical power made him the way he was also extended to inanimate objects. And although he’d never tested his abilities on fantasy women, he could only hope it extended to them, too. To his relief, the light blinked out of existence. The guard stared in Nathan’s direction for another moment before apparently deciding whatever he’d heard had been a false alarm and turning around to march in the opposite direction.

Lacey Savage


- 28 -

The relief that skidded along Nathan’s rigid body was short lived. No sooner had the guard turned around than the butterfly woman began to grow. What had begun as an almost insignificant weight in the palm of his hand and the slightly ticklish sensation of wings fluttering against his fingers quickly expanded to unexpected proportions. He could no longer contain her. His hand span widened. He lost his hold on her and watched in sheer fascination as his small hallucination became real. Fury seemed to roll off her slim shoulders. The stiffness of her spine told him she wasn’t pleased with the way he’d handled the situation back there, but apologizing was suddenly the furthest thing from his mind. He knew her. The woman who’d haunted his dreams for the past eighteen months was suddenly standing before him. She was so close, he could smell the sweet, intoxicating scent rolling off her. It drifted through the air, seeped into his bloodstream, hardened his rapidly awakening cock. He could even hear her small breaths as she narrowed her eyes in his direction. It was impossible. Unthinkable. She was… a fantasy come to life. Here, of all places. In front of the compound that had been his prison for six long months. What were the odds that the woman whose memory had seen him through the ordeal was truly flesh and blood? Before he could give that question another moment’s thought, she took out a small velvet pouch that had been tied to her waist, sprinkled some golden powder in the palm of her outstretched hand, and blew it in his direction. Metallic dust floated through the air, coating Nathan in a fine layer of the stuff. When he lifted his hand to protect his eyes, he could see the glow of the powder clinging to him, revealing every ridge in his camouflaged silhouette. His fantasy woman obviously had no intention of giving him time to adapt to this new set of circumstances. As soon as she could make him out, she shoved a finger in his chest. “Now listen here --” Apparently, she’d forgotten the need for caution. The guard turned around. After that, instinct kicked in, full force. Nathan’s hands found the slight dip in the

Lacey Savage


- 29 -

woman’s trim waist and yanked her off her feet. She cried out another protest that died when a gunshot rang out. The thundering boom was followed a split-second later by a piercing whoosh that echoed much too close to Nathan’s ear. Suddenly, she no longer seemed interested in screaming, or telling him what she thought of him. She didn’t even put up a fight when Nathan pressed her against his side, crouched low to the ground and shoved them both through the hole he’d cut in the wire fence surrounding the place. Normally, electric current ran through the wires but he’d shut off the powerful charge before breaking his way through. When a jagged edge scraped his shoulder, it tore his shirt, but at least it didn’t fry them both where they stood. The high-pitched shrill of the alarm being triggered followed them out into the night. Nathan didn’t know how long they ran. His training and the survival instinct he’d had plenty of opportunity to hone during the last few months kept them hovering near trees, rocks, and other large items they could use as cover. It wasn’t easy to hide a sexy woman and a glowing man in plain sight, but somehow they managed. Nathan didn’t pay much attention to how they did it. He couldn’t have, even if he’d wanted to. It was as though his entire being had become closely attuned to the woman at his side. In the span of a minute, she’d gone from being an undesirable nuisance to someone he had to touch, to protect, to be close to -- at any cost. So they continued to sprint, clinging to one another’s hand, until the sound of waves breaking against the seashore drowned out the noise from the compound. At the base of the surf, Nathan veered sharply to the right, heading for a small cave he knew to be nearby. Once they were safely inside, he had no time to catch his breath. Without warning, his fantasy woman dove into his arms. The sneak attack surprised him even more than her initial appearance had, and he didn’t think it was possible to be more surprised than that.

Lacey Savage


- 30 -

His back hit the wall as she pressed up against him. So did his head, with a loud crack. Pain shot through his skull. He didn’t care. The intoxicating scent streaming off her messed with his senses. It scrambled every bit of logic he possessed. Even though he knew he should grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she realized how close she’d come to being responsible for ending both their lives, the only thing he wanted to do was bury his head in the crook of her neck and inhale deeply until he imprinted her incredible aroma on every part of him. Until he imprinted her on every part of him. “Nathaniel,” she whispered. His name floated through the cave, echoing as the sound of her voice hit the damp walls. “It’s Nathan.” He took a deep breath, willing his heartbeat to return to normal. They couldn’t stay here long. Even though they’d managed to avoid the compound’s guards, a team would soon search every inch of the beach. “And you are?” Her chuckle was soft, incredibly feminine. Just like the rest of her. “Laela.” Nathan swallowed hard. Desire clawed at him, sharp and hard and fast. “Laela. You’ve got me on my knees, Laela.” Her face lit up in a confused frown through the golden light she emitted combined with the luminescent sparkles that covered him from head to toe. She looked like an angel, all wrapped up in gold. A gift… for him. One he couldn’t wait to unwrap. He pressed a soft kiss just beneath her earlobe. Laela rewarded him with a low shiver. “The song… Eric Clapton,” he said when she gave no sign she understood. “Your song.” She laughed again, sending a thrill through him. “Right. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it, I forgot the lyrics. It’s beautiful.” “Not nearly as beautiful as you.” Nathan ground against her, his cock rubbing against her stomach. His head swam, making it impossible to think. He should have been infiltrating Zone 99’s compound by now, breaking in to the computer system,

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- 31 -

getting his life back. Instead, he was hiding out in a cave with a woman who shouldn’t exist. Something… something wasn’t right. He sucked a deep breath between his teeth. “You’re not really here, are you, Laela? This is just another test. Another way to mess with my mind. Another experiment.” He felt her stiffen a moment before she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Does that feel like make-believe to you?” He groaned and clung desperately to her. His mouth lowered the extra fraction of an inch until it met hers again. This time, there was nothing soft or slow about the kiss. His tongue swept in between the seam of her lips, tasting the sweetness that mirrored her scent. She opened to him, her tongue meeting his halfway, brushing against it, licking and exploring in a sensual journey of discovery all her own. The first time they’d been together had been hard and fast. They’d had no time to learn each other’s bodies. Tonight, he’d be damned if he’d let that happen again. As soon as they got away from this place, he’d take her back to his hotel and make love to her for hours on end. Whether she knew it or not, she’d saved his life. He never would have made it through all those months of endless tests, of being poked and prodded like a lab animal, if not for the memory of her legs wrapped around his waist, of her voice crying her pleasure out into the night. Tonight, he intended to repay her using every naughty trick he knew -- and others he was just going to have to make up as he went along. Breaking off the kiss was the toughest thing he remembered doing in a long time. He reached for her hand. “Come. We have to get out of here.” “Wait.” She dug her heels into the floor. “You have to come with me.” He raised an eyebrow as he tried to make sense of her words. Her face was mostly hidden in shadow, but the golden light glinted off her shimmering grayish-blue eyes.

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- 32 -

“Where?” “It’s not important.” She grabbed her lower lip between her teeth. It didn’t take a genius -- or a man with all his reasoning abilities intact -- to figure out she was nervous. “I need you.” He hooked an arm around her waist, drawing her close again. “I need you, too.” So much. You have no idea. “But there are things about me you don’t know. We can’t go…” He hesitated, trying to figure out how to say he was a wanted man without scaring the living daylights out of her. “Well, there are many places we can’t go. I can’t risk it, but there’s a hotel not far from here. I know the owner. We’ll be safe for now.” She stepped away, putting distance between them. Nathan’s first instinct was to reach out to her, to pull her back to him. But before he could, she grabbed for the hem of her absurd pink shirt and yanked it over her head in a move he’d only seen executed so flawlessly in movies. The kind he didn’t watch in theaters. Her firm breasts jutted out, dark nipples pebbling against the slight breeze. She tossed the shirt to the side and darted out of the cave. He followed, mesmerized. Moonlight glinted off her body, shimmering along the edges of the golden glow that emanated from her flawless skin. Why hadn’t he noticed that glow the first time they were together? It was ethereal, hypnotic. The sway of her hips called to him. He couldn’t have stayed where he was if he’d tried. As she walked backward, she rocked her hips in a gesture that had his cock pulsing against the seam of his pants. He’d worn tight black jeans tonight though he hadn’t needed the dark attire to camouflage himself. Still, he preferred dark clothes. They made him feel even more invisible than usual. Laela beckoned to him. He stole a glance down the length of the beach, but there was no one out this time of night. Even the compound’s guards hadn’t made it out this far yet. They were alone. Well, mostly. A ship docked off to the side of a long pier about thirty feet away could be harboring curious eyes. A flash of jealousy wiggled its way into Nathan’s gut, but he pushed it away.

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- 33 -

She wanted him to follow her. That much was clear. And it was important enough to her that she was willing to use her feminine wiles to ensure he’d come along willingly. The Marine in him knew he was being played like a fiddle. The man in him didn’t give a fuck. Skimming a hand across her nipples, Laela tweaked one between thumb and forefinger. Her other hand joined in the fun and she cupped both breasts, lifting them, placing them on an invisible shelf before pinching and rolling her nipples again. A groan tore from Nathan’s throat. Sand gave way beneath his feet as he followed her, fighting the impulse to race ahead, tackle her to the ground and take her right there, on the beach. Consequences be damned. He was too well-trained for that, too attuned to danger. Even with his senses addled and his libido on fire, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still on display. Still being watched by a predator with hungry eyes. He shook his head to clear it and almost missed the sensual way in which Laela caressed her stomach as a prelude to dipping her fingertips inside the waistband of her short skirt. Still moving backward, she flicked what Nathan guessed had to be a button at the top of the waistband and rocked her hips. Every smooth swaying motion of her narrow waist was a promise of things to come. She moved like a woman in lust, a woman who relished the idea of being his for the taking as much as he did. It felt like forever until the garment fell off, but it finally slid down the length of her long legs to pool on the moonlit sand, leaving her naked from head to toe. She wasn’t even wearing shoes, he realized as he watched her delicate toes dip into the surf. Her pussy was clean shaven, just the way he remembered. Soft pink lips peeked from the smooth mound. Moisture glinted off them in the faint light. He couldn’t bear it any longer. Taking a lesson from Laela, he unzipped his jeans and stumbled out of them as he struggled not to get left too far behind while he undressed. He wore boxers too, but those came off with less effort.

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- 34 -

Laela halted when she saw him circle his erection with his hand. His cock pulsed, throbbing in anticipation. A drop of precum had gathered at the tip, and he smoothed it down over the thick length, swallowing back a hoarse groan. He stroked his cock, up and down, as he neared her. “I want to do that,” she said in a husky whisper. Nathan removed his hand. His cock jutted out, so close to her he could thrust his hips and nudge it against her moist folds. “Then do it. Touch me.” A mischievous smile appeared on Laela’s heart-shaped face. She jerked her head in the direction of the ship he’d spotted earlier. “Get on. Then you can do whatever you want to me.” Alarm bells went off in his mind, as loud as the ones that had blared at the compound. Apparently sensing his hesitation, Laela grabbed his hand and placed it between her legs. She rocked against him, her pussy rubbing lengthwise along his palm. Her swollen folds welcomed his fingers, allowing them to slip inside her moist sex effortlessly. The tip of her tongue peeked out between her full lips. She swiped at the lower one, not as a woman using her sexuality -- but as a woman who was as affected by her performance as the man she was trying to seduce. Trying and succeeding all too well. When she pulled away, he felt the loss of her body heat like a blow to the gut. He could still feel her cream on his fingers. Her scent imbued the air, driving him mad with desire. She turned and ran, closing the remaining distance to the ship. A narrow pier was the only thing standing between her and the plank that would lead her aboard. Halfway up the makeshift plank -- which was really nothing more than a board laid haphazardly between the edge of the deck and the pier -- she glanced in his direction to make sure he was following. Against his better judgment, he was.

Chapter Three The subject has shown an increased response in his libido since being doused with the Cum-a-Chameleon powder. Because the effects of the undiluted powder have not yet been tested on a live specimen in a controlled environment, I will be keeping a close watch on the subject to ensure the suspected side effects --

“What have you got there?” Laela started at the sound of Nathan’s voice and slammed her little notebook shut. “Grocery list.” He pressed up against her, the tip of his erection gliding across the smooth naked flesh of her back. “I disappear for two minutes and you forget your promise in favor of milk, bread, and tampons?” Forcing a nonchalant chuckle, Laela yanked open the top drawer of a small wooden desk and threw the notebook inside. After sliding it closed, she turned back to Nathan and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Tomatoes, boxed macaroni-andcheese, and the latest People magazine, thank you very much.” He arched an eyebrow. “You have to write that down?” Guilt crept up her spine with ghostly fingers. “I can’t remember anything unless I make a note. Big brain, simple mind. That’s what my father used to say.” Nathan grabbed her hips, pressing her closer to him. Around them, the small cabin swayed as the ship pulled away from shore. “There ain’t nothing simple about you, lady.” He bent his head, swiped his tongue across her earlobe and scraped his teeth across the sensitive skin of her neck. “Nothing.” A shiver stole through her. On impulse, she lunged into his arms, burying her head in the crook of his shoulder and squeezing him to her with all her might.

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- 36 -

He’d given in so easily. She’d wanted him on the ship, and here he was. She didn’t have to use any weapon in her pathetic arsenal of tricks except her feminine wiles. And God knew she didn’t have many of those. There was only one explanation for the effortless way in which she’d enticed him. The formula was working in ways she hadn’t expected. In the lab, when she’d simulated applying the Cum-a-Chameleon formula on the digital prototype, the man had grown immensely aroused, wild with desire. For the most part, things were progressing just as she’d expected. Nathan was aroused -- there was no denying that. But his feverish need for her was a side effect on which she hadn’t counted. Shame flittered through her. Before she’d left Rookery Cove, Okibi had read her the full, classified report on Nathan Alexis. The one even most branches of government never got to see. Laela hadn’t asked how Okibi had received clearance to read such a document. She’d learned long ago that the less she prodded into Okibi’s family secrets, the better. What she learned, however, had been heartbreaking. Nathan had been deployed the morning after their tryst in the back alley of Club Surge. The mission had gone well -- and one assignment in particular had turned out better than expected, thanks to Nathan. He’d been able to slip into an enemy camp undetected and retrieve valuable strategic information back to his unit. He’d been promoted, rising rapidly through the ranks. His reconnaissance skills were unsurpassed. Until one day, when his commanding officer decided to follow him as he snuck into a suspected terrorist hideout. He’d seen Nathan fade to blend in with the background behind him. He’d witnessed the impossible, and he’d been all too happy to tell his superiors about the paranormal effect he’d seen with his own eyes. It wasn’t long until Nathan was pulled off active duty under the guise of a muchdeserved leave. Only he never made it back to San Diego. He was picked up at the airport by a group of men who worked for Zone 99, a secret branch of the Marine

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Corps. One that researched unexplained phenomena and used what they learned to create new, technologically advanced, weapons. For almost three full months, Zone 99’s scientists ran every known test on Nathan in an attempt to gauge what fueled his paranormal ability. And when the known tests didn’t give them the results they expected, they resorted to even more probes and examinations resulting from unthinkable experiments of their own devising. No one cared what those experiments might do to Nathan. After all, there were certain perks to being part of a secret organization, as Laela well knew. Only unlike Zone 99’s scientists, Rookery Cove’s employees never harmed their specimens. Most of the island’s inhabitants were all too familiar with how it felt to be different, and none of them would put another creature through a painful or even an uncomfortable ordeal to test a product. “Hey.” Nathan pushed her away gently, putting just enough distance between them so he could peer into her eyes. His own were full of concern. “You all right?” Concern for her. Concern she didn’t deserve. It damn near broke her heart to see it. With a great deal of effort, she pasted a sunny smile onto her features. She wasn’t like the men from Zone 99. She wouldn’t use Nathan for an evil purpose. But you are using him for your own purpose nevertheless, a ruthless voice inside her head reminded her. That’s just as heinous and unforgivable. “I’m fine. A little sea sickness, that’s all. It’ll pass.” God, she was getting good at lying to him. Too good. And she hated every foul word of it. As soon as they got to Rookery Cove Island and she was able to prove to Éliane that the formula worked, she’d set him free. She knew he’d been outside Zone 99’s compound intending to break in. For what purpose, she couldn’t say, but she was willing to bet it had something to do with the warrant out for his arrest. Okibi’s report had claimed he’d killed three men when he’d escaped. Laela’s only regret was that he hadn’t killed four.

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- 38 -

“I think maybe you need to stop worrying about me,” Laela said, dragging the tip of her fingernail across the T-shirt he still wore, “and start thinking about yourself. About this voyage… about what I’m going to do to you while I have you all to myself in this tiny little room.” “Now that’s more like it. I agreed to be your prisoner while we sail around the world. But even prisoners have the right to conjugal visits.” His eager grin looked so genuine, she thought she might breakdown and tell him everything right then and there. She’d given him only a vague indication of where they were going when they’d boarded the ship. To Canada, she’d said when he asked. He’d shrugged, but hadn’t argued. Judging by the report she’d read, she couldn’t blame him for wanting to put a little distance between himself and Zone 99. The compound would still be there when he returned. Through it all, he’d seemed unconcerned with the possibility that she might be working for his enemy. For all he knew, this could all have been some elaborate trick to get him back into Zone 99’s clutches. Simply put, he seemed to trust her. And she had no idea whether her formula was to blame for that. Fuck. Éliane had been right. She needed to run more tests. She needed… well, she needed Nathan. In the flesh. At Rookery Cove. Which was exactly where she was taking him, if she could keep her big mouth shut long enough for the ship to get them there. Damn, she needed a distraction. Bad. She had to do something with her mouth that didn’t involve confessing all her sins to the man who held her future with Rookery Cove Aphrodisiacs in the palm of his broad, sexy hand. Skimming the length of his long torso with her palms, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and tugged. He helped her pull it up over his head. She sucked in a breath as she took in all of him for the first time. She’d thought him magnificent when they’d first been together in the alley, but she hadn’t been able to see him through the dark shadows. Now, she knew better.

Lacey Savage


- 39 -

He wasn’t just magnificent. He was breathtaking. Every ounce of him was rock hard, from his thickly muscled shoulders to his strong thighs and everything in between. The Marine Corps logo tattoo she’d glimpsed on his chest that night all those months ago was still there, hidden among the dark curls. Her palms caressed the bulging swell of his biceps and glided lower, along the soft hair on his forearms. She dropped to her knees, her hands continuing to skim the six-pack curve of his abdomen, the lean lines of his waist and hips. Sucking in a deep breath between her teeth, she reached for his cock. Nathan jumped when she touched it, and the thick shaft leapt in her hand. “Wow,” she murmured, sliding her closed fist up and down his firm erection, mimicking the rhythm she’d seen him use on the beach. She wanted to pleasure him with her hand, her fingers, her mouth. She wanted to marvel at the thick length of his cock and hear his soft groans of approval as she took him to the brink of release. “Wow yourself.” He parted his thighs a little wider, giving her more room to maneuver. She’d been waiting for that. Without hesitation, Laela tucked her forehead just beneath his soft sac, slid back a little farther, and swiped at his delicate scrotum with the tip of her tongue. He rewarded her with a swift trembling shiver that buckled his knees. Encircling his shaft with both her hands, she used her mouth to draw one of his balls between her lips and suck gently. Her fingertips trailed across the top of his cockhead, smearing some of the moisture escaping from the slit down the length of his rod. His panting breaths and the way his strong thighs flexed weren’t enough. She wanted to give him more. She held no illusions that it would soften his anger when he learned her real reason for bringing him along on this journey, but for now, his pleasure was all that mattered.

Lacey Savage


- 40 -

His scrotum slipped out of her mouth as her tongue worked its way closer to the base of his shaft. When she swirled her tongue across the bottom of his rod, his hips rocked, thrusting upward. His cock jerked into her hand. She gripped it harder, swung her legs around on the floor, and slid her mouth up the shaft to envelop the bulbous head. “Baby…” He tangled his fingers in the spiky ends of her short hair. “I want to taste you, too.” She didn’t stop. The idea of letting him slip his tongue between her swollen folds held infinite appeal, but right now she wanted to concentrate on giving him her complete attention. It was the least he deserved. She sucked him deep into her mouth, working her hands along the shaft as she dipped down to take as much of him as she could. Then, as she inched her way back up the thick stem of his cock, her closed fist followed, gripping him tightly, smoothing her saliva and his precum over the tightly-drawn skin enveloping his shaft. Nathan tightened his grip on her hair. His hips jerked in small circular movements as she continued to make love to his cock. She took him in slowly at first, lavishing him with soft, sensual swipes of her tongue. As his breathing grew more ragged, she sped her strokes, sliding up and down faster, her lips working with the same tenacity as her fingers. His fingers worked, too, caressing her head, holding her close to his groin. The scent of his body seeped into her bloodstream with every deep breath she took, urging her on. She loved the hoarse groans of pleasure he emitted, the way his cock twitched and pulsed in her mouth as she gave everything she had to taking him over the edge. Her senses became so attuned to him, she could have pinpointed the exact moment he lost control even if he hadn’t chosen to speak. But he did. “Oh, God, Laela. Take me. Take all of me.” And she did. He came with a harsh, bellowing cry that echoed through the small, windowless cabin. He pulled back a fraction of an inch before his cock jerked up, hit the roof of her

Lacey Savage


- 41 -

mouth, and flooded her throat with his wet heat. She did exactly as he commanded, drinking every last drop, sweeping her tongue across his shaft as his cock pumped his seed down her throat. She couldn’t get enough. He tasted salty and musky, all male. She’d never enjoyed the flavor of semen before, but this was different. She sucked his spurting cock eagerly, drowning in the feel and taste and heat of him. He gripped the back of her head as he came in a gesture so overwhelmingly possessive that it made her knees buckle. When his spent cock slipped out of her mouth, she still hadn’t had enough of him. Her tongue darted out to catch a stray bead of cum that had dripped down to his sac. As she swiped it into her mouth, he lifted her to her feet. “Down. On the bed, over there. On your back.” She barely had time to react before he swept her into his arms and tossed her gently backward to land in the middle of the plush comforter. Her head spun with arousal and anticipation. The wooden slats of the ceiling swam in her field of vision. “Part your legs,” he instructed. He was in charge now, and she… for the time being at least… was at his complete mercy. She’d never had a man speak to her in that manner before. After the way Aline had turned her back on the family after meeting a vampire she couldn’t get enough of, Laela had vowed she’d never allow herself to be dominated by a man. Being a strong, independent woman -- a scientist, no less -- was more important to her than all the sex in the world. More important even than the closeness a genuine relationship offered. Intimacy came with risks she wasn’t willing to take. She’d watched her sister slowly give up every dream she’d ever had for her lover. When they ran away together, Laela’s adoptive father -- Aline’s real father -- had forbidden Laela to ever speak her name. Now, though, as Nathan climbed on the bed and moved between her parted thighs, Laela couldn’t think of one good reason not to let him order her around if it meant she’d learn what he intended to do next.

Lacey Savage


- 42 -

The anticipation alone was killing her. In the lab, she was the one in control. Here, she was supposed to be the captor. No, she was the captor! So then why was she quivering with barely contained arousal, ready to obey this man’s every command? She couldn’t stop him. She had to let him continue just a little longer to see what he had in mind. She’d record all of his actions in her little notebook later. For the purposes of examining them in more detail and correlating his responses to the effects of the formula, of course. Sure, she was still putting herself at risk. She was breaking her rule about having repeated sexual encounters with the same man. And the rule about not fraternizing with test subjects. And the one about not sleeping with men she’d encounter again in a work environment. And -Oh, to hell with it. “Taste me, Nathan,” she whispered, toying with the words he’d spoken earlier. “Taste all of me.” He kneeled between her parted legs, his dark eyes boring into hers with a hungry intensity that almost made her want to scoot up the bed a few inches. Almost, but not quite. He smoothed his palm up her right leg, starting just inside her calf and moving slowly, deliberately, until he reached her pussy. There, he nudged her tender sex lips with his thumb, his gaze never shifting from hers. “You saved me, Laela. I thought of nothing but you.” Her heart did a summersault in her chest, knocking hard against her ribcage. She wanted to pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about. This was too much responsibility, too much reality, when all she wanted was to lose herself in this man for a few hours until work intruded and logic prevailed. Thankfully, he saved her from having to answer by slipping his arms behind her knees and lifting them off the bed a moment before covering her pussy with his mouth. “I thought of doing this.”

Lacey Savage


- 43 -

She could barely make out the words of his ragged whisper, but she could certainly feel what he meant. His breath tickled her swollen folds, sending swirling tendrils of pure pleasure to stream through her overheated cunt. His first slow lick was heaven. He took his time, working from the base of her slit, keeping his tongue soft and pliant as it slipped through her folds and parted her for him. The second lick nearly stopped her heart. He focused all his energy on swirling just the tip of his tongue around her clit, and her hips came off the bed in a quick, unanticipated thrust. He kissed her then, the moment her pubic bone made sudden contact with his mouth. And not just any kiss. An open-mouthed kiss right on her pussy, in which his tongue gently delved inside her, found the entrance to her channel, and pushed in while his lips pressed against the engorged and oh-so-sensitive folds. The whimpers escaping Laela’s throat seemed to go on forever. God, what was happening to her? She’d received oral sex before! But it had never, ever felt like this. Her entire being hovered on the brink of an eruption. Her mind spun with the implications of his words while her body wanted nothing but the satisfaction he promised with every swipe of his tongue. He moved further down, gliding from her opening to the tender area between her pussy and ass. Then he slowly swept his tongue back up, licking and nibbling along the way as though the sticky moisture dripping from her was better than any delicacy he’d ever tasted. Laela shook with need, bucking beneath him as he drove her right to the brink of insanity. And just when she thought he’d take her over the edge, he pulled back a fraction and began his endless teasing anew. He laved a clean path through her slit before using his thumb to pull the hood back from her clit. The beaded nub ached with tender expectation. He blew a quick breath on it, then licked around it before finally fusing his lips to the small bud and sending sheer bliss through her veins.

Lacey Savage


- 44 -

Raw heat slid through Laela as her hips rocked, pressing Nathan’s mouth harder against her needy cunt. “That’s it. Yes… yes,” he whispered, every word sending a unique vibration through her body. She forgot all about words of protest, rules, and formulas. Tossing her head back, she let him take her to that blissfully erotic place where none of those things existed. Where the only thing that mattered was his mouth on her cunt and the promise of more to come.

For the first time in months, Nathan felt at peace. He was on a ship heading for God-only-knew where, with a woman who was definitely not what she seemed. He knew better, yet he couldn’t seem to bring himself to be concerned. Months ago, she’d given him an experience he’d never forgotten. One he’d used to pull himself through the darkest, most painful nights of his life. If Zone 99 had in fact found her and were using her to get to him, then he deserved everything he got. But no, he wasn’t overly worried about that possibility. Game-playing wasn’t Zone 99’s style. They were brisk, business-like. They cared only about results. If they had been working with Laela, they could have had him back there on the beach, or even when he’d come so close to infiltrating their compound. She’d obviously known how to find him, though how she came about that bit of knowledge was something he’d have to ask her later. One thing was certain -- he’d gladly let himself be found. Being here, in this spartanly-decorated cabin with no windows to give him a hint of where they were headed, he felt freer than he’d had in all the months he’d been wandering the streets, sleeping in seedy motels, and doing his best to stay out of sight. That last part hadn’t been difficult. It was living like a ghost that had gotten to him. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed simple human interaction until she’d shown up. And by the looks of things, she wasn’t even human.

Lacey Savage


- 45 -

He’d spent his entire life trying to blend in. That’s what chameleons did. His parents had instilled that lesson in him from an early age. You fit in, or you perish. It wasn’t a difficult concept to learn. The difficult part was discovering just what his folks meant when they’d said that. Not blending in meant death -- or worse, as he found out. When he glanced up from between Laela’s legs, he found her smiling at him. “What?” he asked, nudging her pussy with his chin, unable to resist smiling back. “I was just wondering when you were going to fuck me already.” He couldn’t help the chuckle that ripped from his throat. It felt good. Too good. God, it had been so long since he’d felt comfortable enough to laugh in someone else’s presence. Grabbing Laela’s waist, Nathan pulled her down on the bed a few inches until her pussy was flush with his knees. “You want to be fucked, do you?” She nodded, a small blush tingeing the apples of her cheeks. She looked so delicate, so innocent -- so far removed from any reality he’d ever known. Resisting her would have been impossible even under the best of circumstances. Her spiky whiteblonde hair and alabaster skin stood out in sharp contrast to the burgundy bed sheets, giving her the ethereal look of a magical being she clearly was. Even without the wings, there was no mistaking the unearthly glow that hovered around her, or the preternatural intensity in her gray-blue eyes. He’d been so preoccupied with being deployed the night he’d met her, he hadn’t looked closer than skin-deep. His focus had been solely on taking what she offered, on spending one last night lovingly wrapped in the long legs of a sexy vixen before heading for much darker shores. He lifted her hips and ass off the bed. “Straddle me.” She obeyed and rose with arms outstretched, ready to wrap them around his neck. Her thighs fit perfectly on either side of his. When she came up to hover over the tip of his cock, Nathan closed his eyes, concentrating on the heat emanating from her body and closing in on his shaft.

Lacey Savage


- 46 -

“Look at me,” she whispered. Her words snapped his eyes open and made his heart lurch in his chest. The instant the head of his cock brushed against her wet folds, her eyes widened and her full lips formed a delicate “O” of surprise. He’d regretted not having been able to see all of her that night in the alley. But he had a lifetime to make up for lost opportunities. The thought should have startled, shocked, and terrified him. Two years ago, it certainly would have. But now he felt like he’d been given another chance. A chance to break away from the shadowy being he’d been his entire life and start over, with this perfect pixie goddess in his arms. He rocked his hips, his cockhead gliding easily through her slit to find the entrance to her tight channel. Laela gripped his shoulders, steadying herself. The muscles in her lean legs held her upright over his shaft and she leaned back a little, giving him a perfect view of those plump breasts he’d admired on the beach. Nathan bent his head and swiped his tongue across a pebbled nipple. His hands came around her and gripped her buttocks while his cock slid slowly inside her. Her inner walls stretched to accommodate him. The soft whimper that escaped her throat matched the slight quiver of her lower lip. The feel of her velvety pussy wrapped around his hard cock nearly had him coming right then and there. It was a damn good thing he’d been able to release all his pent-up desire while her delicate lips had expertly sucked him dry. If he hadn’t, he knew this experience would only last a minute or two. She deserved so much better than a fly-by-night fucking, which was exactly what he’d given her the first time. His hands clenched into her buttocks, nails digging into her flesh when she began to move. With her head tossed back, her lips slightly parted and those long eyelashes sending sweeping shadows over her flawless cheeks, she looked lost in the myriad sensations they were creating together. He knew the feeling. If she hadn’t asked him to open his eyes, he’d be lost, too.

Lacey Savage


- 47 -

This was so much better. Being able to see her, feel her, experience all of her could keep him going through many more restless nights. He only hoped it didn’t have to. They found a soft, easy rhythm that made him swear he could feel her heartbeat through the connection they’d fused. And when she looked at him, he wasn’t sure if the way the room had begun to spin was due to the swaying motion of the ocean beneath them, or the fact that her startling gaze had the power to make the world tilt on its axis. She licked her lower lip, then bent her head and swiped at his. The feel of her soft, wet tongue against his mouth nearly undid him. “Hard, Nathan. Don’t worry about me. I won’t break.” He nearly laughed again, but the sound caught in his throat. Grabbing that maddeningly sexy lip of hers between his teeth, he nibbled for a second before covering her mouth with his and kissing her deeply. His tongue found hers, thrusting into her mouth at the same time he grabbed her hips and shoved his body upward, impaling her deeply. She groaned into his mouth, urging him on with a slight rocking of her ass. Her cunt squeezed him, milked him as she rode him, sliding up and down on his cock. And still his rhythm remained even, controlled. She didn’t know what she asked of him. Losing that last remnant of control would unleash all the fury, anger, and fear he’d bottled up inside. No doubt he’d frighten the living daylights out of her. “Faster,” she whispered against his lips. Her plea made it that much harder to contain the growing need inside him. The intensity of sensations swirling inside him made heat pool low in his groin. He sped up his motions, using all his restraint to give her what she wanted while still keeping a tight rein on the multitude of emotions that threatened to break to the surface. God, he’d had no idea sex could be this… intense. Laela’s nipples scraped against his chest. Electricity seared his skin everywhere she brushed against him. Her mound pressed against his pelvic bone with every thrust, causing streaming heat to roll through him.

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- 48 -

He could let go. He could tell her everything about who he was, what he’d endured. He could lay his soul bare for her to see beyond the Marine façade and into the man who wanted nothing more but to live the rest of his days somewhere where he wouldn’t be hunted. And he could pray she’d accept him, scars and all. “Nathan.” She whimpered his name as her body tightened. A flush crept up her chest and into her face. She rocked against him, her pussy squeezing and fluttering, the orgasm crashing through her and, in the span of a shattered heart-beat, unleashing his own. The abrupt release shook the center of his balance and made all other thoughts disappear. Fire blazed in his veins. Gripping Laela’s hips, Nathan slammed his cock hard inside her and held on as tightly as he dared while unleashing his seed deep in her pussy. She clutched at his back, her nails raking a fiery path down his skin. The strength of the orgasm pouring through him made his stomach clench and his muscles stiffen. A groan that sounded more like a wild cry escaped his throat, the only release of pent-up emotion he’d allow himself. As he shook with the force of his release, Laela clung to him, whispering words he couldn’t make out. He knew by her tone they weren’t wild promises of an even more intense sexual frenzy to come. They were too soft, too tentative to be anything good. And then he felt the tears. Wetness splashed his shoulder, dripped down his chest. He tried to pull her away from him and make out her face, but his hands wouldn’t obey. Blood roared in his head. Darkness crept in around the edges of his vision, blurring the wooden slats that made up the walls of the cabin. And then, the world really did crash in around him.

Chapter Four When Nathan woke up, he was strapped to a bed. Even before he opened his eyes, he could feel the restraints around his wrists and ankles. They bit into his bare flesh when he tried to move, causing panic to rise like bile in the back of his throat. His shoulder ached, as did the entire right side of his body. It felt as though he’d been thoroughly pummeled and he was willing to bet he had the bruises to show for it. Forcing himself to thrust away the flash of anxiety building behind his temples, Nathan concentrated on attuning all his senses to his surroundings. Keeping his eyes closed to fool anyone who might be watching, he focused on making out scents and discerning noises, which proved tougher than he’d expected. He’d spent six months in Zone 99’s laboratory. In his nightmares, he could still smell the acidic stench of the disinfectant they used to keep the odor of blood at bay. This place, however, didn’t have the aroma he expected. In fact, it smelled… pleasant. Sweet, like the perfume of wildflowers. The infernal beep of heart monitors was missing, too. Nor could he feel wires coming out of his chest or arms, which told him he hadn’t been hooked up to anything. The only noise he heard was a distant crash of surf. For a moment, the possibility that he might still be on the ship knocked the air from his lungs. Perhaps this was all a mistake. Maybe Laela had tied him down with silk scarves, intending to do all manner of naughty things to him. Nathan’s eyes snapped open. The first thing he noticed about the laboratory was that it was pink. Hot pink walls clashed brightly with a subdued pink-toned floor. Even the ceilings were pink

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- 50 -

and dotted with blue stars. Only the variety of lab equipment, ranging from beakers to test tubes and Bunsen burners told him this wasn’t a playroom. Or perhaps it was. The playroom of a sadistic individual with the mentality of a small child. That possibility chilled him to the bone. One thing was clear -- he wasn’t at the mercy of Zone 99 this time. Instead of relief, unease grew in Nathan’s gut. Whatever evil awaited him here could be a thousand times worse than what he’d endured at the hands of his former captors. The sound of footsteps echoing near the door made him close his eyes again. He wanted to gain as much information as possible about where he was and who held him prisoner before he could decide on a plan of action. “…the dose was twelve times higher than I’d intended to deliver. It knocked him out cold.” Nathan’s stomach churned as the blood turned to ice in his veins. He’d lost his mind. That couldn’t be her voice. It was impossible. And yet, he knew that voice. He’d heard it in his dreams. Laela. Oh, God. Laela. “You put him in danger.” Another female voice, this one unfamiliar to him. “I -- no! Well, yes, but it wasn’t intentional. He startled me. I needed to see him and, well, instinct took over. I drenched him in the raw powder before I could think better of it.” “Acting without thought for consequences and putting a subject’s life in danger! What’s gotten into you?” “I didn’t harm him!” Laela protested. Nathan’s hands clenched into fists before he could think better of it. Anyone watching him would know he was awake, but damn it, the way she justified kidnapping him and bringing him here to be experimented upon made anger leap to life inside him.

Lacey Savage


- 51 -

Now it began to register. Everything about her… everything she’d said, everything she’d done, had all been a lie. It had all been just a way to ensure he’d come willingly and she wouldn’t have to get her tiny little hands dirty. God, this hurt more than all the injections and small surgical cuts put together. The raw pain tearing at his soul sent fire streaming through his body. The fact that he’d trusted her when he had no reason to made him feel like a fool. But it was the knowledge that he’d turned her into his idea of a fantasy woman instead of realizing who she was that got to him. He’d been so desperate to claim the woman whose image had seen him through so many painful nights that he hadn’t looked beneath the surface. Once again, he’d made a grave mistake. And once again, he’d end up paying for it. Somehow, he managed to keep his breathing even. His lips felt dry, but he fought the impulse to moisten them. She had to think he was still asleep. When he confronted her, it would be on his terms. “This is unacceptable. Philip Quinn is expecting my report by the end of the day. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t ask for your immediate resignation upon receiving it.” A frenzied fluttering of wings sent a soft breeze to cool Nathan’s overheated face. She was close. He could smell her honeyed scent. The blend of lust and anger created a powerful concoction, one that made his cock harden beneath the thin pink sheet he’d been draped with. Unfortunately, that was one reaction he couldn’t hide from Laela. He felt the air scattering around his arm as she flew toward his groin. “Éliane, look! He’s awake. I told you he was all right. He’s --” His hand shot up as far as the restraints would allow. It was far enough. His palm closed around Laela as his eyes snapped open. He squeezed, trapping her inside his fist.

Lacey Savage


- 52 -

Her shocked cry filled the room. Her eyes rounded as she fought to turn her head and get a better look at him, but he’d captured her as she faced in the opposite direction. “Let go of her this instant!” Nathan’s head snapped to the side. Close to the door, a thin blonde woman wearing a business suit and gold-rimmed glasses reached for a syringe. There was no doubt in Nathan’s mind about what she intended to do with it. He’d been sedated enough times to know when it was coming. “NO!” Laela’s shout made the woman pause. A thin stream of liquid jetted out of the tip of the needle. “Laela, he’s dangerous! He’s hurting you.” Despite the fact that he was clearly doing just that, Laela took a deep breath, fidgeting in his grasp. “I deserve it. I brought him here against his will. And then I tied him to the bed.” “You said he was enraged, hurting himself.” “He was.” Fuck. He hated being talked about like he wasn’t in the room. Still, his grasp loosened just enough to allow Laela to suck in a deep breath. “I was doing what?” Laela’s shoulders shot up in a shrug. He could feel her heartbeat hammering hard against her ribcage. Every thrum of her pulse vibrated through his palm. God, she felt so small. So vulnerable. And he was so angry. At her, at himself. Hell, he didn’t know. He just knew he didn’t trust himself to hold her life in the palm of his hand. And at the same time, he knew the only thing he wanted to do was protect her from the world -- and that included him. “The effects of the formula I doused you with were… unpredictable. You lost consciousness and collapsed into nightmares, I think. You were raging out of control, slamming against the cabin walls, shouting about surgical instruments and men in white coats. It took three of the ship’s crew to restrain you.”

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- 53 -

That explained the pain on the right side of his body. But had it really been selfinflicted? “Leave us,” Laela whispered. “Please. Nathan and I need to talk.” Éliane placed the syringe on the table, but was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Laela here alone with him. For that matter, so was Nathan. “I’m calling security,” Éliane said. “Okibi will deal with this.” She marched out of the room but didn’t shut the door behind her. What little Nathan could see of the hallway looked clean and bright, with full-length windows that lacked metal grates, unlike any of the corridors in Zone 99’s compound. “I’m sorry.” The woman drove him mad. Threatened his equilibrium. Nathan’s fingers tingled with the urge to squeeze her, shake her, rip those tiny little doll’s clothes off her body. He didn’t know what he wanted to do to her, and that scared him the most. He opened his fist. Not expecting to be released so abruptly, Laela fell onto the bed sheet with an oomph. She rose to stand on his knee. “No, I deserved that. You want to punish me. Do it.” She’d made an obvious effort to keep her voice from shaking. To make matters worse, she puffed out her chest, looking so brave it damned near broke his heart. He squelched that emotion down, too. Until he knew what was real and what was a side effect of this formula she’d doused him in, he couldn’t be certain of anything. Least of all of how he felt about her. “Why?” His voice grated like sandpaper against wood. She licked her lips. The sight of that innocently seductive gesture nearly undid him. “I’m a scientist.” “I see that.” “No.” She raked a delicate hand through her hair. “I create… products that enhance the libidos of paranormal creatures.”

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- 54 -

Of all the evils he’d expected her to confess to, this wasn’t one of them. “You make… sex toys?” “Not toys, exactly. Aphrodisiacs.” Nathan shook his head, thoroughly baffled. “What does that have to do with me?” “My new formula is specifically designed for a chameleon’s unique physiology. Although your kind is abundant, they’re incredibly hard to locate. And finding one who’d be willing to act as a test subject has proven impossible.” “I see.” The anger he thought he’d gotten under control reared its head again. “So everything we did on that ship… all of it was an experiment. On me.” “No. Well, that’s how it started, but… no.” She took her lower lip between her teeth, practically gnawing a hole through it as she struggled to continue. “I wanted you. I shouldn’t have, but I did. I’m not allowed to fraternize with the test subjects. It’s yet one more misstep in a long series of mistakes that are akin to committing career suicide. No one knows what happened in that cabin. There’s a reason for these rules. It allows us, as scientists, to remain objective.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she lifted her hand to silence him. “I’m not objective when it comes to you.” Her high, shapely breasts were hidden by the lab coat, but he could make out the puckered nipples pressing against the fabric that confirmed the truth of her words. Laela hung her head and pulled in a long, shaky breath. “I’m a terrible scientist,” she whispered in a voice so low he could barely make out the words. Warmth rushed through him like a stream, calming the rage, drowning out the doubt. “Release me.” He shook his arm, jiggling the restraints against the bed frame. “And change into your human shape so we can have this discussion on equal ground.”

Chapter Five Even tied to the bed, Nathan looked menacing. His muscles flexed underneath the thin sheet, drawing Laela’s attention to the bulge between his legs. His erection hadn’t subsided. The pale pink sheet stood out in sharp contrast to his skin, completely at odds with the fierce masculine strength he exuded. Who had she been kidding? She’d never been in control. Not once since this whole thing began. He’d followed her onto the ship, but that was because she had offered him something more important than her body -- a chance to leave the past that still haunted him behind, at least for a little while. Everything that happened since she’d found him outside Zone 99’s compound had been his doing. Even strapping him down hadn’t changed that. The man was dominant by nature. Possessive and determined. He was… Everything she’d envied in Okibi’s lovers. Everything she wanted to experience for herself. Her small hands trembled as she reached for the tiny locks set in the metal chains hooked to the wrist cuffs that bound his right arm. Slipping her pinkie finger underneath, she found the hidden, pixie-sized latch and pulled it open. She’d had the cuffs specially designed when she’d first landed the job with Rookery Cove Aphrodisiacs. They were intended as a sex toy, her gift to herself for embarking on such a wonderful career path. Sadly enough, she’d never had an opportunity to use them for their intended purpose. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by sex on the island, she hadn’t had a single erotic encounter of her own since that night outside Club Surge. Work had always been too important. And intimacy too dangerous. The two obviously didn’t -- couldn’t -- mix.

Lacey Savage


- 56 -

After fluttering to Nathan’s left wrist to repeat the unlocking process, she did the same to the cuffs binding his ankles. When he was free, he shifted up the bed into a sitting position. “I meant it, Laela. I want you in human form.” She stood on the bed by his feet, which were sticking out of the pink sheet that was obviously much too small for his impressive size. She hesitated, feeling small and vulnerable, not because her head didn’t even reach his big toe, but because of the truth of the words she’d spoken only moments earlier. She’d never admitted her fears to anyone. She prided herself on being strong and independent, when the truth was she was terrified. Her father had convinced her that giving up a career for a man was the gravest mistake she could make. After Aline ran off, she believed him. Besides, she didn’t need a relationship. What she needed was success in her chosen career. But what if she couldn’t have either? Where did that leave her? She could end things right here. Fly out the window, board the ship Okibi had placed at her disposal, and never look back. Then she could start over somewhere else and begin the cycle all over again. Or… she could change things. Begin a brand new cycle. Starting now. Lifting her chin a fraction of an inch, she sucked in a deep breath for courage and loosened her limbs in preparation for the shift. Her back tingled as her wings withdrew and her muscles, bones, and flesh lengthened to her five-foot-two frame. Anxiety kept her from ensuring her lab coat made the same transformation. It was only when Nathan’s gaze darted between her legs that she noticed her modest lab coat, which used to reach to mid-thigh, was now little more than a belly-revealing shirt. The rest of her was bare. Just like her soul, stripped naked and laid out before him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, tucking her legs beneath her. There wasn’t much room on the little bed. Her thighs brushed up against his legs, sending an electric thrill

Lacey Savage


- 57 -

through her. “I was wrong to bring you here without letting you know what I’d planned. Forgive me.” “On your feet.” She started, her head jerking up at the sound of his impassive voice. Had he heard her? She was laying her heart out for him. Admitting her weakness. And his response was to order her around? On shaky legs, she did as he commanded. She didn’t know why she didn’t protest. She only knew she owed him at least this much. “See that table with the syringe?” Laela nodded mutely, not understanding where this was going. She’d already saved him from being sedated. The syringe served no purpose. It wouldn’t be used on him if she had anything to say about it. Not now, not ever. “Walk to it.” “Nathan, I --” “Walk. To. It.” She dragged in another mouthful of air, filling her lungs with it. Things were already changing. She was changing. By giving him what he wanted, she was taking control. It sounded silly, but somehow it made perfect sense. By giving in to him, she was taking control of her own life. Making her own decisions. She was here because she wanted to be. And she desperately wanted to know what he’d do next. By the time she reached the table, he still hadn’t moved. In fact, he’d only gotten more comfortable, leaning against the bed’s headboard and crossing his arms over his massive chest. The purple bruising on the right side of his body added a fierce edge to his powerful physique. She could make out the head of the eagle on his tattoo peering at her from above his muscular arms. “Turn around.” It was too late to refuse now. She stared at the hot pink wall, wishing she could still see him.

Lacey Savage


- 58 -

“Grab the side edges of the table. Good. Now bend over it and part your legs.” A whimper escaped her throat as her thighs widened. She felt her slit splay open, her labia part for his gaze. An intoxicating rush of pure, unadulterated lust rolled through her body. She’d never felt so wanton, so exposed. It was as though he knew exactly what she’d been doing, yet had decided that having her bare her soul to him wasn’t enough. He wanted more. He demanded everything she had to give -- her body, her secrets, her heart. And for the first time, she knew she could give those things. All those things. To him. He kept her there, vulnerable and aroused, for what felt to Laela like an eternity. Her arms began to ache. Her thoughts spun in myriad directions, all revolving around Nathan and what he’d do to her when he finally had enough of staring. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she also remembered Éliane’s threat to call Okibi. The phoenix never took this long to respond to an emergency call, yet the door was still wide open, and no noise came from the hallway. When she heard the bed squeak as Nathan rose, she nearly sobbed with gratitude. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table, the wood biting into her palm. The first touch of Nathan’s hand against her thigh made her pulse leap into her throat. Without saying a word, Nathan caressed the responsive hollow where her thigh and crotch joined. Moisture pooled in her pussy. She squirmed, and he placed a hand on her hip, steadying her. His silence unnerved her. She wished he’d say something. Yell at her, maybe. She certainly deserved it. His quiet demeanor was driving her mad. You love it. Admit it. She swallowed hard, knowing that annoying little voice was right yet again. Being entirely at Nathan’s mercy made her quiver and tremble with need, but not with fear. Even when he’d gripped her in his fist she hadn’t been afraid he’d hurt her.

Lacey Savage


- 59 -

She’d been more afraid she’d hurt him so far beyond repair that she’d lost even the smallest chance she’d had to make this work between them. His fingers moved up higher, finally skimming her folds. Wetness smeared his hand before he’d even delved inside her slit. He had to know how aroused she was, how much she wanted him to bury his fingers, his tongue, his cock inside her cunt. He pressed up behind her, his cock prodding her buttocks as she bent over the table. Goosebumps broke out on her skin. She fought to swallow the needy sob that rose in her throat. “I meant it, you know.” Nathan spoke softly in her ear, his breath caressing her skin. “When I said I’d have stayed behind for you the night we met. Something about you made me question everything I thought I wanted. Even leaving the next morning.” She couldn’t keep from arching into him, prolonging the contact he’d created. His cock slipped into the crease of her ass, drawing a gasp from her throat. She trembled, rocking back against him. Finding her voice was one of the most difficult things she’d ever done, but somehow she managed to put a coherent thought together. “I should have recognized you for what you were. I was blinded by my own fears. If I’d known you were a chameleon, I’d have asked you to come with me. Rookery Cove would have welcomed you.” Nathan dragged a hand through her slit. The abruptness of the motion startled her, causing her to clench her fingers even tighter around the edges of the table. He pulled back just enough so that she no longer felt him pressing up against her, and the loss of his body heat knocked the air from her lungs. She sucked in another deep breath, desperately scrambling to figure out what she’d said that had made him back away. Before she could make sense of his sudden disappearance, he returned. Placing both hands on her ass cheeks, he parted them, baring her puckered entrance to his gaze. “I’m here now.” At the word “here,” he slipped his index finger inside her anus. It slid in past the knuckle, well lubricated with her own juices. She squirmed as he thrust inside her, stretching her back entrance, preparing her.

Lacey Savage


- 60 -

Oh, God. He was preparing her! For his cock. The realization drained the last of her resistance. He was going to fuck her ass, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. No, that wasn’t true. There were a million things she could do about it. She simply didn’t want to do any of them. She could feel even the slightest movement of his finger inside her. It felt wonderful -- different than the finger he slipped inside her pussy, but good in a primal, forbidden way. The rhythmic motions of his fingers inside her body played off each other, making her tremble. “You’re punishing me.” The last thing she’d expected was his hoarse chuckle. “You think?” “Yes.” She was sure of it. “Well, then.” Nathan withdrew his finger from her ass, but added a second to her pussy. Her inner walls stretched to accommodate him. “Have you learned your lesson?” Laela shook her head in mute denial. “I’m not sure. I may need more.” He rewarded her with another laugh. The sound of it warmed her heart. At some point during the past few minutes, things had changed between them. Just as he’d promised, they were on equal ground now. She wanted this, and she told him so with her body. Her ass pressed up against his well-slicked cock. At the feel of the moisture smearing inside the crease of her ass, she realized where he’d gone when he’d stepped away. He’d obviously found the tube of lubricant she kept on a nearby shelf and used some of the lotion to grease his cock. Anticipation zinged a hot path through her veins, need and desire growing exponentially with each smooth thrust. Her pussy quivered, desperate for release. “Hurry up and fuck me. We may not have much time.” The needy edge in her voice shocked her. She wanted him to take her, to fuck her, to punish her until they were both damn well satisfied. Until the slate was wiped clean and they could start over.

Lacey Savage


- 61 -

He smacked her lightly on her left ass cheek, making her jump. “My punishment. My rules.” “My lab,” she shot back. “Ah, yes. And I’m your willing test subject.” He placed his free hand on the base of her spine as his cock settled firmly against her anus. “Tell me, Laela. Are these the types of experiments you run in here?” She swallowed hard, biting back a sharp cry as the head of his cock slipped into her ass. His fingers in her pussy never stopped moving. She felt him caress her from the inside, easing the way for his thick shaft. Even though he’d taken the time to prepare her, she hadn’t anticipated the sharp stab of pain that came with the flood of pleasure. “They could be.” Her body trembled, hot and willing. “If you stayed.” His hand skimmed upward along her ribcage. He grabbed one of her breasts, squeezed the nipple hard enough to make her cry out and thrust himself inside her, sheathing his cock in her ass in one smooth move. Tears burned behind her eyes, yet the pleasure streaming through her was too blatant to ignore. She gave in to it, beginning to move, rocking against him, making him start to thrust. “This is who I am,” he growled, a mixture of anger and pain resonating in his voice. His balls struck her buttocks with loud slaps that echoed through the small room. “If I stay, this is who you’ll have.” She slammed against the table, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain of the wooden edge biting into her legs. His hand moved down across her stomach to her mound. He paused at her clit, nudging it with his thumb. “It’s not who you are,” she managed to grind out between clenched teeth. Her ass burned and her pussy quivered, yet still she slammed herself against him, again and again. “Right now, it’s who you need to be.” She had no idea if that made any sense or not. Logic seemed to be too difficult a concept to grasp.

Lacey Savage


- 62 -

He didn’t respond, but his harsh thrusts slowed noticeably. Together, they found a new rhythm, one that drove his cock deep into her body as his finger curved inside her pussy. He found the tender spot he sought at the same time his other hand nudged her clit. She erupted with a small cry. Warmth flooded her veins, drenching her cunt in raw heat. Her body spasmed, tightening and pulsing around him. She could feel him everywhere -- in her, around her. Somehow, he was touching every part of her at once. She burned for him. He was all that mattered. He leaned over her and she turned her head. Through a mist of euphoria, she felt his lips touch hers. The kiss broke a dam inside her. Even more than this intense, overwhelming act of fucking, touching mouth-to-mouth spoke of more intimacy than she’d ever dreamed of. Experiencing both the sexual fervor and the warmth and genuine affection at once undid her. She came again, waves cresting on the remnants of her last orgasm. This time, he came with her. As their tongues tangled, hot cum flooded her ass. Nathan’s body quivered as he buried himself to the hilt inside her. And then, just when she thought this experience couldn’t get any more powerful, he mouthed her name. Her pussy reacted by clenching around his fingers one more time, but the rest of her body went limp. She was suddenly soft and slick and hot and very much aware of her feelings. She was his. Nathan touched her everywhere as his cock began to soften. His hands skimmed her back, her arms, her face. He cupped her cheeks, stroked her temples, buried his fingers in her hair. He explored every inch of her with a level of awe, possessiveness, and adoration she hadn’t dared hope for. His eyes were closed, as though he couldn’t quite believe she was real. “Wow. Just… wow.”

Lacey Savage


- 63 -

Laela and Nathan both jumped at the unexpected sound of another female voice. Nathan’s cock slipped out of Laela’s ass as they both straightened and faced the door. Okibi was leaning against the doorframe, her hands crossed in front of her ample breasts, a knowing smile on her delicate features. “I see you found him.” Laela licked her lips. She reached behind her and groped for Nathan’s hand, grateful when he wrapped his fingers around hers. “I did. And I’m not letting him go.” Unease rolled like a thundering storm through her soul. She turned to Nathan, licked her suddenly dry lips. “You will stay, won’t you?” He smiled, perhaps the first truly genuine smile she’d ever seen from him. He made no attempt to hide his nudity, but faced Okibi boldly. “What’s going to happen to Laela?” Okibi sighed. Her own smile disappeared. “There’s going to be a hearing. Phillip --” Nathan’s grip on her hand tightened. “I want to testify on her behalf. She’s a damn good scientist. The only thing she needs is an appropriate test subject. That’s what I’m here for.” His gaze shifted to her and his dark eyes softened. “For as long as she’ll have me.” Tears burned Laela’s eyes. A fat drop spilled over her lash line to trickle down onto her cheek. Nathan had no way of knowing how good a scientist she was, but the unshakable faith in his voice told her everything about what kind of man he really was. Okibi’s lips tilted upward in another crooked grin. “It’s not that kind of hearing. Phillip called a conference. Between you, me, and the pink walls, I doubt he’s going to fire you.” Laela hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until it blew out in a whoosh. “Be that as it may,” Okibi continued,” take a few days off. Show your handsome mate around the island. Relax for a while.” Mate? Nathan and Laela looked at each other. She had a feeling her gaze mirrored his. A little shaken, maybe a little afraid. A whole lot happy.

Lacey Savage


- 64 -

“Oh, and by the way,” Okibi tossed out over her shoulder as she turned to leave, “when you get tired of the lab specimen gig, come see me. Bran, Viktor, and I are in need of a well-trained military man to help hold down the fort around here while we’re gone.” With a quick wave of her fingers, she was gone. Silence descended around them in her wake. Nathan watched Laela with those incredible dark probing eyes, looking at her as though she was the most beautiful sight he’d ever laid eyes on. This time, it was he who looked vulnerable. For once, Laela had no idea what to say. She felt awkward and unsure, like a teenager experiencing her first real relationship. In a way, that’s exactly what this was. Her first real chance at happiness. And she intended to do everything in her power to make sure she didn’t mess it up. “So… you think you’ll take her Okibi up on her offer?” Laela asked when he still hadn’t spoken. Nathan shrugged. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close to him. “Maybe at some point in the future. Not now, though.” “Why not?” Tilting her chin, he kissed her long and hard. “Because I expect being your test subject is going to keep me very, very busy.”

Lacey Savage Award-winning author Lacey Savage loves to write about her dreams -- or more specifically, she loves to breathe life into her steamy fantasies (and she’s got plenty!). She pens erotic tales of true love and mythical destiny, peopled with strong alpha heroes and feisty heroines. A hopeless romantic, Lacey loves writing about the intimate, sensual side of relationships. She currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her loving husband and their mischievous cat. You can learn more about Lacey by visiting her website

at

http://www.laceysavage.com,

[email protected].

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