Seasons Of Seduction IV Anthology [Anthology]

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction IV ISBN 9781419912702 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Best of Both Worlds Copyright © 2007 Anna J. Evans Death-Speaker Copyright © 2007 Katherine Cross Diverted Destiny Copyright © 2007 Lynn LaFleur Silk Copyright © 2007 B.J. McCall Taste of Honey Copyright © 2007 Natasha Moore Winter Dragon Copyright © 2007 Jory Strong

Editorial Team: Raelene Gorlinsky, Briana St. James, Sue-Ellen Gower, Denise Powers. Cover design by Darrell King. Electronic book Publication December 2007 This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

ELLORA’S CAVEMEN: SEASONS OF SEDUCTION IV Best of Both Worlds By Anna J. Evans

Death-Speaker By Katherine Cross

Diverted Destiny By Lynn LaFleur

Silk

By B.J. McCall

Taste of Honey By Natasha Moore

Winter Dragon By Jory Strong

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Anna J. Evans

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Aqua Net: Rayette-Faberge Inc. Incredible Hulk: Marvel Comics Group Krispy Kreme Donuts: HDN Development Lincoln Navigator: Ford Motor Company Mack Truck: Mack Trucks Inc. Mötley Crüe: Mötley Crüe Inc. Star Trek: Paramount Pictures Corporation

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Chapter One “Hi, James, I’ve been thinking…about us.” Oh my god, that’s so dumb. You can’t say that. Us? What us? You’ve gone for coffee with the man three or four times. He’s going to think you’re an even dumber blonde than you really are. “Hey, James, I was wondering if you’d want to go out for a late dinner tonight, you know—instead of coffee? Maybe make it, I don’t know…a date?” You’ve actually stooped to asking a man out. If they were really interested, if he were interested, he would have asked you. Sad, Melissa, just…sad. “James, we need to talk.” Gag! You sound like you’ve read too many self-help books. “Do you believe in destiny, James?” Stop it. I’m laughing so hard I’m about to pee myself. “James, do you want to fuck me? Because I’ve been hot for you for months. My pussy gets wet just walking by your station, your smell makes me feel like I’m about to lose consciousness from lust and I’m definitely going to lose my mind if you don’t strip me naked and get your cock in me before the end of the night.” Silence. Blessed mental silence. Take that, über-critical inner voice. Melissa smiled at her reflection in the mirror for the first time in over half an hour and gave her curly, nearly white-blonde hair a satisfied fluff. She was all alone in the Decadence dressing room, had been for at least an hour as she struggled to find the words to tell her secret crush how she really felt. She’d wanted to find the perfect way to describe the insane mix of lust, love and “I want to snuggle you every night before I go to sleep” feelings that throbbed through her every cell whenever James’ soulful brown eyes met hers. He made her so distracted that she’d fallen twice as she exited stage right after the final dance number, that’s how powerful her reaction was to the new assistant stage manager. She was determined to let him know how he made her feel—tonight. So far, however, the only words that didn’t make her want to vomit were blatant sexual propositions. Which is a great way to show him that you’re not just another dumb showgirl with more tits than brains. “Will you give it a rest? Please?” Melissa pleaded with her reflection as she smoothed on a coat of sheer pink lip gloss. After three hours in heavy stage makeup, it was all she could stand to have on her face after the show. James had told her one night

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that she looked prettier without makeup. It was the only statement he’d ever made about her appearance. Because he’s not the type to go for looks alone, and he’s probably not the type to fall for the sexy siren routine either. “He’s a nice guy, but he ain’t the Pope. The sexy siren routine always works.” The inner voice was quiet again. Guess even she couldn’t argue with such cold, hard facts. Melissa sighed and pulled on her faded jean jacket, the one that perfectly matched her baby blue eyes and accentuated her ample chest. The reflection that stared back at her was beautiful, sexy, with a hint of innocence that had made her a riotous success with the gentlemen since the tender age of fifteen. She looked good, she knew that, but even more importantly, where the male of the species was concerned, she looked like sex personified. She’d lost track of how many times a man had told her that she had five-hundreddollar-an-hour lips, or that her completely natural D-cup breasts were a god-given miracle on her lean five-foot-seven frame. She’d learned at a young age to use her sexiness to her advantage, even when it made her feel rotten inside to do it. She hadn’t seen any other way to get the life she’d wanted. Foster children of only average intelligence with no one in the world they could count on learned to play to their strengths. Melissa’s had been dancing and being pretty, sexy. After growing up on the outskirts of Vegas, becoming a showgirl had seemed like a no-brainer. And, until a few months ago, she’d been happy with her life, her job, her simple one-bedroom condo and her few close friends. So she rarely dated. So what? She’d been content to play the vixen onstage and the homebody off. She didn’t even really miss sex anymore. Her few sexual encounters had left so much to be desired that Melissa learned to take care of the occasional itch with her vibrator or the detachable nozzle in her shower. She didn’t want a man and sure as hell didn’t need someone around making her feel like tits and ass on a full-time basis. Until James. James, the man she knew all her girlfriends would call a MUTBLE, Man-Unlikely-To-Be-Laid…Ever. He was at least an inch shorter than her own fiveseven, balding and probably weighed in a few grams shy of one hundred and fifty pounds. But something about him made her hornier than a two-peckered billy goat. One of her second foster father’s favorite sayings. Crass, but powerfully descriptive. Maybe it was simply that he made her laugh, or that he really listened when she talked. Hell, the man even seemed to take her advice seriously. No one took Melissa seriously, not one single person in her entire life. She was the fun, freewheeling, goodtime girl. She was the bubbly blonde who never let life get to her. That was what people expected of her and that was what she delivered. Still, sometimes it hurt that not one of her friends had ever asked about her childhood. No one ever seemed concerned that life as a foster kid from the age of five 7

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might not have been a bucket of margarita mix with the tequila included. But James had asked and James seemed to know exactly— “Oh my god!” Suddenly Melissa’s thoughts were interrupted by a series of loud, piercing blasts, booming sounds that seemed to shake the walls and tilt the ground under her feet. Seconds later, the door to the dressing room was thrown open. Her stage manager stood on the other side, half her face covered in blood. “Fucking shit.” “Mary?” “Fucking crazy fucking shit, I can’t even describe to—” Another sharp round of blasts cut Mary off mid-sentence and the air behind her was suddenly alight with rays of blue and white light. “Run, Melissa, out the back door!” “What’s wrong, are you—” Melissa turned just in time to see the fifty-something woman thrown forward into the dressing room by what could only be called a massive explosion. “Mary!” She dropped her purse and was running hell-bent for leather before she even had time to process the fact that she was wearing high heels. Even in her sneakers, however, she probably wouldn’t have been able to do much to cushion Mary’s fall. The woman was built like a brick shithouse—another of her second foster father’s favorite sayings. “Oof.” She hit the ground hard, Mary in a heap on top of her, frighteningly limp and alarmingly heavy. As soon as the breath whooshed back into her lungs, Melissa struggled to ease the other woman off her. She had to get to the phone, had to get help. If the casino was being invaded by terrorists, she had to let someone know. And she had to get medical attention for her stage manager. Mary had been like a mom to her and the other girls in the Decadence show for the past four years. There was no way that she would leave her here unconscious, at the mercy of whoever was causing the explosions in the hallway. “Mary! Are you— Melissa? What are you doing in here?” “James, thank god.” Melissa had never been so glad to see someone in her life. James’ worried brown eyes appeared over the portion of Mary’s back that still pinned Melissa’s chest to the ground, flooding her with a relief that just didn’t make sense. No matter how much she loved the guy, he probably wasn’t big enough to help her out from under the stage manager. But at least he could call for help, he could— “We’ve got to get you out of here. You should have been home an hour ago.” James wrapped his arms under Mary’s shoulders and pulled, easily lifting her from Melissa and laying her gently on the ground. “I was waiting for you and…how the hell did you do that?” “You were waiting for me?”

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God help her, but the surprised excitement on his face was enough to make her nipples tighten and her breath quicken, even in the midst of whatever violence was going on around them. She was sick. She might need to make another appointment with the therapist she’d been seeing a few years ago. This was going beyond lust into the realm of indecent obsession. “James, I know now is definitely not the time, but—” “Arack! Falgar ever non es arc!” Guttural voices sounded from down the hall, speaking a language unlike anything Melissa had ever heard. It sounded like French mixed with German with a little bit of wild pygmy thrown in. And it was loud, scary loud, and getting louder by the second. “Damn it. I didn’t want to do this, not yet.” James cast an angry look toward the dressing room door. “Do what? James, what’s happening?” “Stand back, Melissa, over by the mirrors.” Jesus, he sounded so commanding, so self-assured, it made her sex throb almost painfully. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to lift up her jean skirt and slide her fingers inside her black silk panties, to ease the ache that churned low in her belly as she worked her fingers through her slick, swollen folds. She’d never been this ready to be fucked, not even with her second boyfriend, Peter, the self-professed master of foreplay. Even James had never affected her so strongly, but then she’d never seen him with that dark look on his face, that expression that made him look like a warrior ready to do battle. A small warrior, yes, but no less fierce or self-assured for the lack of size and bulk. “I’m sorry, ‘Lis, I never wanted to pull you into something like this,” he said, using the nickname that never failed to make her heart flip over and a goofy smile appear on her face. Even with the obvious danger approaching, Melissa probably would have smiled if James hadn’t started to glow bright yellow and orange, his eyes deepening to a brown that was almost black. “Oh my…god.” His skin gradually became completely translucent, treating her to an unobstructed view of his internal organs before he began to stretch, skin bubbling, growing, shifting, right before her eyes. Melissa screamed. She couldn’t help herself. The girlish sound of horror was out of her mouth before she could think twice. She’d seen a lot of stuff in her unusually colorful thirty years of life, but nothing like this. Not even foster mother number three, the one who’d prided herself on more than three hundred tattoos on her five-foot frame, could top the pure weirdness factor of what was happening to James. The transformation couldn’t have taken more than a few seconds, but by the time he was finished, Melissa would never have recognized him as the same man. Gone was the small, balding sweetheart with the tender brown eyes. In his place was a giant, a giant with skin just a bit too yellow to be human, long, dark orange hair that hung down to the middle of his back and the face of a Greek god—with a body to 9

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match. The simple jeans and t-shirt James had been wearing had shredded, IncredibleHulk-like, as he changed, leaving all six foot seven or eight of him bare to her gaze. And gaze she did. She couldn’t seem to help herself. In all her life, she’d never seen such a stunning example of raw, masculine beauty. High cheekbones and a pair of full lips that made her ache to nibble them graced his powerful face. Incredibly broad shoulders and enough sculpted muscle to make a prize fighter green with envy filled out his chest before his taut abdomen narrowed, leading her eyes down, down, to where this new James was undoubtedly getting happy to see her. Even only partially erect, he was huge, his cock already thicker than any man she’d ever taken to her bed. And as he grew more aroused, the member began to glow, a soft yellow-orange that drew her like the proverbial moth to the flame. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to cross the room, get down on her knees and take that shining shaft into her mouth. She wanted to taste his heat, his fire, wanted to know the most intimate smell of him, to taste the flavor of his passion as he lost himself down her throat, to cup the swollen, heavy balls that tightened behind his erection in her hands, to— “You’re in danger, Melissa,” he said, his tone deep, husky and as rampantly male as the rest of him. “I am?” God, she sounded as aroused as she felt, her voice a breathy, purely feminine invitation to take her, here and now, hard and fast and forever. Forever? Where had that come from? She didn’t even know this man, didn’t know if he was even James, let alone the same James who had stolen her heart over multiple cups of café con leche. “You are, but if you don’t quit looking at me like that, I’m going to lose the sense to care about what’s coming through that door.” “Why?” she asked, lifting her eyes to his. The same. They were the same eyes, as soft and deep and compassionate as they’d been before. This was James, an entirely different version of James, but still the same man. “Because I’ll have you up against the wall, my body inside you, fucking you, making you come, pumping in and out of where I’ve been dying to be for longer than you can imagine.” Damn, the man had a way with words. And she had thought she was the master of the blatant sexual proposition. “Oh. Well, I guess I—” “Falgar! Galton des euxes galton!” Melissa screamed and clamped her hands over her ears. The guttural voices were painfully loud as their owners entered the dressing room and the bodies of the monsters that barged inside as completely terrifying as James’ new form was arousing. Three small, squat, goblin-like men with dark green skin and more teeth than their

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mouths seemed capable of containing ran toward James, weapons raised. The guns were unlike anything she’d ever seen before, but the way they held the twisted, white sticks made it clear that they were instruments of destruction. They were going to try to kill him, to destroy the only man she’d ever loved. Melissa grabbed an industrial-sized can of Aqua Net and threw it at the trolls, acting more on instinct than good sense. She didn’t care if those creeps were bigger, stronger and armed. No one was going to take James away from her, not without a fight. “Stay back.” “But I—” “Don’t touch them, stay back!” James ordered in a tone that said he would tolerate no argument. He picked up a dressing room stool and hurled it in the monsters’ direction, following the missile with a blast of yellow light that seemed to burst straight from his chest. Monster One, the shortest of the three, immediately fell to the ground, writhing and moaning, but not in pain. No, he seemed to be lost in some sort of sensual haze. Monsters Two and Three weren’t immune either. They staggered a bit on their feet, swaying on shaky legs, but managed to maintain their footing and their hold on their weapons. Blue and white fire suddenly filled the dressing room. The thick, slow-moving laser-like light bounced off the walls and mirrors. Melissa ducked a blast and rolled to the floor, kicking off her heels as she did. Whatever was going on, she didn’t need to be slowed by something as stupid as her four-inch stilettos. She rolled to her stomach just in time to see James hit with one of the blue flashes as he wrapped a towel from the shower area around his waist. He groaned in response and the yellow glow coming from his chest darkened, turning the yellow-black of a fading bruise, but he didn’t stop moving. Soon half the furniture in the dressing room had been hurled into the monsters’ path and Melissa found herself scooped up in James’ powerful arms. Her body immediately began to sing with sensual satisfaction, ridiculously pleased to be so close to him, but what was left of her rational mind worried about her stage manager, still lying on the floor a few feet away. “What about Mary? We have to help her, she might be—” “She’ll be fine. Her life force is strong. She should regain consciousness soon, but it would be best if she did so after we’re gone. The Glagors will follow us.” “The what?” “Glagors, they’re from a planet near my home system.” “What?!” “I’m not from this world.” James burst through the back door to the dressing room and out into the staff-only hallway that ran through the Havana Nights Casino.

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Great. The only man who’d ever stolen her heart wasn’t a man at all. Just her luck.

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Chapter Two “You’re an alien.” “Not exactly.” “How can you not exactly be an alien?” “Kind of like I’m not exactly a Democrat?” He had the nerve to smile as he said it, like they were in the middle of another lively debate over coffee and Krispy Kremes, not running for their lives from some alien invaders. “James!” “What? You told me you once weren’t exactly sure you were heterosexual.” “Oh my god,” Melissa blushed. “That’s completely different. I was in my early twenties. I was feeling…experimental.” “Good, I wouldn’t want to disappoint you. I have two forms, but neither one of them is female.” “I noticed.” Melissa blushed as a rush of wetness dampened her thighs. Just thinking about James naked was enough to make her wetter, hotter, to make her squirm in his arms as she tried to ease the fierce pulsing between her legs. “Where are we going?” James turned a sharp corner, aiming them toward the center of the casino and away from any route that led to the outside world. “Shouldn’t we make a run for it? My car’s parked on the basement level, we could—” “No good. We have to find somewhere to lose them, to cover our scent.” “Cover our scent?” “Glagors have a keen sense of smell. They’ll track us unless we lose ourselves in a large group of people.” “James, if this is an alien battle thing, you can go on without me. I’ll take care of myself. I don’t want to slow you down.” This was certainly not the conversation she expected to be having with James tonight, but she was willing to do whatever it took to keep him safe—even if it meant letting him leave her. So he was an alien? So what? Shit, he was an alien. Another look up at the yellow skin and dark orange hair confirmed it. James was really from a different planet. This wasn’t the costume of a man on his way to a Star Trek convention, this was the real deal. But…did she really care? He was still James, the only man who had ever made her feel like a valued person as well as a delicious piece of ass. Thank god, he really did think of her as a delicious piece of ass! She was so ridiculously glad to have that worry off her mind. So it had been replaced with fear for

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his life and doubts about engaging in an interstellar romance? She knew by now not to expect the course of life, or love, to run smoothly. “I wish it were that simple.” James’ voice was nothing short of ominous as he set her down outside the staff entrance to Libre, the three-floor dance club located in the center of the casino. “Can you walk?” “Of course I can walk…I think.” Her legs did feel awfully shaky. “James—” “That only confirms it, ‘Lis. You’re not going anywhere. You stick close to me, no matter what happens.” “What are you talking about? What’s going—” Before she could say another word, James threw open the door and pulled her into the near-darkness of the island-themed dance club. The air inside was humid, smelling of sea and salt. Artificial palms swayed in a breeze pumped into the vast space by super-powered fans. It was a gorgeous, decadently sensual club, and usually a place Melissa enjoyed. But tonight, for some reason, the music felt too loud, the pulsing beat stung her skin, pinging against her pebbled nipples, driving her sexually charged body into a state of arousal that was painful. Just as she was about to cross her arms over her chest to ward off the worst of the aural attack, James pulled her into him. Melissa moaned as her breasts flattened against his warm chest and her pelvis pressed to his towel-clad hips. Thank god Libre had a swimming pool and hot tub inside, maybe the other guests wouldn’t look too closely at James for his lack of attire. Even his skin looked almost normal in the blue-green light, but Melissa could still feel several sets of eyes on them as James danced her sensuously across the floor, through the life-sized palms and into the press of sweaty bodies writhing in the center of the club. But why shouldn’t people look? They were a striking couple, and if she looked onefifth as aroused as she felt, she was sure they were putting on quite a show. “Stay close,” James whispered almost directly into her ear, his warm breath puffing over the delicate skin and seeming to take some of her sensitivity to the music away. Unfortunately, it did nothing to cool the fire raging under her skin, the mad desire that made every breath without James’ cock between her legs an eon of torture. “I want you to fuck me,” Melissa heard herself begging as she dropped her head all the way back and gazed up into James’ familiar eyes in this handsome stranger’s face. “God, Melissa.” “Fuck me, James. Right here on the dance floor. I’m so wet for you, so—” “Melissa, we can’t do this, not now, not yet.” His words were strong, but the expression on his face looked as tortured as she felt. He wanted her—badly—and she didn’t know if she was strong enough to resist what she sensed would be an all-tooeasy seduction.

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“Just kiss me, James,” she said, looping her arms around his neck and standing on tiptoe, closing the distance between their mouths as best she could without his participation. “You don’t know the full story, ‘Lis. There are things that might make you—” “Feel me. That’s all for you.” Melissa couldn’t believe what she was doing, but in seconds she had guided James’ large hand up the front of her skirt, placing it over the now-dripping silk that covered her sex. For a second she wasn’t sure he would touch her. His wrist was so tense beneath her fingers, seemingly just seconds from jerking away from her touch and the evidence of her extreme arousal. What would she do if he reacted with disgust? She’d never been so blatant with a man, wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, but she knew she would be mortified if he turned her down. She’d never wanted—no, craved—a man the way she did James at this moment, and she didn’t know if she’d survive the torture of being denied his touch. “You want me to touch you?” he asked, his voice as tight as the corded muscles in his arms, now wrapping even more tightly around her. Melissa could only nod her head in response and hold her breath as one of his large hands gripped her ass and the other cupped her sex possessively. It was all she could do to keep from crying out as he moved her panties aside and slid one finger deep into where she was so slick, so hot, so plumped and swollen that she felt seconds away from finding release, right there in the middle of the dance floor. “Kinnea, Melissa. You’re so wet.” A second finger joined the first and soon both were pumping slowly, languidly, in and out of her more than ready body. Melissa lowered her forehead, hiding her heated face in James’ chest, biting her lip nearly hard enough to draw blood as he picked up the pace and the pad of his thumb came to brush lightly against her clit. Her body let forth another rush of liquid heat, and she moaned as James spread her own juices back, up the crevice of her ass toward where even her anus was aching and ready. She suddenly wanted his fingers inside her there too. She’d never been the type to think of her ass as anything but “exit only”, but then she’d never felt this needy, this empty. She wanted everything filled with James, her pussy, her ass, her mouth. If there were some way she could have his cock in all three at once, she knew she would have happily consented. She was shameless, no longer even thinking about the other people or what they might or might not see. Another dancer brushed against them before dancing away, but Melissa couldn’t care less if they saw James’ hand up her skirt, or if they smelled the undeniably sexual scent that surrounded them both. At this point, she knew she would have gladly fucked him on the floor of the club, without giving a damn what the other people thought so long as no one tried to stop them. “James, shit, James, we have to stop,” Melissa gasped.

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What was she thinking? She’d gladly bang him on the floor in front of strangers and the cameras she knew fed directly to the casino’s security system? This was where she worked, not to mention the fact that they could both be arrested…if the aliens didn’t kill them all first. Come to think of it, security was probably too busy freaking out about the trolls from another planet to even notice some mostly human public sex, but she still had to stop this before she lost what was left of her common sense. They were in mortal danger, for god’s sake, this was not the time for— “Ohmygod!” Whatever logical thoughts she’d been having, they vanished as James pushed even deeper inside her. “Do you feel this?” He didn’t interrupt the rhythm of his fingers in her pussy for a second as he slid a third finger deep into her slicked anus. “Oh. Yes.” Never had anything felt so good, she was so full, so full and open and wet and willing. How could she have ever thought about stopping this? Who cared if she lost her job or was incinerated by an alien laser, as long as he kept doing that, whatever that thing was with his fingers up her ass. “I knew I’d found the right woman, but to feel it for myself, feel your body respond like this…” “You make me feel like no one, nothing, ever—oh, please.” “I’ve never been this hard, you make me feel like I’m turning to stone,” he said, pulling her tighter to him, into contact with the thick, pulsing ridge of his arousal thrusting toward her through his towel. She was suddenly dizzy, the club spinning around her, nothing but hazy colored lights that swirled around him, the only man who would ever complete her this way. She didn’t know why she felt that fact so strongly, but she suddenly knew it was James or no one. She would never fuck another man, no matter what happened, not even if James flew off in a spaceship never to return. No one else would ever be enough, not now, not ever. “Please, fuck me. I’ve never wanted to be fucked like this. Please, please, James, put your cock in me, please I—” “You don’t know what you’re saying, donchita. Wait, just come on my hand, I want to feel you come with my fingers inside—” “No! I want you, all of you. I need you inside me, James.” “Melissa, you don’t understand. This isn’t what you think. It isn’t that simple.” “I don’t want to think,” she pleaded, raising her eyes to meet his, willing him to see how much she needed him, how she felt that she’d lose a piece of herself forever if they didn’t take this to the next level. Whether it was rational or not, she truly believed she’d die, that she’d lose a chance at the life she was meant to live if James wasn’t fucking her pussy in the next ten seconds. Melodramatic much? Well, she didn’t care.

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“Fuck me. Now.” She wasn’t asking anymore. This had gone past the point of a respectful request. “Answer one question first, ‘Lis.” His voice was strained and his cock jerked against her hip, obviously in complete agreement with Melissa’s violent need to fuck here, fuck hard and fuck now. “What? Anything.” “What if I were just the James you’d met before? What if I still looked—” “I love you. I loved you as the short, balding man who made me feel so special and I love you as this strong, brave man who makes me feel more alive than I have in my entire life.” “I love you too, donchita. You’re more than I ever dreamed of, but I want to make sure, I don’t want you to regret—” “I’ll never regret this, James. I want you, wanted you before and—” “But what if this were forever, what if you’d never get to—” “That’s more than one question, damn it!” “Melissa,” he laughed, a sound cut short as she slid her hand under his towel and wrapped her fingers tightly around his cock. He moaned as she stroked him hard, up and down, once, twice, matching the pace he’d taken up again between her legs. “Now, James. Right now.” “Wait. There’s one more thing you need to know.” With those words, he started to glow again, but softly, a gentle, throbbing light that she might not have seen if she hadn’t been standing so close. Slowly the light spread through the room, bathing the other dancers in shimmering luminescence and quickly sending the pulse of the dance club into purely erotic territory. Melissa watched through her own sensual haze as couples began to come together for much more than a dance. Tongues twined, limbs tangled and, gradually, clothes began to come off. Within a few minutes, she was watching a woman next to her get down on all fours and present the heart shape of her naked ass to the man in back of her, a man who was already sporting a nearly purple erection which he eagerly guided into her slick heat. If James hadn’t chosen that moment to remove his hand from between her legs, Melissa knew she would have come right then. For a woman who’d never even been to a strip club, she was shocked by how powerfully arousing she found the sight of two complete strangers beginning to mate with a primitive rhythm that made her pussy scream with envy. “Look at me, Melissa,” James commanded, his firm hand on her chin bringing her eyes back to his. “Now? Please now?” “Soon. As soon as you see me, see us both, for what we really are.”

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He pulled the towel from his hips, baring his thick, proud erection—wait a second, make that erections, plural—to her gaze. Beneath the straining shaft that she still held in her hand, rose another smaller cock, almost hidden behind the first. It reminded Melissa of the double-shafted vibrator her friend Kerin had sworn was the most fabulous sex toy in the known universe. At the time, Melissa hadn’t been intrigued in the slightest, but now… “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working,” she whispered, falling to her knees in front of him and gently lifting the larger cock she held in her hand so that she could part her lips and take the smaller cock into her mouth. She rolled her eyes up to meet his as she moaned around his second shaft. It was still big enough to force her to relax her throat to take him in all the way, to the base of his cocks where he smelled of pure male desire and a subtler, almost fruity smell, a musky, fertile scent like a recently peeled green banana. So far, alien men had it all over human guys. She’d never tasted anything like James. His flavor intoxicated her, making her intensify her efforts. She wanted to make him come, to swallow down every last— “No!” She moaned in protest as James fisted his hand in her hair, pulling her away from his delicious body. “Get your clothes off. Now.” His eyes were two swirling pools of black heat and his expression as fierce as when the alien invaders had burst into the dressing room. If she’d had the slightest urge to resist, that look would have quelled it. As it was, she could hardly strip her jacket, tank top, skirt and panties off fast enough. She cried out in a pleasure that was almost painful as James pushed her down to the dance floor, now a mass of writhing couples and trios finding a kind of pure, carnal pleasure Melissa wouldn’t have dreamed existed. Her hands brushed against another woman’s breast as she stretched them above her head, but she didn’t care, wasn’t embarrassed. There was nothing to be embarrassed about, nothing seemed to matter except the fact that James was spreading her legs wide and kneeling between her thighs. When he reached down to her pussy with his fingers and began to play gently in and out of her opening, however, she was nearly driven to scream her frustration aloud. “James, honey, I’m ready. I’ve never been so ready. Please!” “Are you sure? What about this?” he asked with a wicked grin as two fingers once again pressed into her ass, wringing a moan from her lips. “Yes, all of it, yes. Fuck my pussy, fuck my ass, fuck my—” “That isn’t your ass, donchita,” he said, eyes twinkling. “This is.” “Oh my god!” Melissa’s eyes flew wide open as James inserted a finger from his other hand into her anus…a tight ring located behind what she’d assumed was the body part a few seconds before. “What the hell?!” “You’re one of us.”

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“What?!” “You’re one of the Falgar women, from my home planet.” “What!!” “The Falgar are a race created by a futuristic mission of astronauts from Earth who intermarried with native women. At some point, eons in the future, the time on our world became warped, sending us back along the space-time continuum to—” “What?!” “It’s complicated. I’ll admit I don’t understand it all. But there are classes you can take—” “I am not an alien, James! Are you nuts?” “Then how do you explain this?” he asked, beginning to slowly, but forcefully, finger-fuck both her pussy and her…other pussy?…with a look of sinful satisfaction in his eyes. “That…was never there before.” Mustn’t get carried away by lust, must focus on the weirdness of the situation at hand, not how unbelievably perfect it felt for James to touch every part of her, even the parts she hadn’t known were there. “When Falgar women are aroused by one of their own kind, the second portal opens,” James said as he lengthened himself above her and lowered his lips to her own, tongue demanding entry in the heat of her mouth. God, he could kiss like nothing she’d ever known. Her body began to throb, every nerve ending brought to life with a delicious, sensual awareness, as both entrances between her legs grew even slicker, hotter. She began to roll her hips against her will, bringing her clit into delicious contact with the two throbbing erections now pressed tightly against the sensitive flesh of her pussy. “I have a pussy, I don’t have a portal.” “That’s the translation I was taught.” He laughed, a breathless, eager sound that told how close he was to losing control. “Makes it sound like I’m a cruise ship or something,” Melissa moaned into James’ mouth, which tasted as lightly fruity as the skin covering his cock. “Whatever you want to call it, donchita.” He smiled against her lips. “All I need to know is if you’re ready to have both of those sweet pussies fucked?” “Shit, I love it when you talk dirty.” “I’ll take that as a yes.” Melissa screamed out in pure delight as James positioned himself above her and swiftly penetrated her pussy with his thicker, longer cock. His skin was so hot, nearly searing her interior, warming her to the point of fever, turning her core molten before the blunt head of his second cock pressed against her second entry. She arched into him without a second’s hesitation. Nothing, no sexual encounter in her life had felt so perfect, so right as being filled by every inch of James.

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She felt safer, more complete in his arms than anything on Earth had ever made her feel. Not to mention more erotically charged than every other sexual encounter in her life combined—and magnified by a few hundred percent. Before she could say a word, or even cry out in satisfaction, she was swept under by a wave of pleasure so intense she half wondered if she would survive to see the end of it. If not, well…she couldn’t imagine a better way to go…

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Chapter Three James struggled to hold on to his control as Melissa came almost immediately. Sweat rolled down into his eyes and his long hair stuck to his bare back. He concentrated on those small discomforts, on the way the damn music seemed to boom through his head like a sledgehammer, anything to detract from the sheer bliss of feeling Melissa’s body pulsing around his primary cock. “James!” Kinnea, she was calling his name, calling his name as she writhed beneath him. Melissa, his Melissa, was completely consumed by him. She was not human, was mostly immune to his sensual power, but still her pale pink lips parted in ecstasy and her full, gorgeous breasts arched toward his mouth. It was an invitation he couldn’t refuse. “Yes, oh yes.” She moaned as his tongue teased over her tightened tips, flicking back and forth, back and forth, tracing the shape of her aroused flesh until he felt her body start to tighten around him again. Without hesitation, he sucked her deep into his mouth, pulling on her breast deeply, rhythmically. She came again with a scream, an animal sound of pleasure that was by far the sweetest sound he’d ever heard, but still her body only milked his primary cock, not the second swollen shaft that drove in and out of the new, untried part of her body. He’d been grateful that she hadn’t seemed to feel much pain at his first penetration, but now he wanted more. He wanted her to come, ached to feel every part of her pulsing around him, to give her that pleasure that every newly realized Falgar woman he knew told him was far more intense than any human orgasm. “Melissa, donchita, what do you like?” he whispered into her ear as she came down from her second orgasm, her eyes glazed with a passion he had only dreamed of seeing on her beautiful face. “Everything, everything you do to me. I love you so much, James, god, I love you so much.” Her long, elegant hands cupped his face, her slightly teary eyes looking at him like he was a treasure she never thought she’d find. “I love you too, ‘Lis, with everything in me.” His throat was tight as he said the words and he had to fight even harder to keep from coming, to keep from pounding into her sweet, wet heat until he lost himself inside her body. Even with the Glagors somewhere nearby, he couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything but Melissa, on showing her with every deep, rolling thrust of his hips how much she meant to him. He’d never dreamed she would feel the same way he felt for her. He’d rescued countless Falgar refugees from Earth, had spent the past six years helping reclaim the little girls who had been banished from their home planet during a particularly nasty interstellar war twenty-five years ago. 21

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Yet, in all that time, he’d never met a single woman who had looked at him with such passion, such affection in her eyes when he was still in his human form. Only Melissa had seemed to see through to the man he truly was, to value and care for and yes, even lust after him, in a body he knew most Earth women wouldn’t have found at all attractive. Before her, he’d almost come to terms with the fact that he was only valued sexually in his Otherworld form, despite the fact that it hurt to be treated like something less than a man until he took his Falgar shape. It was just the way of things, or so he had assumed. Falgar women possessed devastatingly beautiful, blatantly sexual human forms, while Falgar men possessed the same, but in their Otherworld form. For the newly reclaimed women, that meant they’d spent a few decades on Earth as the most stunning, sexy specimens around. That tended to make them unable to see anyone other than an alpha male as a man of interest. James had never allowed himself to even try to play that role. He always insinuated himself into a suspected refugee’s life casually, a mild-mannered “friend” who stayed on the fringe of her awareness until he was sure she was Falgar and a good candidate for relocation. “I want you to come, James, I want to feel you come inside me,” Melissa moaned, destroying his ability to think of anything but the way she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, tilting her pelvis to take every last inch of him into her welcoming heat. “You first, donchita.” “What does that mean?” “My…woman, my sweet woman.” James’ chest tightened again, wondering if Melissa would care that he’d called her his, that he was staking a claim with his heart as well as his body. “Come, my sweet man. Come. Now!” She bucked into him, speeding their rhythm, driving him close to the edge. “Wait, Melissa, I want to make you feel—” “You’ve already made me feel better than I have in my entire life. I’ve never come like that, James, never felt so safe. I want to make you feel like that.” “You do make me feel like that, ‘Lis, you do. But give me just a little longer. Tell me what you like. How do you like to fuck? On top? From behind? With your—” “Both,” she said, her eyes filled with pure, sexual menace as she pushed on his chest, rolling them over so that she was on top. They bumped into a man and woman engaged in intense oral pleasuring of each other, but Melissa didn’t even seem to notice. She was Falgar, through and through, no matter what Earth customs might have taught her about mating in public. Their people had no shame attached to their sexuality. An amorous couple on Falgar would think nothing of making love by the seashore or in one of the adults-only nature parks. There were even several public areas in the main city of Kilgear designated as lovespots, places where lovers could go to satisfy their desires surrounded by other like-minded people. 22

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“I’ll show you what I like,” Melissa said, lifting herself off his straining cocks and spinning around to straddle his legs in the opposite direction. She tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder, and looked back at him as she lowered her ass down onto his body again, positioning his shafts at her slits, but in the opposite order. She was going to take his larger cock in her smaller, almost virginal pussy. He knew the tight fit would feel amazing, but he didn’t want to hurt her, didn’t want her to have anything but pleasurable memories of their first coupling. “Wait, Melissa, I don’t know if—” “James!” She screamed, but it wasn’t a scream of pain, it was a sound of such profound, unabashed pleasure that James knew he wouldn’t last long. She slammed her hips down onto his thrusting cocks again and again, with a wild abandon that made his balls draw up, things low in his belly tighten and his pulse roar through his ears. When she dropped her hand between his legs and raked her nails over the tight skin of his sac, he knew he was a goner. Thank Kinnea he felt her—all of her— clamp down on his cocks at the same moment. James gripped Melissa’s hips and held her steady on his pulsing cocks as her body took her first dose of the pleasure of their race. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open, but he wouldn’t miss a second of watching Melissa come for both of their worlds. She was breathtaking in her passion, her head thrown back, her entire body flushed with a rosy pink light as waves of pleasure washed through her again and again. As her release started to abate, that pink light spread out through the dance floor, infecting the humans with another dose of sensual energy. Wild moans sounded from every corner of the room and James thanked god that Glagors had the poorest sense of hearing in their part of the galaxy. Not that they would suspect anything unusual, even if they were to investigate and see an entire room of humans mating. Glagors were notorious for their lack of research into the customs of other planets. It was what had made them relatively easy to defeat until the invention of their subatomic manipulator sticks. He and Melissa and any humans caught in their path tonight could have been seriously wounded or even killed if the Glagors hadn’t wanted to take Melissa alive. Falgar and Glagor women were the only two-portal women in the galaxy, and Glagor men had long collected Falgar women as sex slaves. The idea that one of those creatures might have captured Melissa, forced her to fuck them, made him angry enough to kill. Their appearance on the scene also took away Melissa’s freedom of choice. Falgar refugees were always given the choice whether or not to return to their home planet. If they preferred life on Earth, they were allowed to stay, as long as their lives were not in danger. With the Glagors having discovered Melissa’s true nature, however, there would be no choice for her. She would have to come back to Falgar with him, a mandatory relocation he could only pray she would content with. Even if she fought him to stay, a part of James was glad that he would have no choice but to bring her home. He couldn’t imagine leaving this woman behind, not

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when he’d come to crave her company, to think of her the last thing before sleeping and the first thing upon waking. He wanted Melissa in his world, by his side for now and for all of their foreseeable future. Now if he could only be certain that she felt the same… “James?” Melissa asked, her voice as weak and shaky as the hands she now placed over his own. “Yes?” He squeezed her hips one last time and then threaded his fingers through hers in an intimate little caress that touched his heart as much as anything they had done thus far. “That was…” “Good?” He did his best not to sound smug, but failed miserably. What could he say? He was more than a little proud to be the first—and the last, if he had anything to say about—man to give her such pleasure. “Yep, pretty good,” she said with a happy sigh. “Pretty good? That’s all you have to say, after experiencing your god-given nature for the first time with a man of your—” Suddenly she was laughing wildly, that infectious giggle he’d come to crave like the sound of the singing breezes off the sea on their home planet. “You should know better than to tease a man after pleasure,” he said, fighting a laugh of his own as she gently pulled away from him. The sight of his spent members easing from her slick, pink folds was something he hoped he would get to see again, at least a thousand times over. “I didn’t want you to get a big head,” she said, turning to face him, sitting on her heels as he came to a seated position. “Everything about you gives me a big head, two of them.” “Is that an alien sex joke?” “We’re not alien, not completely. We’re half native Falgarian, half descended from—” “Oh my god, James,” she interrupted as she looked around them for the first time since they came together on the dance floor. “All of these people, they’re still…” “Mating? Banging like bunnies?” “Yes. Crap. How did you do that?” “People from our planet are gifted with certain sensual powers. Humans are particularly vulnerable to the effects. You gave all the people here a second dose when you found release.” “That pink light? It was real?” “It was, and beautiful.” He moved to kiss her, but she braced a hand against his chest, holding him at a distance.

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“James, we have to stop this. These people aren’t using protection. They could be spreading disease. Some of these women are bound to end up pregnant by some stranger and I just can’t—” “Melissa—” “No, I mean it. We have to do something. I grew up as a foster kid, I don’t want to be even indirectly responsible for helping create more unwanted children.” “You weren’t unwanted. You and others like you were in danger. You were sent away to keep you safe. It may have been your only chance at survival. Falgar women don’t acquire their Otherworld shape until they have at least twelve or thirteen summers. In your human form, you were too vulnerable to continue to live on our planet. It was the only way to—” “But I don’t have another form, I’m just—” “And you won’t until you return to our planet and interact with other matured Falgar females who are emitting the secondary hormonal energy you’ll need to shift to your other shape. Or until you—” “You’re serious. I was sent away from my…home planet?” “Of course I’m serious. We were at the end of the War of a Hundred Winters, we didn’t know that at the time, however, didn’t know if the atmosphere on our planet would ever return to—” “No, I mean you’re serious about me, about where I came from. This is real. I’m really an alien.” As she said the words, she seemed to visibly shrink before his eyes, a traumatized look settling on her face. So much for her being pleased to discover her origins. Of course, he hadn’t done a very good job of breaking the news to her gently. Having your new lover show you your alien nature while having sex in a public place couldn’t have been easy for her. No matter that people on their planet thought nothing of engaging in sexual acts in public. All she knew were the customs of Earth, and right now that socialization was warring with her basic Falgarian instincts. He had to get her out of here, find someplace safe where they could talk, where he could get her a cup of hot coffee and try to convince her that their people and their planet were both things to be proud of. “Come, put on your clothes.” He helped her to her feet and recovered her clothes from the other odd bits and pieces of human clubbing gear that littered the dance floor. “But what about—” “The humans will be fine. The sensual power of our people heats human blood to such a temperature that sperm are no longer viable. Conception will not occur. As for disease, I can have a healing unit here within the hour. The intermediary transport coordinator has been awaiting my communication. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll ask them to send the unit here before they pick us—” “Get down!” Melissa suddenly dropped her clothes, flung her arms around his shoulders and pulled him to the ground.

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Blue light flashed over his head, brighter than it had been in the dressing room and hot enough to scald his flesh. The Glagors had found them, and for some reason, they were now shooting to kill. “Head toward the tiki bar, there’s another staff entrance there,” James yelled, struggling to be heard over the human screams that now filled the club. The lasers were hot even to the skin of a Falgarian, a race accustomed to much hotter base body temperatures. Even without direct contact, the fire must be enough to make the humans’ skin threaten to crawl off their bones. “What about these people? We can’t leave them.” Melissa crawled toward the bar, keeping low to the ground, weaving in and out of the other couples with a sensuous skill that simply wasn’t human. She danced like that as well, like one of the andieu birds of Falgar come to earth. She practically floated across the stage. James found it impossible to believe that no one had ever questioned her amazing abilities or promoted her to solo status in the show. “Did I ever tell you that you dance like nothing I’ve ever seen?” “How can you be talking about that at a time like this?” “We’re almost to the bar. As soon as we’re gone, the Glagors will follow or cease fire. The penalty for unnecessary casualties in their culture is death by whisker torture.” “Whisker torture? You’ve got to be kidding me,” Melissa said, her words underscored by laughter. “I’d never kid at a time like this. They’re very whisker-ish. Covered from head to toe, pull enough of those suckers out and they start to bleed to death.” His voice was filled with good humor, as well. Amazing what the best fuck of your existence with the love of your life could do for your worldview, even in the midst of very real and present danger. “That’s not funny,” she laughed as she flung open the door behind the bar. “Then why are you laughing?” “I don’t know. I kind of feel like I’m going to puke and I’m scared out of my mind, but I still feel like giggling. Is that crazy?” She followed that pronouncement with a gale of laughter. Still, her behavior might not have worried him if she hadn’t started to weave back and forth as they ran down the hallway. Or if she hadn’t started to glow bright gold…a telltale sign of a Falgar woman in the midst of her first change.

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Chapter Four Melissa couldn’t remember how she’d gotten from there to here. One minute she was running down the staff only hallway, completely naked, praying no one would see her, and the next she was lying sprawled in the backseat of her car while James drove down the highway. “Where are we going?” God, her voice was so hoarse. She sounded like she was the lone survivor of a Mötley Crüe concert. “To the desert. I figured we could use a little peace and quiet.” “That sounds nice,” Melissa sighed, shifting on the seat and wondering at the million different aches that tormented each of her muscles. Had she been run over by a Mack truck while she was unconscious? She was getting ready to ask James just that when the flickering lights above her suddenly took her breath away. Through the sunroof of the Lincoln Navigator she could see more stars than she would have believed existed in a night sky. They shone with an otherworldly, magical brightness that made her chest ache. Such beauty. She’d always been the type to get swept away by nature, had felt closest to her spiritual side out hiking in the desert, but nothing like this. It was as if the light from the stars penetrated her skin, seeping into her bones, caressing her spirit and making her feel at one with the universe in a way she never had before. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine, it’s just…the stars.” She sounded as near tears as she felt. James was going to think she’d lost her mind. “Aren’t they beautiful? I knew you’d appreciate them. That’s why I thought the desert would be a good place to wait for our pickup. With this being your first time in your Otherworld form, I thought the lights of the Strip might be a little overwhelming.” “My Otherworld form?” What the hell was he talking about? She remembered the alien sex and the revelation that she was one of them, but what else had happened? Surely she hadn’t— When the hand she lifted from the seat of the car to hold in front of her eyes swam in to focus, she screamed. And not just any scream, but a piercing shriek, like some large cat whose tail had just been slammed in a door. “Shit, ‘Lis! You’re going to make me have a wreck.” “I’m pink!” “I know, that’s completely normal. There’s nothing to worry—” “Nothing to worry about? I’m pink with purple scales!”

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“They’re not scales, it’s just dead skin. It’s part of the first change, kind of like cradle cap on an Earth baby.” “I thought you said I wouldn’t change until I went to the other planet!” “Well, there…is an exception to that rule…I wasn’t thinking clearly or I would have—” “Pull over,” Melissa demanded, hauling herself into a seated position despite the nausea that suddenly swept through her at the sudden movement. “Melissa—” “Pull over now, let me out! I need to get out now!” She had to get out of here, had to run far and fast. On some level she knew she couldn’t run away from her own body, but that part of her mind wasn’t ruling the roost right now. She was completely overcome with fear, pure animalistic fear that told her the only way to escape was to get out of this car and put as much distance between her and this horrible nightmare as possible. With a sob, she flung open the door, letting a blast of cool desert air into the vehicle. “Close the door, now!” James was yelling at her, in that delicious, firm voice, the one that made her pussy throb, but she refused to allow desire to take control of her. Besides, why would he want her now? Why would he want to be with a monster with dead purple skin and a voice two octaves too deep to be at all feminine? With tears in her eyes, she jumped out the door. James had slowed the car, but the ground still rose up to meet her with brutal swiftness. Her legs buckled and she rolled across the rough gravel and sand at the edge of the road. Her skin burned slightly, but not at all the way it would have if she’d still been human. This new body seemed more durable, at least. James was pulling to the side of the road and leaping from the Lincoln by the time she got to her feet. He was still in his alien body, the one that was so heartbreakingly beautiful. It was that beauty that reminded her why she had to run. She was a monster. She hadn’t seen her face yet, but if it was anything like the rest of her, she was fit for the freak show at the circus. “Melissa, stop!” But his voice only seemed to feed the panic within her. She churned her legs with a swiftness she knew she hadn’t been capable of before. Even being in fantastic shape and with a dancer’s strong legs and calves, she’d never moved like this, never seen the scenery in her peripheral vision blur because she was moving so terribly fast. Her feet seemed to skim over the ground, not even fully touching the sand and rocks, let alone being bruised or cut by them. “’Lis! Melissa!” James’ voice floated to her, but it seemed that he was at a great distance. Either the wind through her hair—which looked to be pinkish as well—was screwing with her ears or he wasn’t able to keep up with her. His body looked so big, so strong and his

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legs were at least a foot longer than hers in this shorter, squatter body, but he couldn’t keep up. For some reason, the thought sent a rush of pride through her. Pride? Pride for this horrible shape? It didn’t seem possible, but it was enough to make her slow down, coming to a stop near a clutch of twisted Joshua trees. Once again, she turned her face to the sky. The air was so quiet, but up there, the lights of those stars, those planets, seemed to sing to her with a music more touching than anything she’d ever heard. Somewhere, in that night sky, was the world she had come from. As insane as it seemed, she was suddenly curious to know what it was like. Were there other women like her? Would they be able to teach her things about herself, help her finally feel accepted and whole? And what about her parents? Could they still be alive? Would they want to meet the daughter they’d allegedly sent away “for her own good” twenty-five years ago? “Are you done running?” James’ voice was soft, but close, and Melissa turned to see him standing only a few feet away. He was in his human form again, and for some reason, seeing that sweet, familiar face made the tears that had been threatening spill from her eyes. He was by her side in less than a second, wrapping his arms around her. “Sweetheart, don’t cry. I can’t stand to see you cry.” “I love you, James.” It was the only thing she could think to say as she melted into his embrace. He was actually a little taller than she was now and her head nearly fit under his chin. His arms reached completely around her, though there was no doubt in her mind that she now outweighed him by at least fifty pounds. Her arms weren’t that much larger, but her hips and legs were significantly more rounded and the breasts that had been large in her human form were now even fuller, heavier. “I love you, donchita. I’m sorry I’ve made such a mess of this, ‘Lis. I wanted to take you through all of this slowly, wanted to make this first change easy for you, but—” “It would never have been easy, James. I’m a monster, turning into a monster would never be easy.” “What are you talking about?” He pulled away, genuine surprise in his eyes. “You’re not a monster, ‘Lis. It’s a little dead skin, it’ll wash right off.” “James, it’s not just that, it’s…” God, he wasn’t really going to make her spell it out, was he? It was embarrassing enough standing here naked in front of him with her weird skin and swollen shape. Talking about it would just be too humiliating. “It’s what?” he prodded, running a soft hand down her back and sending a thrill of desire through her body. Desire that quickly turned to shame. He wouldn’t want her like this, no matter that he loved her. She’d known enough men to understand how important the physical body was to them. They might talk a big game about “loving you for you”, but when it came down to it, they wanted a woman who looked good on their arm. Anything else was just an added bonus.

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“Nothing. It’s nothing,” she said, firmly putting aside her tears. James had changed from his human shape to another and back again. She would simply ask him how to turn back into the real her and they would never talk about this again. “No, it’s not nothing,” James said, taking her hand in his and leading her farther into the desert. “Where are we going?” “We have about an hour before the transport portal will come for us. I communicated with the recovery team not long after we left the casino. They’d captured the Glagors, but the healing unit was still tracking down a few of the humans in the dance club. They won’t be able to free up enough personnel to send a portal to my homing device for at least another thirty minutes.” “So all the people will be okay?” “They will. I don’t break promises, ‘Lis. You should know that about me by now.” “I do. I’m sorry, I’m just—” “No need to be sorry. Come on, let’s run. I think I can smell water not too far from here. We’ll get you cleaned up and I know you’ll start feeling a lot better.” “Okay. But…don’t you need to change? Will you be able to keep up with me?” “Falgar men are faster and stronger in their human shape.” “You’re kidding.” “Looks can be deceiving. You want to race?” James laughed and winked that devilish wink that had made her want him even when she’d thought this relatively average-looking human man was all there was to desire. The thought was enough to make her heart lift, to make her wonder if maybe, just maybe, he would feel the same way that she did, that she was the woman for him no matter what body she happened to be inhabiting at a given moment. “You’re on,” she smiled, the stretching of her new facial muscles surprisingly pleasant. No matter how strange this experience, she couldn’t deny that something about this body felt right and good, like an old friend she’d been waiting to come home to for a long time. She was actually laughing by the time they arrived at the small spring, winded from their run, and feeling more alive than she had in years. She hadn’t been this naked for this long in front of anyone, but it felt natural, normal, right. Naked was good, even if she was naked in a body she knew any Earth woman of this century would have deemed unworthy of displaying in a two-piece bathing suit. “All right, let’s get you cleaned up.” James turned to look at her with what almost seemed to be desire. There was definite heat in his gaze, wasn’t there? Or maybe he was just flushed from their run, maybe— “So…um. Well, that answers that question,” she giggled as she watched his cocks start to swell.

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“What question was that?” he asked, drawing her to the edge of the water and starting to wade in beside her. “Whether you had, um, two of, um…them…in your human shape,” she said, laughing again as lust warred with the horrible shyness that had suddenly overtaken her. She felt like she was a freshman in high school again, getting ready to let Luke Morgan go to second base for the first time. She was so nervous, so unsure, and yet those very emotions seemed to ratchet up the desire within her to a ridiculous level. “I do,” he smiled, “and you know what else?” “What?” she asked, breathless as he pulled her into his arms in the center of the spring, where the water came up to their chests. It was frigidly cold, but it did nothing to cool her lust. Her skin still seemed to burn with it, her nipples hard and swollen and beginning to glow faintly with a pale pink light. “You’re still the same in this form as well.” As he said the words, his hand slipped between her legs, finding where she was already hot and slick, beginning to probe her entries. The cool water sought entrance with his fingers, but for some reason the sensation only inflamed her more. She was instantly ready for James to take her, right there in the spring. If only she’d felt brave enough to suggest such a thing at the moment… “Melissa.” All he said was her name, but the way he said it was enough to ease the last of the doubt away from her mind. That wasn’t the voice of a man filled with disgust. And those twin, hot shafts pressed against her stomach obviously weren’t revolted by her either. “James, will you fuck me? I want to feel you in me again,” she sighed, letting her arms twine around his shoulders, her full, aching breasts press into his chest. “I’m going to fuck you until you scream that you’re mine forever to the entire planet,” he promised with a passion that made a shiver of pure delight run down her spine. “But first, I’m going to show you how magnificent you are.” With those words he began to sweep his hands over her body, swirling away the bits of purple sitting on the top of her skin, massaging her head to toe until her skin glowed bright pink and her pussy throbbed with a violent need that made her dizzy. Her breath was coming in sharp, desperate pants and her nipples shining brightly enough to illuminate the entire spring by the time he finished. “Now,” he said, turning her around to cradle her ass against his glowing, pulsing erections. “Yes,” she sighed. He was finally going to ease the fierce ache low in her body, take her from behind with both of his thick shafts pistoning between her thighs. But all he did was hold her, press her close and cup her heavy breasts in his hands, rolling her nipples with his fingers until she cried out and arched her ass back into him in a primitive plea for him to penetrate her.

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“Now look,” he said, the words whispering across her ear and sending another erotic shiver straight to her core. “Open your eyes and look. Look at your Otherworld form, at how beautiful you are.” Melissa opened her eyes, and looked down into the water, now turned to gently waving glass by the bright illumination of her aroused body. The face that looked back at her was savagely sensual, a lush, exotic woman with full lips, impossibly wide blue eyes and a softness that proudly proclaimed her femininity. It wasn’t a face or a body that would be considered conventionally beautiful, and she was most definitely a strange shade of pink with even stranger, pinker hair. But James was right. She was beautiful in her own way, made more so by the love that shone from her eyes, all for the man who even now parted the swollen lips of her pussies and slid himself inside. “I love you,” she moaned, eagerly pushing back into the sharp thrusts of James’ cocks tunneling inside her. “Forever,” he said, “tell me it’s forever.” “Forever. You’re never getting rid of me. You’ll have to take me away to your planet—” “Our planet.” “Our, um, oh god, planet and make me your bitch.” “How about my wife? Would that work for you?” he asked, his rhythm growing rougher, faster, sending the tension within her spiraling near the critical level. God, she was going to come again, come with that wild, awe-inspiring magnificence that made an average human orgasm seem about as exciting as a hot fudge sundae. Good, but nowhere near un-fucking-believably fabulous. “Yes, oh god, yes!” She screamed out her answer as her body exploded, her pussies gripping the shafts of James’ cocks with a ferocity that had him crying out a second later and spilling himself into her body. She moaned and wiggled her ass back into deeper contact, loving the feel of his hot cum splashing against her inner walls. “That was a yes to getting married, right?” he asked, his breath still delightfully uneven as he recovered from his own orgasm. “Yes,” she giggled, relaxing back into his arms, relishing the feel of his love wrapped all around her and his lightly pulsing cocks still within her. “Good, because…Melissa?” Shit, he suddenly sounded so unsure that it made a wave of fresh anxiety wash over her glowing skin. “What?” “The Glagors were shooting to kill when they found us in the club.” “I figured that, James. What does that have to do with us getting married?” “They wouldn’t have been shooting to kill unless they knew you were already off the market as a potential sex slave.” “They wanted to make me a sex slave?” Melissa pulled away and turned to face James. She had to see his face to believe what he was saying. Those creatures had been 32

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hideous, and the idea that they wanted her to have sex with them was enough to turn her stomach. She’d been feeling a little nauseous ever since she woke up in this shape, so it didn’t take much. “Glagors are the only other species in our system with double sex organs. They find our women beautiful in both of their forms and have been trying to breed with us, unsuccessfully, for centuries.” “Eww.” “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.” “Thank god we got away.” “Exactly! But, um, anyway, that’s why they don’t accept sex slaves that have already been, um, impregnated. Falgar women can only conceive every three winters or so, so…well, that would put a dent in their reproducing plans so, um….yeah. Are you getting what I’m saying?” “Not really.” Melissa smiled. He was so delightfully cute and flustered, it made her want to kiss him and kiss him, and then kiss him some more. “The pink glow in the club. The Glagors must have seen it. I didn’t connect the dots at the time, but now. Hell, your breasts are glowing pink, ‘Lis. The glow would be white or gold normally, they only turn pink in your Otherworld shape if, um, if— Scarton, I’m so fucking nervous. I didn’t think I’d be this nervous. I’m happy about this, I want you to be happy and—” “Spit it out, James.” “We’re pregnant. At the club, we…conceived. Not so easy to do in the position we chose, really, but I guess if something’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.” His eyes were so hopeful, so nervous, so fabulously in love with her and with their future baby that Melissa promptly burst into tears. “’Lis, are you okay? Are you mad at me? Please say something. I’m sorry I didn’t take precautions, I didn’t even think about the possibility. It’s so hard for our race to conceive, it was such a long shot that—” “Will you shut up?” “So I guess that means you don’t want to get married?” “Of course I want to get married. I love you, I love our baby and I…I can’t think of anything in the world that could make me any happier than I am right now.” She kissed him then, a deep, probing, loving kiss that she hoped communicated everything in her heart. “How about going home?” he asked as they pulled apart. A gentle wind stirred the surface of the water and Melissa followed James’ eyes as he looked above their heads. There the night sky was blacker, thicker and so much hotter. She could feel the heat warming her face and smiled. “To Falgar?” “To Falgar. This is our transport portal. Are you ready?” “I’m ready for anything. As long as you’ll be there.” 33

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“I’ll always be there, Melissa. Always.” As the wind grew stronger, Melissa felt her body grow lighter, slowly pulled from the water and up into the air. It was an odd sensation and might have even been scary if she hadn’t been looking into the eyes of the man of her dreams, knowing that she was going toward a bright future filled with light, love and the best of both of their worlds.

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About the Author Anna J. Evans came back to her true love of writing fiction after working Off-offoff-Broadway and in a few Hollywood C-movies. She quit the biz to become a stay at home Mom-Writer and she’s loving every minute of it! Anna lives in Arkansas with her Air Force husband, her real-life romantic hero, their three kids and all the stories still making their way from her imagination to the page. Anna has been awarded multiple Recommended Reads for her paranormal and fantasy erotic adventures, but her favorite feedback always comes from fans. So feel free to drop her a line or join her newsletter, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/anna_j_evans_newsletter/ Anna welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Anna J. Evans Bad Apple Decking the Hollisters Enchanted Love Fool Main Attraction Off the Deep End Seducing the Enemy Sinfully Sweet

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

DEATH-SPEAKER Katherine Cross

Death-Speaker

Chapter One It was snowing by the time Alison killed the engine and stepped out onto the rutted dirt road. Light flakes brushed her cheeks and stuck to her lashes and a cold wind blew from the north, bringing with it the indescribable scent of fear and death. She shivered and quickly fastened her red wool coat, fishing into the deep pockets for her leather gloves. Strands of dark hair floated about her face, irritating brushes a welcome distraction from a growing sense of unease. He burned them alive, Ali thought. She could almost feel the warmth of the bonfire on her face. She could hear the crackle of flames. Sulfur and ash lay heavy on her tongue and she swallowed hard, pushing away the phantom impressions. She hadn’t been given any concrete details. She couldn’t make assumptions this time. Ali checked to make certain the car was locked and nudged the door shut with her hip. Officers were milling about, hands curved around steaming cups of coffee as they chatted and waited. This was always the worst part of coming onto a new case—the uncertain reception, the curious stares. She glanced around the haphazardly parked police cruisers and relaxed somewhat when she recognized the coroner’s familiar sedan. Ali drew a deep, steadying breath and strode toward the yellow tape boxing off a large swath of the darkened field, feet crunching against the frozen ground. An officer broke away from the perimeter and moved to meet her, flashlight briefly darting up to catch her face. Ali offered a smile and opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off before she could get any words out. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said. He had a round, young face and bright eyes beneath a cap of blond hair. “But this is a crime scene, and I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” “I’m Dr. Alison Laney,” Ali said, fishing into her pocket again and pulling out her ID. “I work with the Hamann–Todd Collection at the Cleveland Museum.” She glanced across the drifting yellow tape, watching as men struggled with floodlights farther into the field. They were congregating around one area, Ali realized. The dump site. [ He tied the three of them with frayed rope and dragged them across the field to the pit. Their screams were choked under a rain of gasoline. ] She closed her eyes against the shadowy images and tried to force down the taste of bile even as her hands began to shake. No, stop it, Ali. Stop it. You can’t do this again. “I was called,” she continued, trying to quell the slight quaver in her voice. Ali could almost hear their screams on the gusting wind. “By the coroner’s office.” The smell was too strong for her to concentrate. The fear surged through her like blisters under the skin. “I’m… That is, I—”

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“It’s all right, Patterson,” a familiar voice said, and Ali felt a flood of relief as the coroner joined them. Jack Eddison was an older man, hair a gray fringe around a sunspotted head. His wire-framed glasses caught the flare of the floodlights, reflecting back at Ali like twin suns. “I called her in. I figured we’d need an expert on this one. Forensic anthropology,” he added at Patterson’s curious noise. The young officer nodded, blue eyes darting toward Ali with renewed interest. She offered him a weak smile before turning to her old friend, reaching up reflexively to tuck back a curling strand of brown hair. “What do we have?” she asked, forcing herself to focus and get to the point immediately. Judging by the thickening snowfall, they didn’t have much time before the bodies had to be moved. “A hell of a case, Ali,” Eddison said, taking her elbow and leading her under the police line. “We got a call a few hours ago from a resident. Mennonite. Some of the boys came out and found the pit. Seems someone dragged three locals in and made himself a bonfire. Burned them past recognition, so I called your office. I figured you’d want a look before we moved on to the lab.” “Thank you,” Ali murmured. Three bodies, burned alive. She’d known from the moment she’d climbed out of her car, as she always seemed to know. Her uncanny insights regarding the dead were infamous at the museum. They were stronger on murder cases—almost too strong. Half-formed images and impressions had kept her distracted on the last murder case she’d worked. It was a wonder they’d bothered calling her in again. Eddison continued, oblivious. “You’ll be staying at the local hotel. It’s not much, but it’s better than driving all the way back to Cleveland. Once you’ve examined the bodies and given your statement, you can go. Same procedure as usual, only this time they’ll need you in court if they catch the bastard.” He stopped suddenly and turned to her, grip tightening. “I heard about what happened last time, Ali. A lot of people would balk at getting involved in these cases. Something like this does a number on your nerves. If you don’t think you can handle it—” “I can handle it,” she said quickly, but her voice choked in the rush to get the words out. Ali took a deep breath and tried again, this time more composed. “I can handle it, Jack. I’ve been working forensics a long time. I’ve seen a lot.” His careworn face creased into a sad smile. “Not like this, Ali. You’ve never seen anything like this.” But Eddison seemed to accept her words despite his misgivings. He squeezed her arm again and turned away, heading toward where the floodlights were congregated. “The boys searched the grid and planted evidence flags already. You know the drill. No touching, no getting too close, no moving anything until we’ve recorded everything. Then we’ll pack them up and ship them to the labs. Take in what you need tonight and we’ll meet up early tomorrow to get to it. Just make sure you do it fast,” he added,

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glancing up at the sky. “Snow’s coming down harder and we don’t want to lose anything.” “Of course,” Ali said immediately. She followed in his footsteps, doing her best not to appear as nervous as she felt. She could do this. [ The smell of sulfur clogged the air as he compulsively lit matches and shook them out. Each flare echoed down into the deep pit and the girls scrabbled against the frozen earth, nails digging away crumbles of dirt. ] I have to stop thinking like this. The pit wasn’t wide, but it was deep. The area immediately surrounding the hole was littered with little orange flags, each numbered and staked into the cold ground. Evidence markers. Ali moved carefully, doing her best to skirt around them. The smell was stronger here, real instead of imagined. Gas and flame and charred bone. Small whirlwinds of ash rose from the hole, dusting over her coat and catching in her hair. The lip of the pit was blackened with smoke. “How could no one have seen this?” Ali whispered, moving around the small circle. He stood to the north, she knew. The wind had been blowing and he wanted smoke in his eyes. She coughed on the imagined taste. “Not exactly a highly populated area,” Eddison said, craning his neck to peer down. His nostrils flared briefly. “Even so, most folks’d see smoke and think leaves were being burned. Fallen branches or something. Most people don’t assume the worst.” She crouched, fingertips pressed against the blackened ground. “No,” Ali agreed, steeling herself. “I suppose not.” She leaned forward, holding her breath, and looked into the dirt and ash oubliette. Nine feet down and only three wide. The sides were uneven, as if chipped away by an impatient shovel. Snow dusted the soil, forming a light blanket. At the bottom of the pit, twined together like the cords of a braid were three charred, twisted bodies. [ They fought until the very end. ] The rush of images was nearly overwhelming. Screams, heat, ash, snow, pain, fear, sick excitement. Ali stood with a low, choked-off noise and turned to stride away, trying to escape the barrage. She lifted her hand in response to Eddison’s concerned question, waving him off as she moved into the cool darkness. Away from the lights, away from the neatly numbered flags, away from the dead girls—she knew they were girls, she didn’t have to study their bones to know—and the cameras and the science of death. She strode away from all of it, breath rising in rings of white as she closed her eyes against the hot prickle of tears and tried to remind herself that, disturbing visions or not, she was a professional. She was not personally involved. She couldn’t let this…whatever it was that kept happening to her defeat her.

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“I should have known better than to try to do this,” Ali whispered. Then, focusing inside for strength, she said, “Please help me.” A sudden flurry of noise made Ali start. She bit back a curse and looked up warily, aware of eyes on her in the darkness. Snow drifted in fat flakes to melt on her upturned cheeks as she scanned the night. There was nothing there. You have to calm down, she told herself firmly. And stop imagining things. But the eyes remained on her, sending odd rivers of warmth through her body. Ali glanced back toward Eddison, but he was busy talking to an officer. She scanned the field, but no one was looking her way. Another flurry of motion drew her eyes with a start, and Ali clenched her hands against the alien surge of heat and awareness. Perched on a nearby tree, black head cocked as it watched her with glittering eyes, was a raven. Ali froze, eyes locking with the creature’s. Its feathers were slick and dark, the distant light reflecting off each delicate shaft. Its beak was sharp and faintly parted, as if tasting something on the air. Me. Tasting me. The raven cocked its head the other way, eyes never leaving hers. They were strangely human, wise and ancient and somehow bemused. Ali found herself moving closer, drawn by the dark bird. She knew it. Him. She knew him. Gradually the images of the murder faded away. Now she felt prickles of sand against her skin, smelled spices and sweat, felt the blistering sun against her back. Wings rose like twin mountains, feathers rustling with the breeze. “Bene ha ‘elohim,” Ali murmured, echoing the words that tickled the back of her consciousness. “Arakiel.” The bird’s wings spread wide and the air was pierced by a soul-shattering scream. Ali was rocked back by the sound and the sudden, buffeting winds. Loose strands of hair tangled about her face and she reached up to shove it aside, eyes never leaving the raven’s. It lifted from the tree branch, black body glittering in the darkness and Ali sucked in a deep breath, awed and shaken, but not afraid. She turned as it flew away, strong wings beating through the air and disrupting flurries of white flakes. In its absence, the world slowly seemed to still. The wind died and she shivered with cold. “Laney!” She turned at the bellow and waved to Eddison, gesturing to say that she’d be with him in a moment. The sickness and fear she’d felt crouched over the dead girls was gone. In its place remained a hard resolve, slowly weakened by the feel of a score of eyes watching her. Ali tried to ignore the eerie sensation and moved to join the coroner, but instinct had her turning back a moment later and scanning the sky. A single feather drifted

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lazily to the ground, buffeted by the wind before spinning and dipping and landing at her feet. She crouched easily, gloved fingers sliding over the barbs. It shone against the thin layer of snow, multifaceted colors sparkling within the velvety black. Impulsively, Ali took the feather and pocketed it as she stood. Warmth spread through her in a heavy pulse, radiating from her hand and her left thigh where the feather pressed through layers of fabric. She hesitated at the odd sensation before shaking her head and pushing all thought of it away. She had work to do. The heavy weight of eyes followed her through the dark. By the time she reached her hotel room, Ali had already managed to convince herself that she was imagining things. She sighed and leaned against the door, head falling back as she stared blindly up at the ceiling. The murder case was getting to her. That was the only explanation. “Stop it,” Ali told herself firmly, pushing away from the door. She was a grown, rational woman. She didn’t have anything to fear. Ali took one step into the room, then froze when she felt the eyes again. From the mirrors, the television screen, the window. Hungry, ancient eyes and the muted sound of a hundred whispering voices. She scanned the room rapidly, cheeks flushing as her heart rate accelerated. There was no one there. She felt them there. “Stop it, stop it, stop it,” Ali exclaimed, trying to shake off the eerie feeling. She stepped toward the bed, then spun back to the door and swiftly deadbolted it, throwing the locks one after the other with quick, decisive snaps. She strode to the casement window and checked the latch before moving to the bathroom. It was small and cramped with antique white tile and a modern mirror. Ali flicked on the light and paused, glancing at the closed shower curtain. No one is hiding behind there, she told herself firmly even as she reached for it. Her gloved fingers caught the white material in a shaky fist and she yanked it back, breath held. Nothing. Ali laughed and let go of the curtain, tense body relaxing. Nothing. There was nothing in the room with her, there was no one outside watching her. She was imagining things. Like always, she was just imagining things. She stripped off her gloves as she shook her head, shoving them into her pocket. Her fingers twitched when she felt something warm against the pad of her thumb, and Ali frowned as she slowly withdrew the feather. She’d almost forgotten it was there. Ali absently unbuttoned her coat with one hand as she studied the feather. The long, black barbs glittered with a sheen of iridescence, like oil catching the light. She shook out of her coat and tossed it blindly toward a chair in the main room, twirling the shaft between her fingers.

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The subtle play of colors was nearly mesmeric. The heat running like shock waves through her fingers and up her arm whenever she brushed the soft barbs was heady and erotic. The scent of spices on a desert wind drifted through the air. “Bene ha ‘elohim,” Ali whispered, remembering the uncanny awareness in those tiny black eyes. “Arakiel. Nathanial.” It all happened too fast. Fire bubbled up from beneath her skin in a sudden blistering wave and Ali gasped in a shock of mingled pleasure and pain. She dropped the feather immediately, nails raking over her arms as the sharp irritation expanded in elaborate whorls, covering her body like a blanket of nettles. It stung, bringing tears to Ali’s eyes, the light brush of clothing only making it worse. She didn’t stop to think. Desperate, Ali clawed at her sensible shirt and ripped it open. Buttons scattered across the tiles as she tore the cloth away from her sensitized skin, breath coming in sharp little pants. The shirt dropped at her feet as she kicked free of her shoes and socks, fingers twisting at the clasps of her bra. Ali flung it, mindless of where it landed, breasts rising and falling rapidly. Spikes of sensation rippled over her skin, making her jerk and moan deep in her throat. The scent of spices was stronger now, almost overpowering. Each sharp prickle of flesh was sand scoring her skin. The sound of her trousers falling to the floor was echoed by a wave of hushed whispers and the snap of elastic as she shoved off her plain gray briefs was accompanied by the flurry of wings. Ali reached up to tear free her hair, shaking the long brown waves as her muscles shivered and jerked, hairs along her arms bristling under the weight of phantom eyes. She stood there, naked, and sucked in trembling breaths as the pain slowly subsided, irritation gone. Ali shivered in the cold air, hands moving restlessly over her skin. She froze, breath catching when she saw the darkening lines slowly forming along her inner arms. Images rose from beneath her skin like fresh bruises, painting whorls and swirls along her forearms in black, tattooed strokes. “Oh God,” Ali said, stunned. She didn’t know what to do. Her voice echoed strangely against the cold tiles. Ali looked up from her body in shock, meeting her own eyes in the mirror. Only they weren’t her eyes. A stranger with her face looked back at her, iris, pupil and whites all faded black as an oil slick, a sheen of hidden colors swirling deep. She reached up to touch her face, stunned into silence. She had only a second to stare at her alien reflection before the mirror darkened, as if an unseen force had gusted a hot breath against the glass. Her image faded from the mirror, which roiled and twisted with sickening shades of black and gray as figures moved beneath the rippling surface. Out in the room, the casement window flew open with a crash as the light bulbs exploded in showers of glass and sparks. Ali bit back a scream, leaping back as tiny fragments rained down around her. Then she was alone in the darkness.

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She was in motion at once. Ali reached down to grab her clothes, fumbling in the dark, and bits of glass pricked her feet as she hurried from the bathroom and into the main room as if she were being chased. Run, her mind screamed. Run or the Watchers will find you. She made it three steps before she realized she wasn’t alone.

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Chapter Two Ali stumbled to a halt, staring at the naked man sprawled facedown across her bed. He was huge, frame almost too large for the queen-sized mattress. His skin was a dark, rich brown, like baker’s chocolate. His skull was shaved bald, gleaming in the fitful light of the moon. She knew him, though she couldn’t say from where. Ali wrapped her arms tight around her crumpled clothing, frozen in place. The terror that had chased her from the bathroom was fading rapidly as she stared at the dip of his spine, the smooth curve of his ass. He was warm and familiar and safe somehow, and despite everything that had happened to her, Ali found herself relaxing. He’d never allow the others to hurt her. This is insane. She glanced at the still-locked door, then at the open window. Snow was drifting through the fluttering curtains to melt against the rough beige carpet. Her heart rate began to slow and she looked back at the unconscious man. Moonlight played across the muscles along his back and shoulders. It seemed to caress his skin, gathering in the dips and swells and highlighting the two long, vertical scars slicing from shoulder blade to hip. Ali felt her fingertips itching to touch those scars, and the strange markings on her forearms burned at the sight of his nude body. She licked her lips, overwhelmed by a wash of heat. Ali snapped her attention to the open window at the sudden flutter of wings, heart leaping to her throat. A white owl hovered just outside the window, wings beating steadily as it stared at her with glittering black eyes. Kokba’el, her mind supplied, and Ali opened her mouth to say the word hovering there on the tip of her tongue. She barely stifled a scream when strong, hot fingers encircled her upper arm. She’d never heard him move. Ali looked down into impossibly black eyes, heat rising through her body at his firm touch. He had an exotically handsome face, lashes long and dark, eyes tilted at the corners. His lips were full, sensual and faintly parted as he lifted a single finger and pressed it to her mouth. The touch burned deep into her belly. Her nipples pebbled. He stood slowly, body moving close to hers. He towered above her, head and shoulders taller than her not-insubstantial height. Ali shivered and thought, Run away, call the cops, but she didn’t move, even when his big hands slid down her shoulders to cup her elbows.

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“Do not leave here,” he said, accent thick and foreign. She tried to place it, but it sounded like nothing she had ever heard before. Rich and mellow and seductive. Deep as a lion’s rumble. He moved away from her, eyes locking on the window. The owl was gone. Nathanial—she had no doubt this was Nathanial—studied the darkness outside before closing the window with a snap. He drew the curtains closed again and turned to look at her, watching for a long minute with unblinking eyes. “You should not have called me like this,” he finally said, moving toward her. Ali took an automatic step back, arms clutched around herself. Her torn, bundled clothing made a poor barrier between them. His gaze dropped and his full lips curved into a slight smile before he reached her and gently tugged the clothing away. “The others,” he continued, dropping her clothes to the floor, “heard you. I would have preferred they not know you existed, ‘ahav. It will make this harder on us.” Ali wet her lips, struggling to collect her scattered wits. She felt a million miles away from the forensic anthropologist who stepped out of her car and onto a crime scene earlier that evening. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she protested, voice fading at the end when he dropped his large hands to her hips and slid his palms down her thighs. Coils of heat swirled through her, deepening the ache in her lower belly. She shifted from foot to foot, desperately aware of the growing dampness between her legs. Her nipples ached and her core throbbed, radiating shivers of pleasure through her body. “Stop that,” Ali said sharply when Nathanial slid his hands over her ass, kneading it between strong fingers. His lips curved into a wicked smile and his eyes glittered mischievously. “This isn’t—” She struggled for control even as she allowed herself to be pulled against his strong, muscular body. The hot press of his erection nudged against her belly and she shuddered, eyes closing. “You called me,” Nathanial murmured, dropping his face to brush hot, faintly damp kisses along her temple and jaw. “The marks you wear, they are our binding.” His hands slid further along her ass, fingers curving to stroke between her thighs. Ali gasped when he lightly rubbed her perineum, and her legs parted instinctively. Nathanial made an impossibly deep, pleased noise, middle finger sliding along the slick curls. “Do you not feel it?” His voice was a rumbling whisper into her hair. Ali shivered and lifted her face, studying his expression seriously even as her hips worked back against his long-fingered hands. “I don’t understand,” she said, arms gradually sliding around his neck. The surrender was so natural, she wondered why she even fought it—if she even fought it at all. Everything seemed to grow cloudy and indistinct save for the molten heat of his cock and the large fingers oh-so lightly teasing the base of her slit. “Who are you?” Wrong question, Ali. “What are you?” Nathanial dropped his head and sought her mouth, kiss slow and languid and deep. Ali’s lips parted on a gasp and he stroked his tongue inside, twining with hers. He tasted of foreign spices. He tasted better than anything she’d ever known. 45

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He nipped at her mouth before breaking the kiss, the very tip of his tongue trailing along her bottom lip. “I am bene ha ‘elohim—a son of ‘elohim,” Nathanial murmured, hands sliding up her ass again, lightly squeezing. She swallowed back a moan at the loss of his teasing fingers and lifted up onto the balls of her feet, rubbing her slick folds along the length of his jerking cock. “Ah, ‘ahav,” he hissed, eyes squeezing shut. He gripped her hips lightly, holding her still. The large, dark hands trembled against her skin. “We are called Grigori. I am Grigori. You are one of our descendants.” “Your descendant?” She turned her face and kissed along his collarbone, mouthing the delicate curve of it before stroking her tongue across a broad shoulder. He had dark markings on his arms similar to hers, only his encased his entire arm, going from fingertip to shoulder blade. When she touched her tongue to the black whorl, her own skin ached with heat. “Not mine.” His hands were gripping her waist, thumbs stroking her belly. She arched against him again, pussy sliding slickly along the length of his erection. What are you doing? a part of her demanded. You never do this. Never. Something deeper, darker within her answered, I do this with him. He kissed her again, tongue spearing past her lips, forcing them open. She moaned and melted against him, last fragments of resistance, of sanity, scattering away. Ali sucked on his tongue greedily, nails digging into heavy muscles as one thigh lifted and slid about his hip, pressing him closer. “The Nephilim were our offspring and you are born of their line,” Nathanial murmured into her mouth, tongue exploring the sharp points of her teeth, the soft give of her palate. He reached between them and cupped one small breast, thumbnail scratching lightly over her tightened nipple. “It is how you have your powers.” “Powers?” Ali gasped the word, head falling back. She thrust her breast into his hand, a jolt of heat rippling through her flushed body. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever felt so turned on, so alive to anyone’s touch. Every particle of her responded to Nathanial, blood humming, pulse racing, cunt swelling and dripping with need. Her clit ached and she pressed her pussy against his darkly haired thigh, desperate for stimulation. Nathanial rocked up, sending shock waves of sensation through her body. “You are a death-speaker. A necromancer.” “Impossible.” He cupped Ali’s breast and squeezed it lightly, lifting it even as he dropped down to brush his tongue over the straining peak. Ali moaned and squeezed his shoulders convulsively when Nathanial took the tight nipple between his teeth and tugged. “No, you are a death-speaker.” His words gusted over her wet nipple as he moved from one breast to the other. Ali shifted and spread her thighs, standing with her feet apart as Nathanial licked along the faintly damp undercrease. “It is how you know what you do. It is how you called to me. Bound the two of us.”

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His tongue trailed along the curve to tease patterns into her skin even as one hand dropped to press against her lower belly. “You heard the voices of those girls because you have the blood of the fallen ones in you.” She made a sharp noise in the back of her throat, fingers curving along his skull. His skin was soft and smooth and so dark against her pale fingers. The seductive purr of his accented voice moved over her body, chased by the wicked brush of his tongue. Ali closed her eyes and let her head fall back, mind whirling with confusion and hot spikes of sensation. Grigori, Nephilim, fallen ones… It was like a too-real dream. The names were familiar—a remnant of childhood Sunday School lessons. The Grigori, she remembered, were the sons of God who came to Earth to teach mankind. They took the daughters of man as wives; the women bore the Nephilim. Until God grew displeased and sent the great flood to wipe the Earth clean, punishing the fallen ones who were no longer angels and not quite demons. Interesting stories half remembered, but not something she would have ever thought to connect to her own life. Necromancer. “I thought,” Ali managed to gasp, shuddering when his hand slid lower, fingertips brushing along the thatch of dark curls. Her pussy swelled, throbbing fitfully, and she rocked up onto the balls of her feet again in encouragement. “I thought the N-nephilim were destroyed. In the flood.” She grasped at the loose strands of her thoughts even as she pressed into the scalding heat of his body. He dropped to his knees and slid his thumbs along her lightly furred cleft, spreading her open. “Nathanial!” Ali cried, legs nearly giving out at the first, hot gust of his breath. Nathanial remained still, thumbs holding her open, breath coming in short, rapid pants. She whimpered, aware of his mouth so close to where she needed him. And yet he didn’t move to take her. Finally, unable to bear the wait, Ali dropped her head, eyes gradually sliding open to meet his. He looked like a god crouched before her, eyes endlessly black. The designs along his shoulders and arms seemed to move as she watched, and she felt her skin crawling. If she looked at her forearms, Ali knew she would see the whorls twisting and rearranging themselves to match his. This wasn’t a dream, this wasn’t a trick and there was no denying the draw she felt toward this man. No, not a man. Something far more than a man. She licked her lips, watching him. I do know him. “Nathanial…” “When we came to Earth,” Nathanial said, leaning in to brush his lips over the soft nest of curls, “we were told to guide man. Teach him, but never too much. We did what we were told. We lived amongst man for a long time and saw that his daughters were

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beautiful.” He snaked his tongue out and stroked it along her cunt from base to tip. Ali cried out, scrambling for purchase. She leaned forward and rested her hands on his shoulders, thighs spreading apart as she offered herself to him. “Mm. We took wives from the daughters of man and bore children. Many of us experienced love as man knows it for the first time.” His tongue speared deeper, curving into her body before he licked up again. He swirled the tip of his tongue around Ali’s clit. Shock waves of sensation rocked through her as Nathanial lightly sucked on her clit, tongue pressing against it in quick, rhythmic pulses. Ali squeezed her eyes shut tight before forcing them open again, staring down his body at the shift of muscles beneath dark skin, the impressive width of his shoulders, the long vertical scars slicing down his back. She slid her hands over him, breath coming in gasping hitches as she stroked her fingers along those scars. Nathanial stilled for an instant before shifting a hand to cup her dripping pussy. Damp lips kissed up the curve of her stomach as one large finger carefully slid into her hot, clenching passage. “We knew sex for the first time,” he said, voice so deep it shuddered through her. Ali slid her hands down the ropy scars, arching her back as she folded herself over his body. She could feel the hot puffs of his breath across her rib cage when he lifted his face, finger sliding deeper inside her. “We taught our wives control over the dead, the earth. We taught them many things, just as we taught our children, the Nephilim.” His tongue darted out, teasing the peak of her breast. Ali gasped and slid down farther, giving him better access. She bent her knees, hips pressing forward as Nathanial slipped a second large finger inside her. She moaned when his thumb brushed her clit, sending a flurry of sparks through her body, and she pressed closer when his teeth raked her tightening nipple. “How did you survive the flood?” Ali asked. She barely recognized her own voice, it was so husky. “A tenth of us who were cast down for our love of woman were permitted to live. We saved our wives. We saved our children, where we could. We remained long after, many of us content to become the Watchers.” Watchers. Ali straightened abruptly at the word, pulling away from his skillful mouth. Her skin crawled with gooseflesh, the sudden cold of eyes on her a sharp contrast to the slow thrust of his fingers. “Watchers,” she said, voice trembling. The scrape of his thumbnail against her swollen clit made her jerk and hiss in an unsteady breath. Nathanial looked up at her from beneath a sweep of dark lashes, lips parted and damp. “We witness the struggle of mankind. We are drawn to those who call on the old powers. It is how I found you, Alison. It is how I came to know you. It is how you knew to summon me.” He softly kissed her stomach before standing. Wet fingers slid from her body and Ali whimpered in protest even as she shuddered at the touch of alien, hungry eyes on her skin.

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Nathanial rested his hands on her hips, chest pressed against her breasts. Ali arched against him, rubbing her pebbled nipples against the tight plane of his muscles. She bit her mouth when he gripped her hips hard, fingers digging into skin. “The others,” she managed to gasp. “They heard you as well. They watch us now.” Arousal and alarm rocked through her like a roman candle. “Oh God,” Ali said, hands sliding up to grip his broad shoulders. “They find you so very beautiful. So very powerful. They wish to have you, but you are mine, Alison.” She lifted her face to his, arousal and fear and awareness swirling through her body. She could almost hear the hushed whisper of voices. The rhythmic whisk whisk of feathers. “Where?” Ali said, drawing closer to him. His erection pressed between them, hot and thick against her belly. Nathanial’s lips quirked into an almost-smile even as he rocked his hips against hers. Ali felt the flush rising up from her breasts, heating her neck and cheeks as he gripped her waist with strong fingers and slowly turned her. He moved, drawing her tight against his body, shifting until his throbbing cock pressed against her ass and lower back. Ali whimpered and let her head fall back against his shoulder, giving herself up to him completely. “Look into the mirror, Alison,” he whispered, one hand reaching up to cup a small breast even as the other slid down to part the slick folds of her sex. Ali drew a deep breath, hyperaware of calloused fingers rolling her nipples one after the other, of nails lightly teasing over her swollen clit. She shivered, chin lifting, and looked into the large mirror that hung on the neutral hotel wall, facing the bed. At first, she didn’t see anything but their own reflections. He was so large behind her, so imposing. Her eyes dropped to where his fingers stroked deep into her body and she licked her lips, flashes of heat growing at the erotic sight. He stroked her clit with elegant fingers, circling it, teasing it before sliding into her. Ali clenched tight around him, loving the strangled noise he made. Nathanial pinched a nipple in response, tugging at the sensitive flesh as he slid a second finger into her. She couldn’t wait to feel his cock deep inside her body. She couldn’t wait to feel him stretching her, claiming her. “Nathanial,” she whispered, eyes lifting to meet his in the mirror. Her entire body was flushed with need. It was then that she saw them. Faces distorted the silver of the mirror, making it darker. Clouds of mist rolled across the glassy surface, fogging as if from hot breaths. She couldn’t make out individual shapes, but she knew they were there, skittering across the smooth surface. The window rattled and she jumped, crushing back against Nathanial with a start. The television screen flickered as it turned on by itself, black-and-white static hissing like a cacophony of voices. 49

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“Nathanial,” she said, frightened, and his grip on her tightened, fingers stroking deeper inside her. Harder. “They cannot hurt you, ‘ahav,” he said, kissing the tense arch of her neck. “They cannot have you. You have been marked. You have been claimed. When you come for me, they will see and they will not be able to deny it.” His thumb worked her clit in hard, tight circles as he fucked his fingers deep into her grasping channel. His lips moved across her skin in wet, soothing brushes as his other hand cupped her breasts one after the other. “Do not be afraid.” His deep voice rumbled over her, wrapping around her jerking, shuddering body. His tongue darted out to taste her skin and his hips rocked forward. The searing heat of his erection made her cry out, body moving with his even as she stared deep into the mirror. “Come for me, Alison,” Nathanial whispered into her ear. “Let them see who you belong to.” The door rattled on its hinges. The sound of static grew nearly deafening. The mirror was black now, flickers of eyes glowing from its depths. She felt it pulling her, calling to her, but Nathanial’s iron grip on her body kept her anchored. She twisted against him, feeling the building ache of orgasm. She drew in quick, breathy pants. “Come for me, ‘ahav. Beloved. Come and be mine.” Ali cried out as the first surge of orgasm washed through her, crashing over her body in heavy, rippling waves. She jerked within the iron circle of Nathanial’s arms, her juices slicking his hand, her breasts heaving with each labored breath. He held her firmly against him and his erection slipped between her thighs, rubbing the wet folds of her pussy as she shuddered and moaned and pleaded. It seemed to last forever. Every time her body relaxed, his thumb would brush her clit, sparking another ripple of pleasure. Every time she thought it was too much, he sank his fingers deep within her passage, forcing her body to clench around him. Ali sobbed his name, aware of the growing quiet in the small hotel room. The television was dark. The mirror had cleared. The window was empty. They were alone. “So beautiful, Alison,” Nathanial murmured, kissing her sweaty temple. He slowly slid his fingers from her body and turned her in his arms, cradling her against him. He lifted her face for a deep, hot kiss, tongue stroking past her parted lips as she wrapped trembling arms around his neck. Eddies of warmth and power flowed through her. “So strong.” “Did they—” Ali began, but the words caught in her throat. “You sent them away. You bound us tighter than before.” He kissed over her face, across her cheeks, beneath her eyes. “You have more power than I thought.”

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“Power,” she murmured, hands stroking the back of his neck. Her body hummed with completion, but it still wasn’t enough. She was nearly painfully aware of his throbbing cock pressed against her belly. “Power to do what?” Nathanial lightly bit her mouth. “To summon. To dispel. To speak with the dead.” “Could I speak with the girls who died in the fire?” The words were out of her mouth before she realized she was going to ask them, but she didn’t take them back. What’s the use in being a death-speaker if you can’t use your powers to help people? “Yes,” he said, drawing away a fraction to look at her. Ali swallowed. “Could I discover who killed them?” she asked, losing herself in his eyes. They were the eyes of a man who had seen generations pass. They were the eyes of a man who knew her body and soul and mind. “Yes,” he said. His voice was a steady whisper. “Show me.”

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Chapter Three “What you ask is dangerous,” he warned. Large hands cupped her face, stroking back waves of dark brown hair. “There are many things to go wrong in this.” She reached up to catch his wrists and squeezed the warm skin lightly. “But it’s possible,” she said. “I can do more than get fragmented images? I can find out how to stop him from doing it again?” Nathanial leaned in and kissed her upturned brow. “Yes,” he murmured, breath warm against her skin. “You only need be shown the way.” His voice was strained. Arousal still hummed between them and Ali was excruciatingly aware of the fact that he hadn’t come with her. For a moment, she warred between the two desires. She wanted to feel Nathanial inside her. She wanted to be stretched around his thick cock, wanted to wrap her legs around his waist as he thrust into her body. She wanted to feel that connection she had unwittingly forged between them snap into blinding focus as he came deep within her body. She wanted him. But she wanted to make sure there were no more deaths even more. Nathanial seemed to sense her resolve, because he didn’t try to change her mind. Instead he lifted her face with his fingers and kissed her upturned mouth, tongue stroking her lower lip. “I will help you,” he murmured, thickly accented voice rumbling against her lips. “But you must be brave and you must listen to me. Do you understand?” She sank into the kiss, skin flushing, but he pulled back to grip her face gently, eyes locked with hers. “Do you understand, ‘ahav?” Ali licked her lips. “I understand,” she said. He nodded, leaning in as if to kiss her again. Nathanial paused, mouth a breath over hers, and pulled back with a low chuckle. “No more kisses,” he said firmly, stepping away. “It already takes much to control myself.” Ali’s eyes dropped to his erection, which bobbed darkly between his thighs. She licked her lips, feeling the coils of heat spread through her at the sight. Nathanial’s laugh was more a moan as he turned and strode to the window. “You would tempt God Himself, ‘ahav,” he said, pulling back the curtains to check the locks. “Take the blankets and cover the mirror and television,” Nathanial added. Ali turned toward the bed and tugged free the muted coverlet. “I thought we sent the Grigori away?” she said, climbing onto the low, narrow set of dresser drawers. Her 52

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reflection loomed close as she leaned toward the mirror and she shivered at the memory of faces shifting beneath the dark glass. “The Grigori, yes,” Nathanial agreed, drawing the curtains tightly shut. “The Grigori are not the ones we worry about now.” Ali hesitated. “Do I want to know who we’re worried about?” He glanced over his shoulder at her, brow faintly arched. “I’ll take that as a no, then.” She focused on smoothing the corners of the comforter around the mirror. Nathanial moved to the bathroom, and she shivered at the light crackle of broken glass as he moved unconcerned over the busted light bulbs. It’s strange, Ali mused, carefully climbing down from the dresser. How you can wake up in the morning and think your day will be ordinary…and then this. Angels and demons and speaking to the dead. A man as perfect as Nathanial. She glanced toward the bathroom as she tugged free the heavy cream-colored blanket. A man who seems so easy to love. She tried to push the thought aside—she had to focus on her task, not on Nathanial—but it was impossible not to think about him. His rich, dark skin and muscular body. The fullness of his mouth. The way pupil and iris seemed to blend completely together, black on black and deeper than any night sky. The markings and scars that made him different. The way his touch melted past all logic or resistance and forced her to accept him. She’d been with him for such a short period of time, and already he’d changed her. He’d left his mark. Ali arranged the blanket over the television set as Nathanial slipped out of the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. He moved to the framed pictures hanging over the bed—bland country scenes—and turned them smoothly to face the wall. “They come through reflections?” Ali asked, remembering the hiss of static and the swirling images in the darkened mirror. She firmly tucked the blanket under the television and stood back to survey the room, searching for reflective surfaces. Nathanial nodded. “Yes. And water as well.” He moved toward her, one large hand sliding along the base of her spine. Ali turned in to his arms and pressed her cheek against his broad chest, soaking in the desert heat of him, the scent of spices, the familiar comfort that had no place being familiar. “Are you ready, ‘ahav?” he said. She drew a deep, unsteady breath and closed her eyes, allowing his presence to ground her. “What do I have to do?” she asked under her breath. To Ali’s dismay, her pulse was already beginning to race. You can do this. You can be brave. Nathanial ran his hands over her bare skin, warming her. “Only follow my voice. I will ease you into the death-walk. It will be easier for you if you lie down,” he added. “When you have had more practice controlling the direction of your thoughts, you will not experience trouble from the dead, but for now—for now it is best if you prepare for the worst.” 53

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“Oh, wonderful.” Her arms tightened around him convulsively and she wondered why she was doing this. She could have been tangled in sheets with Nathanial kissing his way down her body. She could have been sliding a thigh over his hips and carefully seating herself on him as his thick cock slid into her pussy. She could have been doing any number of pleasant things instead of preparing for the worst. Nathanial pulled back slightly, hand lifting to brush back her hair. Ali looked up, eyes opening, and her heart lurched at the tender expression on his face. “I will be here to draw you back,” he murmured, kissing the tip of her nose. “You have nothing to fear.” “When it’s over—” she began. “When it is over, we will alert your policemen and see that this man is caught.” His eyes glittered in heated amusement. “And then I will slide into your body and claim you as my own.” “I think I like that plan,” Ali said, flushing and smiling at the hungry look he shot her. Nathanial took her hand in both of his and kissed her palm before tugging her toward the bed. Ali allowed herself to be drawn down onto the mattress, naked limbs stretched across the cool white sheet. He sat on the edge of the bed and slid one hand from collarbone to hip. “I will take you through the images. The dead will call to you and try to draw you too close to them. Listen only to my voice and remember who you are.” “All right,” she whispered. “Close your eyes,” Nathanial said. “Think of the cold against your cheeks. There is snow on your lashes and the collar of your red coat.” Ali closed her eyes and let herself remember the sensations she’d experienced earlier in the day. They seemed like a lifetime ago, indistinct as faded pictures, but gradually she managed to recapture the peculiar scent on the air. The frisson of excitement and fear. The cold that went down to her bones. “You look around you. You are in a familiar place.” A spark struck in the darkness, fanning out into a crackle of flames. She could feel sudden heat against her cheek and she turned, opening her eyes. She was alone in a sparse forest, Ali realized, bare trees coated with snow. An open field stretched just beyond the tree line. The ground crunched beneath her feet as she turned in a tight circle and spotted a set of heavy footprints, which wound farther into the trees before disappearing into the darkness. “You walk the path he walked. Your footsteps fall into his. You are open, but distant. You are not a part of this—only a watcher.” Ali took a step forward, carefully fitting her feet into the large tread. She was being watched, she knew—scores of eyes latched onto her in the dark. Ali shivered and drew her coat tighter around her, digging her hands into her pockets. She was safe.

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Everything was okay. She’d learn what she needed and Nathanial would help her leave. “You stay on the path. You follow and do not stray.” The screams began far to her left, drifting through the still air. Ali froze, body tensing as she strained to listen. She could hear the purr of an engine beneath the frenzied pleas. She could smell fire and gasoline. Ali turned toward the source of the noise, torn. The screams grew louder, underscored by the crackle of flame. The steady, safe footprints led far away. “You take each step, foot falling where his fell.” A sick sense of urgency filled her. He was so far ahead—she was sure of it. She didn’t want to come upon the crime half completed, and she’d never make it to them if she followed his path. Not in time to find what she needed to catch him. Just go slow and be cautious and you’ll be fine, she thought. Ali wrapped her arms tight around her middle and stepped away from the clear tread of footprints. Each movement felt labored and Nathanial’s voice grew farther and farther away, lost on the breeze. A branch cracked beneath her booted foot and her breath wound about her face in white clouds. She moved toward the open field, toward the screams, heart hammering in her chest as she skirted about naked trees. The smell of sulfur and ash grew as she walked forward, coating her tongue and nearly choking her. The air was so thick it was difficult to move, but she pressed forward, determined. Desperate. Then she spotted the old stable on the hill and everything changed. Her vision split until she was seeing the outside of the stable as well as the inside of the stall the three girls used as their meeting place. The two images wavered side by side, making her head swim. I have to get closer, she thought desperately. She took another step and closed her eyes as the strange double vision wavered. When she opened them again, she was sitting on an overturned bucket in the cramped stall, smiling at her two friends from an unfamiliar body. The girl’s consciousness quickly overtook hers.

***** It was an old, rarely used building well away from the forest and the central field. She’d lost her virginity to a Sugarcreek boy there, and only Anna and Jennifer understood. They came to sit together and talk about what they’d do when they managed to finally escape to a real city, cold hands passing tiny bottles of bad liquor back and forth. They never heard him coming. Ali/Karen felt the hot breath on the back of her neck moments before thick hands tangled in her hair. She was ripped back with a jolt, falling against stinking male flesh. The screams of her two friends filled her ears, underscored by heavy, sickening pants.

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She struggled, lashing out, but he forced her to the ground from one heartbeat to the next. She was a strong girl, but he was stronger, pinning her with a knee to her spine and tying her hands with coarse rope. She managed to look up, face smeared with stale stable dirt. Anna was crouched in the far corner, face so pale her freckles stood out like a star chart. Jennifer trembled, hands curving before she launched herself at the man, beating at his face. The crack of flesh meeting flesh made Ali/Karen cry out in alarm. She struggled up to her knees, staring. Jennifer was crumpled on the cold, packed floor. Her lashes rested against pale cheeks and a trickle of blood fell across her brow. Anna squeaked out frantic breaths as the man moved toward her, another length of rope in his hands. A box of matches fell from his pocket, sticks tumbling into shadowed corners. By the rustle of his clothing, there were more boxes stashed within his smelly jacket. She could taste the bitter tang of gasoline. “It’s okay,” the man murmured, low voice making her shudder. His hands seemed to shake as he wound the rope around Anna’s wrists and he leaned in to press his face to her dark hair. “I’m going to make it good for you. I’m going to make the fire so bright.” Ali/Karen was up on her feet in a flash, heart in her throat. She ignored Jennifer’s still body, ignored Anna’s pleading whispers, ignored the nausea that rolled up from deep within her. The world seemed to tilt crazily as she slammed out of the stall and staggered down the musty aisle. Hay slipped beneath her feet and the long, dark hem of her skirt tripped her, making her crash into rough-hewn pillars as the sound of cursing followed, sharp at her heels. Please God, please God, please God, please God, Ali/Karen chanted, reaching the heavy door and fumbling at the lock with her body, bound hands useless. They’d been so busy chatting, hidden away from parents and chores that they hadn’t heard him slip the lock. She tore at it with her teeth, breath coming in rapid pants as she heard the steady tread of his footsteps. Please God, please God, please God. She threw the bolt and shoved open the door with her shoulder, lurching into a run. Ali/Karen screamed when big, meaty hands clutched at the back of her dress, pulling her into the darkness of the stable. “No! No!” she howled, lashing out. She kicked, she thrashed, she struggled against the overwhelming power of his body, blonde hair tangled about her tear-streaked face. The dark line of his stubble burned her cheek when he pressed against her, pulling her into the foul curve of his body. His hazel eyes gleamed like watered rum and his erection pressed against her thigh. She turned away from his face, sobbing, and stared out at the promise of freedom even as she was dragged back into the stable. An unfamiliar red truck waited outside, still running. If she could only reach it… The door slammed shut as she was lifted over his shoulder. Whimpered cries filled the air as the lock clicked into place.

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Beneath the creak of wood and the hiss of her breath, Ali/Karen could hear the ominous rattle of matches clicking together in his pockets with each lurching step. I’m going to die, Ali/Karen thought, struggles lessening. He carried her down the long central aisle to the unused stall. Jennifer still lay sprawled on the floor, unconscious. I’m going to die, but not before he… Not before… She was dropped to the ground unceremoniously, shock radiating through her. Ali/Karen shifted on the cold ground, slithering away from him as he moved back to Anna. Bile filled her throat and her breath was coming too fast. She drew up her knees and pressed against the wooden wall, tears hot on her lashes.

***** She could sense eyes watching her from the dark. She could hear the stroke of wings. Ali could feel the desert heat of hands moving over her body, rubbing warmth into her frozen limbs. Teasing tendrils of arousal spiraled through her lower belly and Ali made a low noise and twisted against the phantom touch, denying it as she was pulled firmly back into her own body. The fingers firmed, cupping her face, sliding down her arms, tracing patterns against her naked belly. She shifted, thighs clenching, but the gentle hands pressed her legs open, thumbnails moving across the gradually swelling folds of her pussy. “Arakiel,” Ali gasped, closing her eyes. The sounds of the girls faded, replaced by the low, deep murmur of his voice. “Mine. You are mine. Alison, Alison, you are mine. The dead will not have you.” The cold floor melted away, replaced by the soft give of a mattress. She shifted against it, hips lifting as he dipped his finger into her body, stroking her clit in smooth, demanding circles. Warm lips brushed across the peaks of her breast and she moaned, drawn back into herself by the flicker of his tongue across the straining tip. His teeth followed, lightly scoring before he suckled her breast roughly. “Nathanial.” She gasped his name, pulled fully from the nightmarish images. Her eyes flickered open, gaze settling on the smooth top of his head as he moved from one breast to the other. The hot, sharp tugs of his mouth echoed through her heavy body and she moaned again, thighs parting eagerly. She moved her hips in a wide circle, pushing against his clever fingers as he teased her aching clit, pressing against the small bundle of nerves before sliding farther to slip into her. He licked a path beneath her breast, swirling wetly along the undercrease before he lifted his face. She shuddered at the animal expression in his eyes and lifted her hips further. “You were almost lost, ‘ahav,” he said, voice very soft. It rumbled deep through her body, making her ache. “You went too far with too little training.”

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“I felt you.” She reached down to brush her fingertips across his face, heart swelling at the dip of his lashes and the way he pressed into her touch. “I felt your hands on me, your mouth, and I remembered who I was.” He slid up her body, fitting neatly between her spread thighs. The weight of him was incredible and Ali moaned, palms flattening against his shoulders and sliding down the raised scars on his muscular back. “I wouldn’t have remembered if not for you.” Nathanial kissed her, starting light and soft but quickly deepening. He urged her mouth open and stroked his tongue inside, searching the hot dips and swells with a mastery that made her shiver. Ali moved against his large body, loving the barely contained growls that echoed in his chest as she fitted her hips to his and rocked up. The hot press of his erection shot sparks through her body as she wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him even closer. “Nathanial,” she gasped into the kiss, feeding on his tongue greedily. His hands moved over her body in frenetic, demanding sweeps. Memorizing the curve of her hip, the soft skin of her thigh, the delicate arch of her neck. Ali trembled beneath him, arousal flaring into a raging fire when he fitted the curve of his cock against her swollen cunt and slid between the dripping lips. “Mine,” he growled, biting at her neck and Ali twisted with a low cry, offering him more. She wanted to be marked by him. She wanted to be consumed, branded by his touch. The dark tattoos along her forearms writhed as he licked and bit his way across her collarbone and everything inside her called to him. “Yours,” she moaned, heels digging into his lower back as she urged him to enter her. “Please, Nathanial. I need to be yours.”

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Chapter Four A powerful shudder rocked through Nathanial’s body, making his muscles jump and bunch beneath her fingers. She rubbed her palms against his chocolaty skin, urging him closer as she brushed her lips over his. The taste of him was incredible. She needed more. “Arakiel,” Ali moaned, using his ancient name, his Grigori name. The sound of it made the markings binding them together heat unbearably, tightening like molten metal against her skin. She jerked and thrust up, maddened by the coils of fire. “Arakiel,” she said again. “Arakiel.” Nathanial hissed and bit at her mouth, tongue thrusting deep. He rocked against her insistently, heavy body pressing her back against the mattress as he slid his large hands down her rib cage. Ali moaned and sucked on his invading tongue, scoring it lightly with her teeth as she fell into the rhythm of his body, thrusting back. When he gripped her hips nearly hard enough to bruise, Ali sobbed in a breath. He tugged at her, cupping her ass and lifting and she resisted for a moment, ankles locking around his waist. “Alison,” he growled, voice far lower than a human’s could go. Ali shuddered and pressed her cheek against the cool pillowcase as she allowed Nathanial to pull back. Her legs dropped, feet pressing against the mattress on either side of him as he lifted her hips. Her back arched in a sinuous line as she rested her weight on her shoulder blades, hips pressed snugly against his stomach. She turned her face and looked up at Nathanial from beneath a tangle of dark hair, lips faintly parted. “You are beautiful, ‘ahav,” he whispered. The bottomless black of his eyes was alien, exciting. “Nathanial…” “You are mine.” He dropped his head even as he lifted her further. The warmth of his breath gusted over her dripping pussy before he snaked his tongue inside, sliding past the swollen lips to lick along the folds of her labia. “Nathanial!” Ali jerked as his clever tongue pushed into her body. She scrabbled at the bedclothes before bracing herself on her forearms and rocking up farther. Large hands cupped her hips, holding her steady as Nathanial thrust his tongue into her shuddering body, teasing along her slit to occasionally circle her clit. “God, please,” she moaned, squeezing her eyes shut. The coils of sensation were almost too much. The control he had over her body was frightening and exhilarating.

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When Nathanial shifted his grip and slid one hand between her thighs, Ali cried out. His tongue traced a path up to her aching clit, pressing it with slow, steady pulses as he slipped two broad fingers into her body. He spread them wide, stretching her open before thrusting deeper. Shock waves of sensation rocked through Ali, exploding out in light shudders. She whimpered, pressing her elbows against the mattress to take her weight even as she reached up to cup her own breasts. They felt heavy in her hands, swollen, and she squeezed them hard as he speared her with his long fingers and wickedly teasing tongue. Nathanial scissored his fingers apart before slowly pulling them from her. His nails lightly raked over her perineum, stroking the sensitive skin before slick fingertips brushed the tight clench of her anus. Ali froze, eyes popping open as he gently massaged the ring of skin, tongue laving her clit in slow, aching licks. “Nathanial,” she whispered, a question in her voice. He lifted his face, mouth full and damp and she caught her breath. He was holding himself firmly in check, devoting himself to her pleasure. She wondered what it would take to snap that control. “You are so very beautiful,” he murmured, rumbling voice washing over her. One slick finger pressed against her opening, slowly pushing past the tight ring of muscle. She gasped, resisting for only a moment before forcing herself to relax. She wanted this. Wanted him in every way. “Your body accepts mine.” He kissed along her inner thighs, tongue trailing across the smooth, sensitive skin. The very tip of his finger was inside her and he stilled before sliding farther. The slow stretch sent shivers across her body. “It opens to me. It knows me. It has always known me.” Nathanial pressed to the second knuckle and paused again, allowing her to adjust. Ali licked her lips and pinched her nipples hard, twisting them. The sting of pain echoed the slight burn as he moved his finger in a controlled circle, teasing her open. “I am the man you reach for at night. I am the lover in your dreams.” He pushed farther, sliding down to the third knuckle. His large hand curved to cup her bottom as he thrust into her, mouth finding the dripping folds of her cunt again. Ali jerked at the sudden onslaught of sensation, hips moving blindly between his hand and mouth. She plucked at her nipples, tugging the distended peaks as he sucked hard on her clit. The light score of his teeth made her jerk and cry out. The quick swipe of his agile tongue made her moan. He thrust his finger into her ass as his tongue pushed into her cunt and Ali felt the building pressure of her orgasm spiral deep within her. She gasped and writhed, aching for more, aching for him to lose his iron control. Nathanial remained steady, sliding out to the first knuckle before pushing into her again, tongue flicking in counterpoint. The insistent strokes had her shuddering on the edge of orgasm. It felt as if she had been building toward it forever. “Nathanial,” Ali moaned, belly quivering and he replied by sucking hard on her clit, finger crooking deep in her body.

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She exploded with a strangled scream, bucking and writhing. She nearly twisted out of his grip and Nathanial slid his finger from her body and gripped her hips as she tightened her thighs over his shoulders convulsively. The eruption of pleasure tapered off slowly into ripples of heat. Ali shivered, limbs jerking reflexively in the aftershocks of orgasm. Nathanial stroked his tongue lightly over her clit as she calmed, and what should have been a soothing caress merely fed the fires before they could bank. She moaned, feeling the fist of arousal clench in her belly again even as Nathanial kissed her slick thighs and let her hips gently drop to the bed. Ali sprawled across the twisted sheets, panting hard as Nathanial crouched back. His muscles bunched beneath dark skin, heavy and hot and hard as steel. His erection jerked between his legs, drawing Ali’s eyes, and she licked her lips as she watched him reach down to fist it once before squeezing the base hard. He’s so in control, Ali thought, fingers sliding down her trembling belly. The flare of heat in his eyes made her pussy ache. I want to make him snap. She tensed her aching muscles and sat up slowly. Her hair fell about her face and brushed the tops of her breasts as she reached for him. Ali could feel him tightening beneath her hands. She could almost feel the currents of energy running against her fingertips. He was wound impossibly tight, perched on the edge of a precipice. It was more than desire, Ali realized when she looked up into his fathomless eyes. It was need. He needed her. He needed to lose himself in her, but he was afraid of what he would do if he did. I’m not afraid of him. “Fuck me, Nathanial,” Ali murmured, pushing him back on his haunches and slithering into his lap. She could feel him trembling beneath her hands and the molten heat of his erection pressed against her belly. She made a pleased noise and slid against it, tempting his control. Playing with fire. “I want to feel you inside me.” “Alison.” His rumbling voice was strained. Nearly hoarse. She kissed along his jaw, tongue darting out to taste him. One hand slid between their bodies as she crouched over him, fingers circling his erect cock and stroking down. The jerk of his body was so strong it nearly knocked her back but Ali pressed forward again, thumb swiping over the slick head. “It’s all right, Nathanial,” she murmured, turning her face and slicking her tongue across his mouth. He kept his lips tight as his body stilled, but she could feel the rumbling deep within him, like the first warning of an earthquake. “You won’t hurt me.” “I—” He couldn’t speak. Ali took advantage of his parted lips to slide her tongue into his mouth, flicking against his own. His chest rose and fell in deep, measured pants and the feel of his skin against hers was electric. Ali broke away from the kiss to draw in a breath and her eyes caught the dark symbols moving across his skin. Her own markings twined in concert, forming the patterns of their binding. He was hers. 61

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Her eyes met his, catching and locking. Ali could see herself reflected back in the endless dark as she pressed her weeping cunt against his cock. “Arakiel. Y’did nefesh.” The silence was deafening, but only for a moment. Then, with a strangled cry Nathanial gripped her hips and flung her back against the bed. She bounced hard on the mattress, sprawled beneath him in a stunned tangle of limbs. He moved like a striking viper, heavy body blanketing hers, hands roughly smoothing over skin. His hips pushed against hers, rutting up before he reached between them and opened her cunt wide. She gasped, jerking, and her surprised noises broke off into a steady moan when he pushed into her waiting body. He was shockingly big, cock stretching her in mingled pleasure-pain. Fire licked through her limbs and Ali spread her thighs wide for him. She pushed up with her hips, encouraging Nathanial as he sank ever deeper into her. He didn’t need encouragement. He caught her mouth in a biting kiss as he thrust relentlessly into her, tongue stroking past her lips again and again as she was filled. She reached for his shoulders, moaning, and snatched her hands back when she felt the first brush of down. Ali twisted her face away, breaking the kiss, and stared as gigantic raven-colored wings erupted from the raised scars along his back, pinions arching out and brushing the spackled ceiling. “Arakiel!” she gasped. Shock coursed through her, chased by mounting need. He pressed his face into the curve of her neck and thrust into her hard, pushing her back into the mattress. Black feathers stroked the air, stirring currents and making her jerk and moan. It was almost too much—the pound of his cock deep into her body, the graze of his teeth, the soft down against her fingertips as she reached around him again. Nathanial had finally lost control and she was caught in the whirlwind with him. Ali struggled up against his heavy body, hips slamming against his. His cock filled her, the sting of being stretched almost painful. His hands moved over her body in frenzied strokes, soothing and encouraging at once. She cried out when he cupped her breasts, fingers plucking and twisting her nipples in time to their thrusts. Her thighs tensed before she wrapped them firmly around his waist, ankles locking at the small of his back. “Alison,” he said, “I—” And that was the last English he managed, voice dropping low and guttural as he growled something in an unfamiliar language. She twisted against him and turned her face toward his. He was close to coming, she realized, body shuddering as he tried desperately to hold back. “Harder,” Ali gasped into his mouth, tongue pushing past his lips. Her body tightened, cunt gripping his cock as she squeezed her thighs around his hips. “Harder, Nathanial.” The noise he made was subhuman, and Ali held on tight as he shifted his grip and slammed into her. The hard thrust of their bodies sent spikes of sensation through her, the snap of his wings made her hair fly about her face. She pressed up into him and dug

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her nails into his dark skin as he hovered near orgasm, cock rubbing against her aching clit. When he came, it was with a howl, head falling back and body shuddering. Ali bit her mouth and arched at the scalding wash of his come, hips rocking closer. The sensation of him jerking inside her, the surprising gentleness of his hands as he held her through his climax blended together in a jumble of sensations. She shuddered, then hissed when he reached between their bodies, fingers finding her clit and stroking it. He found the rhythm quickly, his own body coming down from the aftershocks even as he stroked her higher, leading Ali to her own shattering climax. She came in great, heaving jerks, body nearly convulsing beneath his. Ali closed her eyes and sobbed in helpless breaths, hands smoothing over his shoulders and arms, blood rushing in her ears. When she finally collapsed against the mattress, she was slick with sweat. Ali drew in a quivering breath and opened her eyes as Nathanial gently rolled off her. The wings were gone, withdrawn again, and she reached up to touch one of the heavy scars with a shaking hand. Nathanial’s eyes were bright, expression achingly tender as he drew her to him and stroked back her tangled hair. “Alison,” he murmured, kissing her cheeks, her nose, her brow. She lifted her face for a slow, open kiss as her hands slid up to cup the back of his skull. “’Ahav. Beloved. You are beloved.” She made a low noise and bit at his lower lip before swiping her tongue over the small indentation. “Mm, yes,” Ali said, curling in his arms and shivering. “I feel it.” She rested her head against his chest, listening as his heartbeat slowed. The room was dim, blankets still covering the mirror and television. She wondered briefly how she would explain the busted light bulbs to the hotel manager. “I should find a payphone and call the police,” Ali murmured, nuzzling against his shoulder. She’d never felt warmer or safer than she did now. She never wanted to move. Nathanial kissed beneath her ear. “Did you find what you were seeking?” She nodded against his warm, dark skin. “Mmhm. I know where he found them. What he did to them before he dragged them, still fighting, to the pit. There’s a book of matches he dropped in the old stable. And she broke away long enough to see his license plate.” Ali paused, staring up at the ceiling. “Karen,” she said after a long silence. “Her name was Karen, and she was very brave.” Nathanial stroked back her hair and kissed the crown of her head. “As were you. We will go together to make your call.” “An anonymous tip to lead the way.” She moved up onto her elbow, looking down at him seriously. “Thank you, Arakiel.”

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His lips quirked into a faint smile. “I will teach you so that you may speak with the dead without fear. I will teach you control. We will be together a long time.” His knuckles lightly grazed her cheek as he watched her with alien, dark eyes. “I am thankful you summoned me, ‘ahav.” “So am I,” Ali whispered, letting him pull her down into another long, heated kiss.

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About the Author A lifelong friend of fantasy and romance, Katherine Cross enjoys stories with rich world histories and characters with a touch of the exotic. She has traveled to Egypt, Morocco, Spain and Italy (among others) and is constantly inspired by different cultures and ways of life. She considers the Appalachian Mountains her home and finds the rich fall colors the perfect spark for her imagination. Katherine welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Katherine Cross Nutcracker Prince

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DIVERTED DESTINY Lynn LaFleur

Diverted Destiny

Chapter One One hour. Marina looked at her watch again to be sure of the time. She’d sat in her car, unmoving, for one hour. Huge boulders covered both lanes of the narrow road. A highway crew worked with shovels and large machinery to move the boulders, but it had soon become apparent that it would take more than a few minutes to clear the road. She’d turned off her car’s engine after ten minutes to conserve gas. Now cold, hungry and in need of a bathroom, she cursed her sister for insisting Marina visit instead of the other way around. Marina and Ginger could be dining on fresh seafood on the San Francisco waterfront right now. No, Ginger had wanted Marina to come to her place north of Pollock Pines. “What’s Christmas without snow?” Ginger had said Sunday when she’d called Marina. Ginger could have the snow. Marina would be satisfied to never see the white stuff the rest of her life. She’d caved in to her older sister’s request, as usual. So here she sat, five days before Christmas, waiting for the road to be cleared so she could continue up the mountain. A snowstorm was due before nightfall, a doozy according to the weather reports. Marina did not want to be stuck on this road when it started snowing. After living in San Francisco most of her adult life, she could navigate the rain-slick, hilly roads with no problem. Icy or snowy roads were another matter. The dusting of snowflakes on her windshield made the decision for her. She had to leave. Now. There were five cars between her and the rockslide. She couldn’t tell how many were behind her, but she couldn’t see an end to the line in her rearview mirror. She thought she saw a side road about six cars back. Where it led, she had no idea. But perhaps she could take it and come out on this road past the slide. Marina always left plenty of room between her and the car in front of her when she stopped. She hated breathing the fumes from exhaust pipes. She cranked the steering wheel hard to the left, backed up, then cranked again. Once more and she headed the opposite direction from the line of cars. A sports car and pickup parted, leaving her enough room to turn on the side road. She waved her thanks and started up the narrow, crooked road. The snow fell harder, the flakes getting bigger the farther she climbed. Marina began to wonder if this was a good idea after all. She had no idea where this road went. There were no markings, no signs to indicate the name of the road or distances to towns. She could be driving toward a dead end, or toward the edge of a cliff.

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Not exactly a pleasant thought. She touched her brake pedal when she came to the fork. Marina blew out a breath as she contemplated left or right. Left would be logical since that would take her in the direction of the main road. At least, she thought it would. She’d taken so many twists and turns, she wasn’t sure which way was which. Left, definitely. That decision made, Marina continued on her journey. The road became narrower, the trees thicker, the snow heavier. She couldn’t see farther than a few feet in front of her car. Okay, this is stupid. You have no idea where you are or where you’re going. Call someone for help. Calling someone would be easier if she had a signal on her cell phone. There wasn’t even the tiniest bit of a bar on the display. “Shit,” Marina muttered. She’d seen no signs of life, no cute winter cabins tucked into the snow-covered trees. Surely someone lived on this road who could help her. She couldn’t imagine why there would be a road—even a narrow, unpaved one—unless someone lived nearby. Turning around was out of the question on the one-lane road. She had no choice but to keep driving.

***** Tain raised his sword and easily blocked Deon’s parry. “Ha! Thought you had me that time.” “I’m only playing with you.” “Playing, hell.” Lowering his sword again, he stopped Deon’s thrust. A hard push on Deon’s sword with his own and his assistant stumbled back two steps. “How’s that for playing?” “Good move, Tain.” “Well, I’ve had a few more years of practice than you.” Another lunge, another parry. Tain spun and advanced on Deon. He welcomed the physical activity, the perspiration covering his body, the rapid beat of his heart. He felt alive when he held his sword, when he heard the clang of metal against metal. Deon had always been a worthy opponent, one who never gave up despite losing most of the time. Today would be no exception. Tain lifted his sword with both hands, determined to win this round. A fast turn of Deon’s body, a quick twist of his wrists, and Tain’s sword clattered to the floor. Deon removed his mask. “You’re off today, Tain.”

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Tain looked at his sword lying on the ceramic floor. He wasn’t sure how his assistant had managed to flip it right out of his hands. “Apparently.” “You need to feed.” “I’m all right.” “Don’t try to bullshit me.” He gestured at Tain’s sword. “I can’t do that when you’re one hundred percent. You haven’t fed in almost two weeks. That’s crazy.” Tain dropped his mask on the floor by his sword. He opened the refrigerator next to the bar and tossed Deon a bottle of water. “I can go weeks without feeding. You know that.” “But you don’t have to. You can go into town and have a woman any time you want to. Why do you make yourself wait so long?” Tain removed a bottle of water for himself. Twisting off the cap, he emptied half the bottle with one drink. “I get tired of it, Deon. The games, the coy looks, women pretending they don’t want me when I can smell their desire from twenty feet away.” Crossing to the sectional couch, he sank down in a corner of the soft leather. “I make her come and draw strength from her orgasm. But I wish there could be more.” Deon sat on the opposite end of the couch. “You’ve been looking for a mate for a long time with no luck.” Tain sighed heavily. “A woman with the Basharr gene is so rare. I’ve searched for centuries. I could search for another century and not find her.” “You aren’t giving up.” “No, I will never give up, but I have to be realistic. I’ve been alone for eight hundred years. The odds are high that I’ll continue to be alone.” “Hey, you have me,” Deon said with a grin. Tain chuckled. “I appreciate that, my friend, but you don’t have the curves I enjoy so much. There are gay vampires in my family. I’m not one of them.” “Don’t knock it until you try it, Tain.” “I have tried it. I prefer the curves.” He drained the rest of his water. “So, shall we go again, or should we get back to work?” A buzzer sounded. Deon frowned. “That’s the front gate alarm. Someone’s there.” “Who would be here in this snowstorm? Are you expecting a delivery?” “Not today.” Deon rose and crossed to his desk. Tain followed and watched his assistant punch on a variety of keys on his computer to bring up the gate’s camera. A small silver car came into view. Deon adjusted the angle of the camera, zooming in on the driver. A young woman wearing a burgundy stocking cap sat behind the wheel. Tain’s canine teeth began to ache. “Well, this is convenient,” Deon said. “There she is, ripe for the picking.” “She’s obviously lost.” 69

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“Lucky for you.” “Deon, I will not take advantage of a woman in trouble.” “You won’t be taking advantage of her. One look in your eyes and she’ll be putty.” “I don’t—” “Tain, you need to feed. You know that as well as I do. It certainly won’t hurt her to have four or five orgasms. She’ll probably thank you.” “She won’t remember. They never remember.” “Then there’s no harm. We’ll help her, of course, but she can help you while she’s here.”

***** Marina saw the camera shift, so knew someone watched her. She tried to keep her expression neutral. She didn’t want anyone to know she was terrified. Alone, lost in a snowstorm, no telephone. She could almost hear the eerie music, the song that played right before the killer jumped out of the bushes with an ax. Or a chainsaw. She shivered. “May I help you?” a deep male voice asked. Marina leaned out her window. Despite not knowing who that voice belonged to, she had no choice but to ask for help. “Yes, please. I took a wrong turn. There’s no signal on my cell. May I use your phone?” “Of course. Please follow the drive to the house.” The gate with the large “R” in the middle swung open. Tall pine trees lined the drive on both sides. Marina inched forward in the deepening snow. She assumed a house would appear eventually, although she saw no indication that anything existed beyond the gate. Marina had always believed the majority of people were good, that they would help someone if they could. She hoped her belief held up and she wasn’t heading toward a house of flesh-eating weirdoes. The drive arced to the right. Marina took the curve, and gasped. A huge house came into her sight. Two stories and made of stone, the Victorian mansion looked like something from a Gothic novel. It was hard to tell through the falling snow and deepening dusk, but it appeared that the house was built into the side of the rock hillside. Ancient architecture had always fascinated her. She’d promised herself someday she’d go to Europe so she could drool over all the centuries-old buildings. Marina stopped her car at the bottom of the steps leading up to the double front doors. She turned off the motor and took a deep breath. Time to meet the flesh-eating weirdoes.

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The door opened as she was about to press the doorbell. A man stood in the doorway. Marina gulped. An inch or two over six feet tall and dressed all in black. His long black hair touched his shoulders. Piercing blue eyes peered at her from beneath black eyebrows. A hint of stubble covered his cheeks and jaw. His shirt stretched over broad shoulders, tight pants cupped his penis. Dayum. Nice package. He opened the door wider. “Come in, please.” Marina jerked her attention back to his face when he spoke to her. Heat rushed to her cheeks when she realized she’d been staring at his fly as if she’d never seen what lay hidden behind the zipper. Well, it had been a while… She stepped into the foyer and he closed the door behind her. “I’m Tain Remington. How can I help you, Ms…” “Black. Marina Black. I’d appreciate it if I could use your phone.” “Of course. Follow me.” He turned left and led her into a large room. An L-shaped mahogany desk dominated one corner. A leather sectional, tables and lamps made a comfortable seating area in another corner. A rock fireplace covered one wall, an entertainment center the other. Marina didn’t know whether to call it an office or den. “My assistant’s hideout,” Tain said, his eyes crinkling at the corner. “He spends a lot of time in here, so I want him to be comfortable.” He gestured toward the desk. “Help yourself to the phone. Would you like coffee or perhaps hot tea?” “I’d love a cup of tea.” “Hot tea it is.” He smiled. “Take your time.” He closed the door behind him. Marina’s knees grew weak. She flopped down in the chair behind the desk before they gave out on her. It’d been months since she and her boyfriend broke up, but that didn’t explain the breathless feeling, the heavy thudding of her heart. Tain Remington was a handsome man. That shouldn’t matter. Handsome men flitted in and out of her boss’s office every day. None of them made her clit throb, her nipples peak. She didn’t think any man had ever affected her so strongly, so quickly. Marina picked up the telephone receiver. Four rings later, her sister answered. “Hello?” “Hi, it’s me.” “Marina! Where are you? You should’ve been here by now. I’ve called your cell half a dozen times.”

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“There was a rockslide on the highway. I thought I’d be smart and take another road, only I got lost.” “Are you all right?” “Yeah, I’m fine. I finally found a house. The owner let me come in so I could call you.” She looked around the room, noting the beamed ceilings and ceramic floor. “More like a mansion, actually. This place has to be five thousand square feet.” “Where are you?” Marina slipped out of her coat and pulled off her stocking cap. She fluffed her short hair with her fingers. She could only imagine how mussed it must look. Making a fashion statement hadn’t been on her list of priorities when she dressed this morning. “I have no idea, but I don’t think I can leave.” She looked out the window. The snow fell steadily in big fluffy flakes. “The snow is too heavy.” “What are you going to do?” “Ask Tain if I can spend the night. I don’t have another choice.” “Tain?” “The owner. Tain Remington. He seems very nice.” “So do serial killers!” “Ginger—” “You can’t stay there with a strange man!” “I don’t know what else I can do, sis. I can’t snap my fingers and magically transport myself to your house. I can’t call a cab. I doubt if a bus comes by Tain’s house.” Ginger remained silent for several seconds. “Is anyone else there?” “He said he has an assistant.” “Male or female?” “Um, he said ‘he’, so I’m assuming male.” “Great. Two strange men you know nothing about.” “Look, he really does seem nice. I don’t think I have anything to worry about.” Other than my randy hormones. “Promise me something,” Ginger said. “Sure.” “You find the biggest knife in the kitchen and take it to bed with you. All right?” She’d promise her sister anything if it would put Ginger’s fears to rest. “All right.” “Call me every hour.” Marina sighed. “Ginger.” “Okay, you don’t have to call me every hour. But at least once more tonight and in the morning.” “That I can do. I’ll talk to you later.” 72

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Chapter Two Deon set the tray holding three mugs of hot tea on the table in front of Tain. “Have you decided what you’re going to do?” “No.” He rubbed his upper lip. “It’s difficult to think when all the blood in my brain drains down to my dick.” Deon chuckled. “I know what you mean.” “I don’t want to take advantage of her, Deon. She got lost and came here for help. But…” He blew out a breath. “It’s been two weeks. I do need to feed. She’s here, in my house. Convenient, like you said.” “She won’t remember anything. You could fuck her senseless and she’ll go on her merry way tomorrow. Or Saturday, if the snow doesn’t let up and she can’t leave.” “Let’s hope Mother Nature cooperates with me. Two days would be very nice. Three would be even better.” Deon picked up one of the mugs and took a sip of tea. “I’ll move her car under the porte-cochere.” “Bring in her luggage too. I heard her phone conversation. She was on the way to visit her sister, so she’ll have luggage in her car.” “Which bedroom shall I use?” “The one next to yours. She’ll enjoy the view from there.” “Next to me, huh?” Deon bobbled his eyebrows. Tain laughed. “Don’t tease. I know she isn’t your type.” “True. You like curves. I like muscles.” “Especially one about eight inches long.” Deon moaned. “No fair, man. It’s been a couple of weeks for me too.” He took another sip of tea. “It’s too bad I’m not into girls. We could have a hell of a ménage.” “You really are bad, Deon.” He raised one finger to his lips. “She’s coming.” Tain stood as Marina walked into the living room. Lust hit him so hard, he almost groaned aloud. He could smell her…that delicious scent of woman. Her pupils flared when she looked at him. Her scent became stronger, more earthy. Oh, yes, she was as aware of him as he was of her. She bit her lower lip and wrung her hands together. She may be aware of him, but she obviously didn’t want to be. No problem. Tain had always enjoyed the hunt. “Marina, this is my assistant Deon. He’s taken excellent care of me for eight years. Deon, Marina Black.”

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Deon tipped his head. “A pleasure, Marina.” “For me too.” “I was just telling Tain I’ll move your car so it’s protected from the snow, and I’ll bring in any luggage you may have.” “Oh.” She looked back at Tain. “I haven’t talked to you about spending the night.” “There’s nothing to discuss. You obviously can’t drive in this weather. I have plenty of room. You’re more than welcome to stay as long as necessary.” Her eyes widened. “Surely I’ll be able to leave tomorrow.” “That depends on the weather. The snow is supposed to continue until at least tomorrow evening.” She nibbled that full bottom lip again. Tain wanted to taste it, to suck it into his mouth. His gaze dipped to her breasts. Nice and full. As he watched, a hint of her nipples appeared in her gray sweater. Something else he’d love to suck. His canines burned with the need to sink deep into that luscious long neck. His cock thickened with the need to sink into her heat. He’d give her pleasure. He always gave his woman pleasure. Every orgasm she experienced fed his strength, his energy. He needed her blood too, but that was a token of what he gained from her orgasms. That’s where he drew his lifeforce. He wished Marina would remember their lovemaking when she awoke tomorrow. Tain knew that wouldn’t happen. Only a woman who carried the Basharr gene would remember being in his arms. Tain motioned toward the couch. “Please sit down and enjoy your tea.” “May I use your bathroom first?” “I’ll show you the way,” Deon said. “Thank you.” She glanced at Tain over her shoulder as she followed Deon from the room. Tain could feel her interest, her desire. He could hardly wait for tonight.

***** Marina stepped outside the bathroom and turned right to return to the living room. She took two steps, then stopped. She could hear Tain and Deon speaking, but couldn’t see them in the living room. Since they seemed to be so involved in their conversation, they wouldn’t notice if she didn’t hurry back to join them. Turning left instead, she ambled through the kitchen, down a hall, and peeked into the first open door she came to. She gasped. Obviously the master bedroom, it was even larger than the living room. A huge bed dominated the middle. Eight-foot posts stretched toward the twelve-foot ceiling. A spread the color of sapphires covered the

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bed. The triple dresser, double chest of drawers and nightstands completed the suite. Several oil paintings of forests and castles decorated the walls. “Wow,” she whispered in awe. A sitting area in the corner drew her. She picked up an ivory and black marbled vase from the table next to a large upholstered chair. The vase was probably worth more than she made in a whole year. Carefully replacing it on the table, Marina continued into the master bath. She barely had time to gaze at the deep oval tub with envy when she sensed a presence behind her. Damn it. Busted. She turned to see Tain leaning against the doorframe. His eyes twinkled with laughter. “Would you like a tour of my home?” Heat rushed to her cheeks. She hated that he’d caught her being nosy. “That would be nice. If you aren’t busy with something else.” “There is nothing so important that it cannot wait until later.” Marina thought she detected a slight accent in his voice. English maybe. Or Welsh. Her toes curled every time he spoke. “You are welcome to use my bath. The upstairs bathroom next to your bedroom only has a shower.” Her bedroom. He made it sound as if she would be here longer than one day. As much as she’d love to soak in a mound of bubbles, using his bathtub seemed too…personal. “A shower in the morning will be fine.” “As you wish. Let me know if you change your mind.” He straightened from the doorframe. “Would you like the tour now?” “Yes, please.” Marina glanced at Tain’s bedroom as she walked back through it. She stopped in the doorway and let her gaze sweep the room again. Something wasn’t right… “You have no windows in your bedroom.” “No. I had them covered several years ago. I conduct a lot of my business overseas. I make phone calls at night and sleep during the day.” “Oh.” She supposed that made sense, but she’d never seen a bedroom with absolutely no windows. He could have kept the windows and used blackout shades. She wondered why he hadn’t. “You still make phone calls instead of using e-mail?” He smiled. “The personal touch works best for me.” Marina had no doubt his personal touch would work very well indeed. Down, girl. You’re here for one night. You’ll never see Tain again when you leave tomorrow. You aren’t here to jump his bones. Even though she imagined it would be a lot of fun.

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***** The tour concluded back in the living room. Marina curled up in a corner of the couch and picked up a mug of tea. Tain had a lovely home, full of artwork and antiques. He’d told her the house was one hundred and twenty years old, but he had remodeled it fifteen years ago to bring the plumbing and electrical up-to-date, plus add more modern conveniences. Through gentle questions, she’d learned he’d lived in England before moving to the United States. That explained the nummy accent. She sipped the lukewarm liquid while Tain added more logs to the fireplace. They popped and hissed as they caught fire. He squatted before the hearth, using a poker to move the logs. Marina admired the way his pants stretched over his butt. She imagined running her hands down his back, over his buttocks, between his legs to tickle his balls… Tain looked at her over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared. It was almost as if he’d read her mind and knew she lusted after him. “Would you like me to warm your tea?” he asked, his voice husky. Marina shook her head. “It’s fine, thanks.” He shifted the logs again, then replaced the poker in the stand. He stood, his back to her. “I have something I need to do. Will you be all right alone?” “Yes, of course. Please don’t feel you have to entertain me.” “I will be back shortly.” Without looking at her again, he left the room. A moment later, she heard him bound up the stairs.

***** Tain threw open the door of Deon’s bedroom. “I can’t take it.” Deon pressed a button on the remote to stop the movie he’d been watching and climbed off his bed. “You can’t take what?” “Her! My God, Deon, she’s so ripe.” He pushed the door closed behind him and leaned against it, clenching his fists at his sides. “I can smell her pussy. The scent gets stronger the longer I’m around her. My cock has been hard for over an hour.” “So why are you waiting? Take her.” “I should’ve had her at least twice already. She isn’t responding the way other women do.” “What do you mean?” Pushing a hand through his hair, Tain began to pace. “She’s looked directly into my eyes, but hasn’t made a move toward me. In fact, every time I moved close to her, she stepped back from me.” “That’s never happened?”

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He stopped and looked at Deon. “Never! A woman has never turned away from me. She can’t turn away from me, not after our eyes meet.” Tain began to pace again. “I don’t understand what is happening.” “I think I might know.” Tain stopped again. “What?” “She has the gene.” It took Tain a moment to understand what Deon was saying. He shook his head. “No. That is not possible.” “Why not?” “Because I would know. The woman who carries the Basharr gene is my mate. I would know her immediately.” “You can’t be sure of that.” “Yes, I can. Marina is not my mate.” “Okay, so she’s not your mate. You can still have her. You need her, Tain.” “I know I do, but I can’t force her. I will not force her.” “You won’t have to force her. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She wants you as much as you want her. Maybe she isn’t ready to admit that.” Deon crossed to the nightstand and opened the drawer. “She’ll be ready before the night is over, so you’d better take some of these.” Returning to Tain, he pressed a handful of condoms into his palm. “I don’t need these. I carry no diseases. I can’t impregnate her. Only my mate can carry my child.” “I know that, but she doesn’t. She’s a modern woman. She’ll insist you wear a condom.” “Women never mention condoms to me.” “That’s because they’re under your spell. Marina isn’t.” Tain looked at the packets in his hand and scowled. “Hell, I hate these.” “So do I, but we don’t have a choice. Part of the joys of modern dating.” He clapped Tain on the shoulder. “I’ll get dinner started so you can begin your seduction.”

***** Marina wiped her mouth and laid her napkin next to her empty plate. She’d eaten at some of the finest restaurants in San Francisco. Nothing she’d eaten had topped the chicken dish Deon had prepared. “Everything was wonderful, Deon.” He smiled as he stood. “Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He picked up her plate and stacked it on top of his. “Can I help you clean up?”

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Deon shook his head and added Tain’s plate to the stack. “Nope. The kitchen is my area. I don’t even let Tain help me.” “He learned a long time ago that I break dishes too easily.” “A convenient excuse to get out of doing the dishes,” Marina said. Tain grinned. “It worked.” He stood and stepped behind Marina’s chair, holding it as she rose. He placed his hand on the small of her back. Only his fingertips touched her, but Marina felt that touch through her entire body. She’d been married in her early twenties. She’d taken lovers since her divorce. She’d never experienced this kind of heat, this kind of weakness, that Tain’s hand caused. They’d talked little since he’d left her so abruptly earlier this evening. He’d reappeared long enough to tell her he had business to attend to, and she should make herself at home. Marina had taken the opportunity to wander into the library. Shelves towered all the way to the twelve-foot ceiling. She could easily spend hours pouring over the titles. She’d selected a cozy mystery and curled up in a leather armchair to read. He’d showered and changed his clothes when she saw him next. Dressed in faded jeans and a pale blue sweater, he’d looked good enough to nibble on for hours. Her mouth had actually watered when he walked into the library. Now, alone with him in the living room in front of the fireplace, she wanted to kiss him more than anything. Marina saw nothing wrong with a woman enjoying a man physically. Some women had one-night stands all the time. She wasn’t one of those women. She had to get to know a man before she had sex with him. She couldn’t give herself to Tain, even though he obviously wanted her. She saw desire flare in his piercing blue eyes every time she looked into them. He sat a foot away from her on the couch. His arm stretched along the back. His fingertips grazed her shoulder. “Would you like coffee, or perhaps a brandy?” he asked. Marina shook her head. “I’m fine.” He inched closer to her. Marina swallowed at the heat in his eyes. He dragged the back of one knuckle down her cheek. “Is there anything you do want?” She shook her head again. That lone knuckle passed over her chin and down her neck. “Are you sure?” He touched her nowhere else, yet his single finger raised her blood pressure higher than most men did with both their hands. His caress continued down her chest and into the V of her sweater. It danced over the top of her breasts. “There is something I want.” “What?” she whispered. He cradled her nape with his other hand. “This.”

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His lips covered hers. Marina caught her breath, then released it slowly in a soft moan. Tain’s mouth moved over hers, sipping, coaxing, seeking. He kissed her softly, then nibbled on her bottom lip before taking her mouth again. His tongue slipped inside to mate with hers. What an incredible kisser. The kiss heated, deepened. Tain laid his hand over her breast. He caressed the firm flesh, ran his thumb over her hard nipple. She moaned again. It had been much too long since she’d been held, kissed, touched. She didn’t want it to end. Hormones urged her to continue the delicious kissing. Common sense told her to stop before she wouldn’t be able to. Common sense won. She pulled back, ending the kiss. “Tain, stop.” His eyes appeared glazed, as if he were so caught up in the kiss that he couldn’t think. Slowly, they focused on her. “What?” She pulled his hand away from her breast. “I can’t do this.” A frown formed between his brows. “Don’t you like my kisses?” “I love your kisses, Tain. You’re an incredible kisser, as well as handsome and sexy. But I can’t go any further. Call me old-fashioned or a prude or whatever. I can’t make love with a man I didn’t even know five hours ago.” A pained expression crossed his face. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. “Marina, I need you.” “I’m sorry. I can’t.” She stood on legs that weren’t quite steady and turned to leave the room. In the living room doorway, she faced him again. Tain stood with his hands at his sides, a look of raw hunger on his face. “Marina, please,” he said, his voice broken. “Goodnight,” she whispered.

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Chapter Three He had begged her. Tain had never begged a woman in his life for sex. He’d never had to. Women begged him to take them, to fuck them until they could no longer think. Instead, Marina had walked away from him. He didn’t understand how she could do that. No woman had ever been able to walk away from him, not after he’d told her he wanted her. Tain pressed one hand over his erect shaft. It ached almost as much as his canines. He wished he could jerk off like a mortal man and get relief, but that wasn’t possible. Only a woman could give him the relief he craved. Exhaling deeply, Tain threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. He couldn’t sleep, not at this time of night. He normally slept from dawn until early afternoon. Perhaps a shower would relax him enough so he could sleep. Tain stood. A wave of dizziness passed over him. He grabbed the bedpost to keep from falling. Sweat broke out on his body. His heart thudded heavily. He struggled to draw enough air into his lungs. He desperately needed to feed. Tain had no choice. Since Marina had refused him, he’d have to go into town tomorrow and find a woman. The thought saddened him. He didn’t want to use some nameless woman he’d never see again. He wanted to make love with Marina…not use her, not simply fuck her, but make love with her. He didn’t understand why she affected him so deeply. The dizziness passed. His heart returned to its normal rhythm. Tain took a deep, even breath before releasing the post. He gave himself several more seconds to be sure he wouldn’t fall on his face, then headed for the bathroom.

***** Marina cursed under her breath and threw the book down on the bed. She glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. 1:30. She should be asleep. The bed was comfortable, the pillow the perfect softness and thickness. Instead, she’d lain in the dark, unable to close her eyes. She’d finally turned on the lamp an hour ago and begun to read. Sleeping had never been a problem for her. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t sleep tonight. She sighed. Yes she did. She knew exactly why she couldn’t sleep. Tain.

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Turning him down hadn’t been easy. Her body still hummed from his kisses. A single thought of the way his lips had moved over hers, and her pussy wept. Even now, her clit throbbed from the need to be touched, licked. She could take care of herself. An orgasm from her fingers wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying as one from Tain’s tongue. Morals could be extremely frustrating. With a groan, Marina tossed back the covers and rose. Perhaps a cup of herbal tea would help her sleep. A series of nightlights throughout the house let her easily find the back stairs to the kitchen. Moving as quietly as possible, she searched through cabinets until she found boxes of teabags. She heard a door open. Marina froze, still clutching the tin of orange spice teabags. She set the tin on the counter and turned. Tain stood in the doorway, naked and fully aroused. He held out one hand to her. “Come here, Marina.” She didn’t want to fight her feelings any longer. She moved toward him and laid her hand in his. Tain walked backward, tugging Marina with him. He didn’t want to break eye contact with her for fear she’d change her mind. He’d heard her in the kitchen as he’d entered his bathroom. He had to take one more chance that she might be with him. He shut the bedroom door behind them. The room was pitch black, but he could see perfectly. He gently squeezed Marina’s hand. “Wait here.” Crossing to the dresser, he lit two pillar candles. He turned back to her and caught her staring at his cock. Slowly, her gaze lifted back to his face. Her eyes were filled with longing. Tain walked back to her and cradled her face in his hands. “I want you so much.” “I want you too, but—” “No buts.” He skated his thumbs across her bottom lip. “Don’t think. Just feel.” He kissed her softly. “Just feel.” Tain kissed her again. He slid his hands over her shoulders and down her back. Gripping her waist, he pulled her tightly to him. He moved from side to side, caressing her mound with his cock. She whimpered. Her sound of surrender spurred him to kiss her more passionately. He nipped at her lips, slid his tongue over the soft bites, pushed his tongue past her lips. She tasted of desire, of heat. Sliding his hands beneath her buttocks, he lifted her and laid her on the bed. He followed her down, lying between her spread legs. Tain pumped his hips, pressing his shaft firmly against her pussy. He could feel the dampness seeping from her channel, could smell her arousal. Tain had to concentrate to keep his canines from growing. It wasn’t time to drink from her neck…not yet. First, she had to come. 81

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Her breathing was erratic by the time he stopped kissing her. He pushed her T-shirt up, baring her breasts. Her nipples were hard, the areolas puckered. Tain licked both peaks, then began to suckle. Marina tunneled her fingers into his hair and arched her back. “That feels so good.” “Good enough to come?” he asked before kissing her again. He lifted her arms over her head. “Can you come from me sucking your nipples?” “I never have.” Tain took one hard bud between his thumb and forefinger. “Perhaps a man has never paid them enough attention.” He flicked her other nipple with his tongue. “I like to spend a lot of time loving them. Licking.” He flicked her nipple again. “Biting.” A gentle nip with his teeth and she squirmed beneath him. “Rubbing.” He circled both tips with his thumbs. “Sucking.” He drew one peak into his mouth, then the other. “Especially sucking.” The dizziness hit him again. Tain squeezed his eyes shut and ignored it, concentrating on Marina instead. He kneaded one breast while suckling the other nipple. Marina continued to squirm. Her breathing grew heavier, uneven. Tain could feel the orgasm building in her body. He sucked harder. “Tain!” She crested. Her energy flowed over him, then into him. More powerful than his own orgasm, her climax fed his lifeforce. The dizziness subsided. It didn’t disappear totally, but was no longer so severe. Her next orgasm should make it vanish entirely. Tain rose to his knees. He watched Marina’s face as he continued to caress her breasts. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted. The small aftershocks of her orgasm flowed through her body. Each one fed his strength. She opened her eyes and looked into his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tugged him back on top of her and kissed him. Such fire. Such passion. She clutched his hair tighter, caressed his shoulders, ran her hands down his back. Tain groaned when her fingernails dug into his buttocks. “My God, you’re hot,” he rasped in her ear. “Inside me. Please.” She worked her hand between their bodies and clasped his shaft. “I need you inside me.” “Not yet. I want to make you come with my tongue.” He stood, giving Marina an excellent view of his body again. Tall, broad shoulders, muscled in all the right places, a light dusting of black hair on his chest and stomach. She followed the line of hair to his groin and that glorious thick cock. She could hardly wait to feel it thrusting into her. Marina lifted her hips so he could tug off her jersey pants. Starting at her ankles, he slid his hands up her legs. His tongue followed his fingers, leaving a wet trail on her skin. Right leg, left leg, right, left, until he reached the nest of dark curls covering her

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mound. He spread her labia with his thumbs and gave her one slow stroke of his tongue. “Mmm, delicious.” The tip danced over her wet folds. “I could spend hours licking your pussy.” He drove his tongue into her channel. Marina burrowed her fingers into his thick hair and spread her legs another few inches. He moved his tongue slowly, as if he had every intention of keeping his word and licking her pussy for hours. Tain pushed her legs up so her knees almost touched her chest. She gasped when his tongue darted into her ass. He moaned. The sound vibrated against the sensitive area. Marina hooked her hands behind her knees and held her legs open, wanting more of the exquisite pleasure his tongue gave her. “You like this, don’t you?” he asked. “It feels incredible.” He licked her anus once, twice. “Do you want more?” “Oh, yes.” “Roll over.” Marina did as he said. She lifted her hips when he told her to, and he slid a thick pillow under her stomach. Closing her eyes, she buried her face in her arms and waited for him to touch her again. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out when Tain drove his tongue into her ass. The deep licks, his warm breath, the roughness of his evening beard. Marina noted every sensation and craved more. She shifted her hips, trying to get even closer to Tain’s mouth. “That’s the way,” he rasped. “You like it when I fuck your ass with my tongue.” He drove deep again. Marina couldn’t help crying out this time. “Tain! God!” “Come for me, Marina. Come on my tongue.” He’d barely said the words when the pleasure flowed through her. She shuddered. Goose bumps scattered across her skin. She gulped in oxygen, unable to get enough with her heart pounding so hard and her head spinning. Tain licked her anus one more time as he savored the feel of her orgasm flowing into his body. The dizziness, the weakness, disappeared. Now it was time to feed. His canines lengthened. He couldn’t stop their growth, now that his full strength had returned. Rising to his knees, he gripped Marina’s hips. With one thrust, he buried his cock inside her pussy. Tight and wet and warm. Tain growled low in his throat and threw back his head. Her walls clasped his rod as if she didn’t want to let him go. He leaned over her body and slipped his hands beneath her breasts. “You take me perfectly,” he whispered in her ear.

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He began to pump…thrusting in all the way, then withdrawing until only the head remained inside her. He squeezed her breasts, then slid one hand between her legs to caress her clit. She gasped. “Once more. I want you to come once more.” She released a shaky laugh. “Tain, I can’t.” “Yes you can.” He rubbed her clit faster, thrust harder. “You are so passionate, so hot. Think about how good it feels to have my cock deep inside you.” “Mmm, yes. It feels wonderful.” Tain sensed the orgasm building inside her again. “A woman can come over and over again. Let yourself, Marina. Let yourself come.” He pinched her clit. Marina threw back her head and keened. That luscious white throat was too tempting to resist. Tain sank his canines deep into her skin. Her blood rolled over his tongue like the finest wine. He drank greedily as his own orgasm surged through his body. She collapsed on the bed, gasping, her body drenched in sweat. Tain followed her down, covering her body with his. Slowly, he released her neck. She whimpered softly. Tain licked the two spots made by his canines to heal them. By the time she awakened later today, there would be no evidence of his bite. Marina wouldn’t remember being in his arms, in his bed. She wouldn’t remember the incredible lovemaking they’d shared. Tain wished it could be different. He dropped soft kisses on Marina’s nape, inhaled her scent. If she had the Basharr gene, she could be his mate. He could easily imagine holding her this way every day for the next millennium. Her deep, even breathing proved she had fallen asleep. She wouldn’t awaken for hours. Reluctantly, he withdrew his cock from her pussy. Rolling her to her back, he tugged down her T-shirt to cover her breasts. He climbed from the bed and located her pants. After slipping them on her, he lifted Marina in his arms and vanished. A moment later, he materialized next to her bed. He gently laid her on the sheet and pulled the covers over her. He touched her cheek, ran his thumb across her bottom lip. “Sleep well, Marina,” he whispered. Tain turned off the lamp and quietly left the room.

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Chapter Four Marina released a deep breath and opened her eyes. Sunlight poured in her window. She glanced at the clock to see it was 10:35. She hadn’t slept so late in years. Smiling in contentment, she stretched her arms over her head. Her smile faded and she winced at the discomfort between her thighs. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear she’d spent a great deal of last night having sex. Images flashed through her mind…Tain naked, aroused, sucking her breasts. She remembered rolling to her stomach and him licking her anus, then mounting her from behind. That thick cock had filled her while he… Marina clasped the side of her neck. He’d bitten her! And not a love nip, but a bite. He’d sucked her neck as if he were drawing blood. Throwing back the covers, Marina scrambled from the bed and hurried to the dresser. She looked in the mirror and saw bruising around two marks on her neck…marks the exact distance apart as Tain’s canines, or the exact distance they would be if they’d become fangs. Her stomach churned. She swallowed several times to settle it before she lost the contents. Instead of the handsome, sexy man she thought she’d met, Tain was some kind of monster.

***** Tain leaned against the cabinet and sipped his tea. He could hear Marina moving around in her bedroom. She’d soon come downstairs, totally oblivious to what had happened between them last night. He sighed at that thought. They’d shared something very special last night, something he’d never shared with another woman. While he always made sure his partner found pleasure, he’d never cared about seeing her again. The women in his life had filled a need. After he fed, he went on his way and never thought of them again. Marina filled a void in his heart, one that had been there for hundreds of years. He knew he’d remember her for a long time to come. He wished she’d remember too. Deon walked into the kitchen. “You’re up early.” “Actually, I’m simply up. I didn’t sleep at all last night.” “She was that good, huh?” Tain smiled. “Incredible. Even better than I’d imagined.” He set his mug on the counter. “Ready for another round with our swords? I’ll whip your ass today.”

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The sound of footsteps barreling down the stairs drew Tain’s attention. Marina stormed into the kitchen. Eyes blazing, she walked right up to him. She drew back her arm and slapped him hard. “You sick bastard!” Stunned, Tain didn’t react for a moment. He covered his stinging cheek with one hand and stared at her. “Marina, what the hell—” “What did you do to me last night?” She yanked down the turtleneck of her sweater to expose two fang marks and ugly bruises. “What kind of monster are you?” “Uh, I think I’ll leave the two of you alone,” Deon said, looking at Tain. “Call me if you need anything.” Tain didn’t answer Deon. He concentrated on the marks and bruises on Marina’s neck instead. They weren’t supposed to be there. He clearly remembered licking his bite so it would heal. “I can explain—” “You can’t possibly explain this.” She ran her fingers through her short hair. “When you held out your hand to me, I took it because I wanted you so much. Now I’m ashamed of going to bed with you.” For the second time in less than a minute, she had shocked him. “You remember last night?” “Of course I remember. Why wouldn’t I?” Tain’s heart began to pound. She shouldn’t bear the marks of his bite. She shouldn’t remember anything about their lovemaking, unless… “Deon was right,” he whispered. “You have the gene.” She frowned. “What gene?” “The Basharr gene.” Marina shook her head. “You aren’t making any sense.” Tain took a step closer to her, but she retreated. “Marina, let’s sit down so we can talk.” “You can’t say anything I want to hear.” “I can tell you about the gene and how I know you have it.” “I don’t care. I want to leave. Now.” She turned toward the stairs. Tain grabbed her arm and pulled her back around to face him. “Marina, you’re my mate. I’ve looked for you all my life.” She jerked her arm away from him. Disbelief filled her eyes. “I’m your mate? You know that after one night of sex?” “It’s…complicated.” He’d thought about how he’d tell his mate about his family, his heritage. Now that the time had come to do it, he wasn’t sure what to say. “You wouldn’t remember our lovemaking if you weren’t my mate.” He motioned toward her neck. “My bite wouldn’t show on your neck either.”

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“And you know this because no other woman has ever remembered being in bed with you?” “That’s true.” “How many women have you tested this…theory on?” “Thousands.” She blinked and her mouth slackened. “Thousands?” “Marina, I’m eight hundred and sixty-three years old.” He drew in a deep breath. “I am a vampire.” She stared at him as if he were out of his mind. “You’re a vampire.” “I am.” “So you bit me and drank my blood.” “I took very little blood, and only after you came. I receive my lifeforce from a woman’s orgasms. The more she has, the stronger I become.” She released a bark of laughter. “Well, how lucky for all those women.” “Marina—” “You ate food last night. Vampires don’t eat food. And it’s daytime. Why aren’t you in a coffin?” Tain frowned. “I sleep in a bed, not a coffin. Sunlight won’t kill me. You’re thinking of old legends, which aren’t true.” He stepped closer to her. “Please, sit down with me so we can talk.” “I want nothing to do with a man who believes he’s a vampire.” She crossed her arms over her stomach. “You need some serious help, Tain.” “All I need is you.” “Then that’s too bad, ‘cause I’m leaving.” “There is too much snow for you to drive.” “I’ll find a way. Tell Deon to bring my car to the front.” She turned toward the stairs again. Tain started to grab her arm once more. She whirled around and pointed her finger at his face. “Do not touch me.” His stomach sank as he watched Marina climb the stairs. He’d handled everything wrong. Of course she wouldn’t believe he was a vampire. What sane woman would? “You letting her go?” Deon asked behind him. “I have no choice. I cannot make her stay.” He faced his friend. “But I’m not giving up on her. She is the one, Deon. My mate.” He swallowed the knot of emotion in his throat. “My love.”

***** Marina fluffed her pillow to try to find a comfortable spot. She’d never had a problem sleeping in Ginger’s guestroom bed, but tonight sleep simply wouldn’t come. 87

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She’d slept so late this morning, she’d thrown off her system. At least, that’s the reason she told herself she couldn’t sleep. It didn’t have anything to do with thoughts of Tain. His talk of being a vampire had terrified her. She shouldn’t feel anything for him. Yet she did. She felt a closeness to him, a sense of belonging, she hadn’t experienced with any man, not even her ex-husband. She remembered the disappointment on his face when she’d come back down the stairs this morning with suitcase in hand. He hadn’t said anything, but his eyes had pleaded with her. She’d almost given in, almost stayed and let him explain everything to her. Instead, she’d straightened her spine and walked past him out the front door. He couldn’t possibly explain why he believed he was a vampire. Determined to put Tain out of her mind, Marina closed her eyes and took a deep, even breath. Her mind began to drift to that place between consciousness and sleep… The sound seeped into her mind. Marina frowned, unsure if she had heard anything or not. It came again, the unmistakable sound of a footstep. She rolled over to face the windows. The small nightlight in the room let her see Tain. He stood beside the bed, dressed all in black as he’d been when she met him. As she watched, his clothes disappeared. His thick cock stood up full and firm. A strange tingling flowed over her body. Marina lifted the covers to see her pajamas had disappeared. She looked back at Tain. His blue eyes flared in the darkness. “Let me love you, Marina,” he whispered. She had to be dreaming. Tain couldn’t possibly be in the room with her. He was miles away from here. Besides, his clothes couldn’t just disappear like that. He palmed his cock and slowly stroked it…up to the head, down to his balls, back to the head. She watched, fascinated, as it seemed to grow longer and thicker before her eyes. As long as she was dreaming, she might as well enjoy herself. Marina drew back the covers, exposing her nude body to him. “Love me, Tain.” He joined her between the sheets. Marina wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her. His lips moved over hers slowly, tenderly, kissing her with care instead of passion. Marina wanted passion. She arched against him as she thrust her tongue into his mouth. Tain growled. Pushing her to her back, he held her jaw in one hand while he devoured her mouth. His tongue dove deep, retreated, dove again. Marina felt each flick of his tongue low in her belly. Her channel clenched and wept, ready for his possession. He slid his hand over each breast and down her stomach to her mound. Marina parted her legs when his fingers traveled between her thighs. He brushed his fingertips over the creamy, swollen folds. “More,” she breathed.

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“More of my hand?” he asked, running his tongue down her neck. “Or do you want me to lick your pussy?” “Lick me. Please.” His teeth flashed when he smiled. “My pleasure.” His touch came lightly, the barest graze of her clit. Marina closed her eyes and lifted her hips, silently asking him for more. He gave it, his tongue traveling over her clit again before darting into her sheath. He fucked her with his tongue, flashed over her anus, then fucked her again. Marina cradled her breasts and whisked her thumbs over the hard nipples. She opened her eyes when she heard Tain’s deep groan. He’d stopped licking her and now stared at her breasts. “That’s the way,” he rasped. “Touch yourself. Rub your nipples.” “I will if you keep licking me.” He returned to her pussy, now concentrating on her clit…licking, biting, sucking. An orgasm loomed, just out of her reach. Marina rubbed her nipples harder. “More. Oh, Tain, more.” He pushed his thumb into her ass. Marina’s back arched as the climax rolled over her. She grabbed handfuls of Tain’s hair and rode out the waves until the last one faded. She’d barely remembered she was supposed to breathe when Tain rose over her body. Straddling her hips, he pulled her to a sitting position and stuffed the pillows behind her back. He grasped his hard cock and pointed it at her lips. “Now it’s my turn to feel you lick me.” Marina didn’t hesitate to take the head of his shaft in her mouth. She tickled the slit with her tongue, then circled the entire head. He leaned forward and rested his hands on the headboard. “Suck it,” he said, his voice gravelly. Marina slid her lips halfway down his rod. She returned to the head, circled it again with her tongue. Tain’s breathing became choppy, uneven. She sucked him harder, taking more and more of his cock into her mouth until she had every glorious inch. “God, Marina.” He gripped the sides of her head and slowly pumped his hips. “That feels so good.” Normally, Marina wouldn’t want him to come in her mouth. Since she was dreaming, she decided to be daring, to do something she wouldn’t do with a man. She dug her fingernails into Tain’s buttocks and sucked harder. “Oh, yeah. Take it again. All of it.” She nibbled along the heavy veins, licked them. The head received her attention again as she squeezed his buttocks. Sliding one finger between his cheeks, she tickled his anus.

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Tain hissed. “No.” He withdrew from her mouth and kissed her gently. “Not in your mouth. I want to be inside that sweet pussy when I come.” He pulled her back down to the bed so she lay flat on her back. Hooking her legs over his arms, he drove his cock inside her. Marina clutched his biceps as he began to pump. His skin felt hot and damp. She ran her hands up his arms and over his shoulders, enjoying the simple pleasure of touching him. Soon, that simple pleasure wasn’t enough. She tilted her hips to get more stimulation on her clit. “There, Tain. Right there. Faster.” “Come again for me, Marina,” he panted. “You’re beautiful when you come.” She stared into his eyes and met every thrust of his cock. Tain slipped his hands beneath her buttocks and pumped faster. The tension built inside her, tighter, tighter. It snapped when he pushed a finger into her ass. “Tain!” The orgasm almost blew off her toenails. Every bone in her body dissolved, leaving her a pile of mush. She gasped for breath while Tain continued to drive into her. It took her several moments before she could get her arms and legs to work. She wrapped them around him, holding him tightly while he shuddered from his own release. He lay on top of her, his shaft still buried inside her sheath. Marina closed her eyes and enjoyed his warmth, his weight, on top of her. She wanted to savor this closeness with Tain for as long as possible before she woke up from her erotic dream. Soft kisses on her neck made her open her eyes. Marina looked up into Tain’s face. “You were satisfied?” he asked. “Most definitely.” He smiled. “Good. That pleases me.” One more kiss and he withdrew from her body. Marina rolled to her side and watched Tain rise from the bed. One moment he was nude, the next moment he was dressed in black again. He leaned over the bed and kissed her sweetly. “Sleep well, my love.”

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Chapter Five Three nights of erotic dreams. Marina sighed as she ran the brush through her hair. She didn’t understand why she kept dreaming of Tain. He had frightened her. She shouldn’t think of him at all, much less dream about having sex with him. Hot, intense, mind-blowing sex. Marina had kept her dreams to herself, had kept everything about Tain to herself. She’d assured Ginger that she was fine the moment she walked through the front door Thursday. Other than those few words about Tain, she hadn’t confided in her sister. That was unusual. She and Ginger didn’t keep secrets from each other. They’d been close their entire lives. Marina felt guilty that she hadn’t told Ginger about what had happened to her at Tain’s house. And about the dreams. “Hey, you up?” Ginger called out before knocking loudly. “Yeah, I’m up.” Ginger opened the door and leaned inside. “Homemade blueberry muffins about to come out of the oven.” Marina laid her brush on the dresser. “Right behind you.” She followed her sister to the kitchen. After pouring a mug of Ginger’s excellent coffee, she sat at the round table in the center of the room. Marina sipped the hot brew while trying to decide whether or not to say anything about Tain. She’d never see him again, so bringing him up to Ginger would be silly. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to tell her sister about what had happened with Tain. “Did you finish your book?” Ginger asked. She set saucers, knives and butter on the table. “Yeah, last night. Why do you ask?” “I got up to get a drink and saw the light under your door.” “Why didn’t you come in?” Ginger took the pan of muffins from the oven and placed it on top of the stove. “I didn’t want to bother you.” “You’re never a bother, sis. Why would you say that?” “Because I know something’s on your mind and you aren’t talking to me about it.” Marina had no idea she’d been so transparent. She stared into her coffee mug, unsure what to say. She wouldn’t hurt her sister for the world. Ginger carried a napkin-covered bowl to the table with her mug of coffee. Setting the bowl on the table, she took the chair opposite Marina. “Something happened with that Tain guy, didn’t it? Something you aren’t telling me.”

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Marina took a muffin from the bowl, broke it in half and buttered it liberally. “I’ve dreamed of him the last three nights.” “He must have made quite an impression if you’ve dreamed of him.” Ginger took her own muffin from the bowl and buttered it. “What kind of dreams?” “Erotic dreams. Really hot erotic dreams.” “Oh, yeah?” Ginger grinned wickedly and picked up her mug of coffee. “Tell me all about them. I love hot erotic stuff.” Marina broke off a bite of her muffin and popped it in her mouth. “I guess the dreams shouldn’t surprise me. Tain is a very handsome and sexy man.” “You didn’t tell me that part about him. You just said he was nice. Sounds like he was a lot more than nice.” She looked down into her coffee again, then straight into her sister’s eyes. “We made love.” Eyes wide, Ginger set her mug back on the table. “Wow. Isn’t that a first for you, going to bed with a man you just met?” Marina nodded. “There was something so…compelling about Tain, something that drew me to him immediately. I’ve never felt that with any man, not even Doug.” Ginger snorted. “Doug was an idiot.” “Hey, I married that idiot!” “And divorced him in two years, thank God. You deserve better than him.” She leaned forward again, wrapping both hands around her mug. “Tell me more about Tain.” “He was so charming and considerate with old-world manners. He’s from England, so has that cream-your-panties accent. I’ve been looking for a man like him ever since Doug and I broke up.” “How was he in bed?” “Amazing.” “So what’s the problem?” The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” would probably work here too. Marina pulled aside the collar of her blouse to expose the faint bruises. “This.” Ginger frowned. “Looks like he got a little rough.” “Everything was perfect, Ginger. Hot and sexy and… I can’t think of a word strong enough to describe it. I came three times. I’ve never done that during sex. Then, as I’m floating back down to earth from the last orgasm, he bit me. And get this. He said I shouldn’t have remembered the bite, much less making love with him, because he’s a vampire.” Ginger’s eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. “A what?”

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“A vampire. Isn’t that crazy?” She took another bite of muffin. “He claimed he’s over eight hundred years old and I’m his mate. He said the only way I could’ve remembered everything that happened to us is because I have some kind of gene.” “The Basharr gene,” Ginger whispered. “Yeah, that’s it.” Marina frowned, surprised her sister would know that name. “How did you know that?” Marina watched the color drain from Ginger’s face. The muffin turned to cardboard in her mouth. “Sis, what is it? You’re looking at me like I just grew another head.” “You have it,” Ginger said, her voice strained and raspy. “You have the gene.” “What is with everyone saying I have this gene? What the hell is it?” Rubbing her forehead, Ginger sat back in her chair. “I should’ve told you sooner. I just didn’t know how to bring it up.” Her sister’s reaction terrified Marina. She was certain she would drop over dead at any moment from this mysterious gene. “Okay, I am officially freaked. What do I have?” Ginger stood. “I’ll be right back.” She’d be right back? She’d dropped a bomb and she was leaving? Marina grabbed her sister’s arm as she started to walk past. “Wait! Ginger, what’s going on?” “I’ll be right back. I promise.” A dozen different scenarios ran through Marina’s mind, none of them appealing. Her heart was pounding with dread by the time Ginger returned with a green plastic tote. She set it on the chair between Marina and her. “What’s that?” Marina asked. “Family history.” Returning to her chair, Ginger took off the tote’s lid. “Neenee passed these down to me shortly before she died. We spent a day together and she told me all about our ancestors.” She removed a thick scrapbook and three ancient diaries from the tote. “I didn’t believe her at first, until I read the diaries and looked through this scrapbook.” Marina had no idea her great-grandmother had this stuff, or that she’d given it to Ginger. She picked up one of the diaries and carefully opened it. The date at the top jumped out at her. “1789?” Ginger nodded. “That’s our great-great-great-great-great-grandmother’s diary, the ancestor on our mother’s side. She and her husband were beheaded during the French Revolution or they’d still be alive today.” “They’d… What?” “Marina, our ancestors were vampires.” Marina stared at her sister. She couldn’t believe the words coming from Ginger’s mouth. From the serious look on Ginger’s face, she actually believed what she was saying.

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“I know it’s hard to believe,” Ginger said. “But it’s true. The Basharr gene runs through our family’s blood. It doesn’t affect everyone. Our great-great-greatgrandmother was a vampire. Our mother doesn’t have the gene, or if she does, she doesn’t know it. She never met a vampire before she met and married our father. Neenee had it.” “Neenee was a vampire?” “No, she only had the gene. She was never transformed. Her first husband was killed two days after they were married, remember?” “Yeah, I do. So he was the vampire?” Ginger nodded again. “He was beheaded in a duel. There are only two ways a vampire can be killed—decapitation or cutting out the heart.” She tapped the diary. “There’s a ritual to follow before a person can be transformed. It’s explained in there.” “Surely no one would choose to become a vampire.” “Eternal life, Marina. That’s a pretty powerful incentive. That, and love.” She gathered up the books and put them back in the tote. “Take these and read them. They’ll answer all your questions.”

***** Marina turned off the lamp and snuggled down into her pillow. She doubted if she’d fall asleep tonight. Her mind churned with all the information she’d read today about her family. Vampires. She still couldn’t believe it. She immediately thought of Tain. He hadn’t enchanted her. He hadn’t made her do anything she didn’t want to do. She’d gone willingly into his arms, his bed. He’d given her earth-shattering pleasure, the kind of pleasure she greedily wanted to experience again and again. There were so many things she wanted to experience with Tain. He made her think of happily ever after. She hadn’t known him long, but she already thought of him in terms of forever. With a vampire, she could truly have forever. She felt his presence before she heard a sound. Marina rolled to her back. Tain stood beside the bed. He was naked and aroused, as he’d been every evening in her dreams. Only it hadn’t been dreams. He’d really been here, in her room. In her body. “You’re real.” “Yes, I’m real.” Lifting the covers, he slid into bed beside her. “I couldn’t stay away from you.” He cradled her jaw and kissed her gently. “I love you, Marina.” The tingling sensation traveled over her body. She chuckled softly. “That’s a neat talent you have, Tain, to make clothes disappear.” A rakish grin turned up his lips. “It does come in handy.”

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She touched his face, sliding her fingers over his cheek, his lips. “I have so many questions.” “I know you do, and I will answer every one of them. But let me love you first.” He palmed her breast, fingertips grazing her nipple, as he kissed her again. He plucked at the tip of her breast until it hardened to a point. Her pussy clenched with each tug of his thumb and fingers. He made her want as no man ever had. “What do you need from me?” he whispered against her lips. “Your tongue,” she said without hesitation. “Make me come with your tongue.” He gave her that rakish grin again. “I was hoping you’d need that.” Marina closed her eyes when she felt the whisk of Tain’s tongue across her nipple. He paid special tribute to the right peak—a long lick, a nip of his teeth, a tugging with his lips. After several moments of attention, he switched to the left one and repeated the process. She arched her back and tunneled her fingers into his hair, holding him close to her breast so he wouldn’t stop. “That feels so good.” “To me too.” He suckled her right nipple again. “Your body is beautiful, Marina.” She would’ve told him the same thing about his body, but he kissed her again. His tongue drove into her mouth, over and over, the way his cock would soon drive into her pussy. Tain licked each nipple once again, then dragged his tongue down the center of her body to her mound. Lying between her legs, he inhaled her scent as he parted her labia with his thumbs. Her lips were swollen and shiny with her juices. “You’re always so wet for me. Where do you want my tongue? Here?” He caressed her clit with his thumb. “Or here?” Using her juices, he lubricated his thumb and circled her anus. “I’ll give you everything you desire, however you desire it.” “Lick my clit.” He obeyed her request, running the tip of his tongue across the sensitive nub. She lifted her hips, pushing her mound closer to his mouth. “Don’t tease me, Tain. Lick me.” Tain smiled to himself at her sharp command. His mate knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to tell him. He liked that. Placing his lips directly over her clit, he suckled. Her breathing grew ragged, labored. Tain laved her clit, then suckled again. He watched her eyes drift closed. She caressed her breasts, tugged on her nipples. Shifting on the bed, he rubbed his hard cock against the sheet. He desperately needed to be a part of her, but not until he met her needs first. The climax built inside her. Tain could feel it moving through her body. She jerked and mewled loudly. Energy flowed from her to him, warming him from head to toe. His cock grew even longer, harder. When the last aftershock faded, Tain rose to his knees. Holding her hips, he thrust deep.

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Silk. Heat. The wet glide of his flesh into hers. Tain savored every sensation of loving Marina. She slid her hands up his arms to his shoulders, then around his neck. She pulled him forward until he lay on top of her. A gentle smile touched her lips. “That’s better.” He chuckled, despite the hunger lapping at his senses. “You like me on top of you?” “I like you touching me.” Tain slipped one hand beneath her buttocks to hold her tighter to him. “I like touching you too.” His thrusts picked up speed, his own climax mere moments away. He kissed Marina’s lips, her chin, the curve of her jaw. He nipped the pounding pulse in her neck. He knew the warm liquid running through her veins was one bite away from flowing into his mouth. His canines began to grow. Tain had made love to her for three nights without biting her. Although his lifeforce came from a woman’s orgasms, his survival also depended on drinking a small amount of blood. But he wouldn’t take her blood again, not without her permission. He thrust harder, faster. “I love you, Marina. I love you.” She tunneled her fingers into his hair. “I love you too.” Turning her head to the side, she guided his mouth to her neck. “Bite me.” Tain stopped pumping. Cradling her cheek, he turned her face back toward him. “Are you sure?” “I’m sure. I know you won’t hurt me.” “I could never hurt you.” “Then take what you need.” Tain began to move again, driving his cock as deep inside Marina as he could. He palmed her nape and lifted her neck closer to his mouth. The pleasure flowed down his spine and into his balls. With a moan, he sank his fangs into Marina’s neck and drank her sweet essence as he came. Once he could breathe without panting, he licked the wound he’d made until the slow trickle of blood stopped. He propped up on his elbows and looked down into her face. “Are you all right?” Her satisfied smile made him think of a woman who’d just enjoyed her favorite chocolate dessert. “I’m wonderful.” “You only came once.” She laughed. “Tain, it really is okay for a woman to have only one orgasm.” “I want you to be satisfied.” “I was. I am.” He kissed her slowly, deeply. He could have her again, but wouldn’t. She had questions and it was time he answered them. With one final kiss, he withdrew from her

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body and moved to her side. “You have things to ask me. I will tell you anything you wish to know.” Rolling to her side facing him, she bunched up her pillow beneath her head. “I’m not sure where to start.” “You are concerned about becoming a vampire.” Marina nodded. “I’m afraid.” Tain ran his hand up and down her arm. “I understand your fear. But it is not something that must be done immediately. We will take time to get to know each other. I will tell you all about my family. If you decide you want to be with me forever, we will begin the process.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll really have to drink your blood?” “Only a small amount, and only three times. It may be distasteful to you at first. By the third time, my blood will taste better than the finest wine.” Her eyelids began to droop. Tain caressed her cheek with his thumb. “You are tired.” “Sex does that to me.” “Then you must rest. We will talk more tomorrow.” She rolled over and backed up against him, snuggling her bottom into his groin. “You’ll stay with me?” Tain wrapped his arms around her and dropped a tender kiss on her shoulder. “Always.” The End

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About the Author Lynn LaFleur’s writing career has included winning several writing contests. She was a semi-finalist twice in the prestigious Golden Heart Contest of Romance Writers of America. She served on the board of the RWA Chapter in Sacramento, California, for four years, as secretary and activities director. Lynn can’t imagine ever writing anything except romances. “I love writing about a man and a woman falling in love. If you enjoy the story I tell enough to smile in places, shed a tear at times, or get a warm and fuzzy feeling, that is my greatest reward.” After living on the West Coast for twenty-one years, Lynn is back in Texas. She works for her small-town newspaper during the day and writes books of romance at night. Lynn welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Lynn LaFleur A Cupid’s Work is Never Done Enchanted Rogues anthology Happy Birthday, Baby Holiday Heat anthology One Night of Pleasure Coopers’ Companions 1: Rent-A-Stud Coopers’ Companions 2: Michelle’s Men Two Men and a Lady anthology

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

SILK B.J. McCall

B.J. McCall

Chapter One No matter the planet, men were horny bastards and Cefrian prison guards were no exception. Lisin Silk understood enough Cefrian to pick up on a couple of choice mutterings as she followed Sentinel Oitat’s male assistant along the lengthy security tunnel. The assistant, Narris, did nothing to censure the guards. “Just one more security gate.” A light-ray sequence rippled across the space and Lisin waited for the slender assistant to step through the fourth in a series of security gates placed along the underground tunnel. From a simple blade to explosives, the light-rays scanned for weapons. If the sensors picked up a weapon, a force field trapped the carrier. Escapes were unheard of from Cefr Max. As instructed, Lisin shifted the jamming helmet she carried to her left hand and stepped through the gate. Lisin’s skin tingled as the rays penetrated the thin material of her uniform. Images of her insides were sent to a security center for screening. Narris opened a coded security door and stepped aside. “Sentinel Oitat.” The sentinel of the highest-level lockdown unit in the galaxy’s outer realm sat at a desk. His thin, white hair and slender shoulders came as a shock to Lisin. She’d expected someone far more robust when told she’d meet the warden of the infamous Cefr Max. A pair of eyes so dark they were almost black met hers. Lifting a pale hand, he motioned Lisin forward. “Captain Silk, Talon & Starr Transportation. I’m picking up a prisoner.” “I understand this is your first visit to Cefr?” Although soft, the sound of his voice sent a chill down her spine. “I’ve delivered supplies. First time underground.” “What do you think of my facility?” The planet’s remote location made it ideal for an underground prison. Every government in the central realm paid handsomely to house their most dangerous prisoners here. Soon, one of them would be Lisin’s responsibility. “What I’ve seen is quite impressive.” The sentinel’s eyes bored into hers as if daring her to look away. Few things scared Lisin but Oitat’s eyes were spooky. “Is the prisoner ready?” His gaze dropped to the helmet cradled in her left arm. “TST has briefed you on the handling of this prisoner?”

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“Executive Captain Talon trained me on the extraction protocol.” “How many aboard your transport?” “I am piloting. The prisoner will remain in lockdown during flight.” “As usual, Captain Talon is cautious. This mission should prove quite profitable for TST.” She had no idea what TST had charged for this mission but her boss had promised her a healthy bonus upon completion. Lisin intended to earn that bonus and purchase a kick-ass propulsion cycle. All she had to do was forward the necessary credits to the dealership on Prius Major and the sleek red unit was hers. The sentinel gave her an odd smile before speaking. “Prisoner Adon has arrived.” Lisin wondered what evil crimes this Adon had committed in order to land in maximum lockdown on Cefr. She shuddered to think. A screen rose out of the desk and leveled. Lisin touched her hand to an outline on the screen and, when prompted, entered the predetermined security code. After a combination of numbers and emblems, the responsibility for the prisoner transferred to TST. Lisin could almost feel the cycle’s vibration between her thighs. Again, the sentinel gave her that odd smile. “Goodbye, Captain Silk,” he said as an armored panel lowered from the ceiling. Dismissed and alone in the cell-like room, Lisin turned as the security door to the tunnel slid open. Her breath caught. Naked, the prisoner stood on a rolling platform with his hands fisted around a Tbar. Tall and strong, the prisoner’s muscled body jerked in reaction to the force field securing him to the platform. Any attempt to forcibly remove him would result in his feet and hands being torn from his body. When the prisoner turned and looked at her, a helmeted Narris stepped into her line of vision, blocking her view of the prisoner. “Your helmet, Captain Silk!” Lisin shoved her head inside the helmet. Slamming the visor in place, she stepped into the tunnel. Objects appeared as a series of colorful light images. The walls, floors and ceiling were light grayish-green and the assistant a cool blue. The prisoner glowed with a pulsing reddish-orange image. Ready to act, the guards were stationed along the walls. All wore helmets similar to hers. Narris guided the platform with voice commands. Lisin followed. The scan gates were disengaged and the guards remained totally silent as the prisoner rolled along the tunnel to the exit. Outside and beyond the prison walls, she switched the helmet’s visor to normal vision. The platform rolled up a sloped ramp onto an open-bed conveyance. Lisin rode with the prisoner. Narris drove. The short trip to her transport allowed Lisin to observe the prisoner. A goodlooking badass with a hard, muscled body, Adon would make a fortune as a 101

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companion. His dark brown hair fell beyond his broad shoulders, halfway down his tapered back. His waist was slim, his ass firm and his legs long. Far too tempted to touch his inviting flesh, Lisin circled the platform and faced her prisoner. His eyes were like shards of silver, pale and so penetrating Lisin felt as if her feet were frozen to the spot. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. She moistened her dry lips. How could evil reside within so much perfection? Cefr Max held the worst of the worst, yet Adon had a face worlds would worship. She could swear his nostrils quivered. How long had it been since he’d filled his lungs with fresh air and the warmth of the sun had touched his skin? Despite his incarceration, he appeared fit and healthy. The cock dangling between his legs was certainly impressive. She lifted her hand just as Narris hit the brakes. When the conveyance shuddered to a halt, Lisin reluctantly turned away from Adon. Lisin activated the transport’s cargo door with the remote control attached to her uniform belt. A loading ramp slid from the transport bay. With slow precision, Narris guided the prisoner platform up the ramp and into the bay. Lisin opened the door to a security cell specially built for Adon. What was so special about this prisoner that TST would refit a transport? Someone wanted Adon enough to spend an enormous amount of money to get him. Blaster in hand, the assistant released the platform’s force field. “Prisoner Adon, step down. Do not turn around. Walk into the cell.” The prisoner lifted his hands from the T-bar, stepped off the platform and entered the solid-walled cell. Shoulders straight and feet slightly parted, the prisoner stood with his back to her. Again, the perfection of his sculpted body touched Lisin in places she wanted to ignore. She reminded herself that Adon wasn’t a companion but a convict. Lisin pressed her palm to a lock and the thick door sealed with an audible hiss. Narris holstered his weapon and yanked off his helmet. Sweat trickled down the assistant’s temples. He guided the prisoner’s platform off the transport and onto the conveyance, turned and gave her a thumbs-up. Before retracting the loading ramp, Lisin removed her helmet and called out. She dare not voice her suspicions. “Why the helmet?” The assistant cocked his head slightly. “TST didn’t tell you?” “Tell me what?” “He’s a mindbender. Take care, Captain Silk.” “Fuck!” Lisin slammed her palm against the ramp’s activation control. No wonder the offered bonus was large enough to purchase a propulsion cycle.

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Chapter Two Rhys Adon welcomed the rumble of the engines and the vibration moving through the transport’s hull. The ship groaned, thrusters fighting Cefr’s gravitational pull. Despite the sentinel’s best efforts, Rhys remained in control of his mind. The nightmare had ended. The need to avenge days of mind-probing torture rose hot and sharp like a blade slicing through his chest. One day, he would have his revenge. Today, after so many months in lockdown and the absence of human touch, he needed a woman. Although the sentinel’s sycophant, Narris, had tried to block his vision, Rhys had seen the woman called Silk. Her short, mannish-styled hair accentuated her delicate features rather than distracting from them. Rhys loved redheads and he prayed this one burned fiery hot. Her cocky attitude, snapping green eyes and the flash image of her straddling a propulsion cycle promised passion. After the hours of Oitat’s probing, Rhys had taken solace by drawing into himself, spent endless days imagining his perfect woman. The vision of a green-eyed vixen with hair the color of fire, a thrill seeker eager for the feel of thrusters between her thighs had kept him sane. Rhys threw back his head and cursed the gods who must be laughing. The woman of his dreams was his jailer. It had taken total concentration to remain flaccid during the short ride from the prison to the transport ship. Silk’s helmet had prevented him from probing into her mind and bending her will to his but instead of pretending he didn’t exist or shivering in fear, she’d looked him over. When she’d reached out and almost touched him, he realized how sorely he’d missed the feel of a woman’s hand on his flesh. The way she’d licked her lips as she sized him up had sent his heart rate sky-high. How long had it been since a woman had wrapped her mouth around his cock? Unplanned and very hurried, his last sexual encounter before landing in Oitat’s hell hadn’t allowed sufficient time to indulge himself. Rhys loved women and the female body represented an unexplored landscape of soft hills, heated plains and moist valleys. When a woman desired him, Rhys picked up her scent. Impossible to ignore, Silk’s delicious scent remained firmly in his olfactory memory. Once he’d gained control of the ship, Rhys intended to enjoy Silk’s lush body and make up for all those weeks in Cefr Max. The image of Silk licking his cum off her lips made his cock jerk. He reached out to her. I want you, Silk.

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His thoughts were blocked. Again he probed, only to be thwarted by the walls of his cell. He’d go mad, knowing she was so close but completely unobtainable. Whoever had built the transport had understood his power. A jamming signal like the one used in Silk’s helmet likely ran through the walls of his cell. If he couldn’t reach the pilot, he couldn’t take over the ship. While boarding the transport, he reached out to count the number of his jailers. Since he hadn’t picked up any thought patterns and Narris had addressed her as captain, Rhys calculated Silk piloted the ship. A deep, dark stretch of cold space and a hot woman to share the long journey might make up for the months of misery in Cefr Max. Almost. He had to disrupt the jamming signal and tap into Silk’s sensual curiosity. During the short moment she’d been without a helmet inside the prison, he’d probed into Silk’s mind. Rhys had picked up on her commitment to her mission and her determination to earn her bonus. Like him, Silk preferred her own company and riding a fast cycle gave her a solitary rush. He wanted to experience her fiery passion and linking with her was the key to his survival. Sitting on the floor, Rhys folded his legs and positioned his body in the ancient meditation pose. He’d relax, gather his energy and concentrate on the signal. He’d caught a snippet of it as Silk had slipped the helmet on her head and activated the jamming sequence. Costly error. By the time the transport reached the Free Zone, he’d unscramble the code.

***** I want you, Silk. I need you. Lisin came awake with a jerk. The rich, masculine voice mingled with the physical remnants of an amazing sensual dream. Damp with perspiration, her skin tingled, her nipples ached and, deep inside, she thrummed with need. She cupped her breasts, caressing her sensitive nipples to aching points. The resulting sweet pain flowed through her middle, settling between her legs. Lisin recalled her last encounter with a companion. The attractive male had cost her a hardearned bonus but his size and stamina were well worth the price. The bonus she’d earn on this run would buy her a man or a cycle. She’d purchase a propulsion cycle and ride until she climaxed. No vibrator compared with the surprisingly erotic hum of the thruster engine between her thighs, pressing against her pussy. No man could give her hours of pleasure for the small cost of a thrust canister. Ride me. Gripping the arms of her pilot’s chair, Lisin glanced around, looking for the source of the whispered voice. She thought of her passenger and immediately rejected the possibility she’d heard the mindbender’s voice.

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She waited. Silence. Shaking off the spooky feeling, Lisin checked the transport’s setting and course. She rose and performed a series of slow stretches designed to aid circulation and stimulate the muscles. Once the transport had reached the edge of the Cefr security zone, hours of empty space stretched before her. Stripping out of her uniform, Lisin dropped the garment into the wall laundry bin and stepped into the comfort unit built directly behind the cockpit. Refreshed from the sonic shower, Lisin cleaned her teeth and combed her hair. She opened one of the storage units lining the wall. Designed to house a maximum crew of six, the transport required only one to pilot. Although lonely at times, Lisin enjoyed solo runs. Too often, male crewmembers tempted her to share their bunks. Hooking up with one member often brought friction within the unit and Lisin decided long ago to stick to the job and indulge herself with an occasional companion. She wanted to advance and wear a double star on her uniform. Her decision made her very friendly with several sex toys. Lisin reached for a clean jumpsuit. While in-flight, she enjoyed wearing the loose-fitting jumpsuit instead of an official TST uniform. Silk. I’ll be your toy. Her hand froze. Silk. I long for you. The thought of you drives me mad. She shook her head. Don’t shut me out. There’s only us and endless space. Us? Silk. I long for you. “Adon?” Open your mind. Feel me, Silk. I hunger for you. Closing her eyes, Lisin let his desire wash over her. Heat flooded her middle and her pussy clenched. Her nipples ached for the stroke of a calloused hand and the lush tugging of firm lips. She wasn’t dreaming. And it wasn’t any hand or any lips. She longed for Adon. She’d heard many things about the handful of brilliant men and women called the mindbenders. Once the darlings of the United Planets Intelligence Agency, the mindbenders had formed a covert unit. But brilliance had turned to arrogance and mindbenders had used their extraordinary powers against the agency leadership. Although the unit was disbanded years ago, rumors about the mindbenders had spread throughout the galaxy. Many believed they were a myth created by UPIA to divert blame for several bungled operations but Cefr Max didn’t house myths. I want you, Silk.

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Her imagination and her need had gotten the best of her but she couldn’t deny her physical reaction to his voice. Heat flooded her body and between her legs she throbbed. Lisin shook her head. Silk. She rubbed her temples, doubting her insanity. Silk, talk to me. “It won’t work, mindbender,” she said to an empty room. Just talk to me. Lisin’s fingers dug into the soft material of the jumpsuit, gripping it like a lifeline. She yanked it out of the closet and struggled to release the seams. Please. Don’t dress. It’s been so very long. What possible difference did it make if she were naked? I know you burn. I like you naked. The jumpsuit dropped to the floor. “You know when I’m naked?” Your body hums, emitting a sensual fire. I feel the softness of your skin, the heat of your body and the rhythm of your heart. When you touch yourself, it’s as if I’m touching you. “Prove it.” Touch yourself. Cupping her breasts, Lisin massaged her flesh until her skin felt tight and full. She plucked gently on her nipples until they were hard, aching points of pleasure. The moan she heard in her head mingled with her own. Lisin released her breasts and clenched her hands. “I’m not giving in to you!” In Max, I had to block others to protect myself. With you, I feel safe. I can reach out. “I’m your jailer.” No one touched me in Max. Not once but you wanted to touch me. I want to feel your hand on my flesh. Lisin sucked in a breath. Thinking about you drives me mad. The mere scent of you makes me hard. “My scent?” You walked around me, wrapping me in your scent, surrounding me in a sensual spell as binding as a Cefrian security gate. I’m your prisoner, completely at your mercy. “What do you want from me? You’ve got a hand, use it.” I want your fire. I want to taste, to touch, experience the passion burning deep within you. I can give you something no other has ever given you. “What?” A mindfuck beyond your wildest imagination. I’ll never lay a physical hand on you but you will writhe in ecstasy.

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The temptation to give in bloomed. Lisin shook it off. Screw my mind. Not in a million years. “You’re a convict. A mindbender.” I was thrown in Cefr, without trial, without conviction. “What crimes did you commit?” I refused to follow orders. My government turned against me. Lisin rubbed her temples. You don’t believe me. This mind-reading thing was spooky. Lisin didn’t like it. “I’m not releasing you.” How could you? You don’t know the cell combination codes. She didn’t. Physically, I can’t touch you. Leave me alone. Think about it, Silk. I can deliver anything you can imagine. She spoke aloud to reinforce her resistance. “Forget it, Adon. You’re the one in need of a fuck, not me.” Did you enjoy your dreams? She gasped. Give me one thing, Silk. Just one. He said her name like a caress, a soft stroke that set her on fire. Sleep naked. Let me caress you, set you on fire. Her heart banged against her chest wall. She clenched her fists. Let me ease the painful ache your scent has evoked. “I’ll think about it. Now let me be or I’ll put on the helmet and shut you out.” Lisin waited for his reaction, got nothing but silence. Familiar and at ease with solitary runs and the deep quiet of space with only the low hum of the engines, an odd silence deeper than anything she’d experienced surrounded her. Shaking it off, she picked up the jumpsuit and dressed. She activated the entertainment unit. The UP News broadcast introduction began.

***** Rhys paced the short length of his cell, waiting for Silk to contact him. Despite her denial, his offer of a mindfuck had piqued her interest. During their conversation, he’d waited for her guilty response for considering their mental interplay. Thankfully, Silk wasn’t in love or anyone’s legal mate. That knowledge pleased him.

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Although Rhys had followed Silk’s suggestion and used his own hand, his needs remained woefully unsatisfied. He wanted Silk. He’d always prided himself on his ability to control his body and mind but between the sexual deprivation of his incarceration and Silk, a fierce fire burned in his belly. With each gentle probe, she intrigued him and their interplay during her dreams excited him. He wanted to reach out to her but he had to wait, exercise patience and let her come to him. His instincts told him she’d be well worth the wait. He sensed Silk’s movements as she performed her scheduled duties but he dare not probe. Instead, he listened to the UP News broadcast. Although he hadn’t heard the news in months, the same interplanetary issues grabbed the headlines. After catching up on galactic politics and interplanetary trade disputes, Rhys stripped off the loose-fitting white pants, shirt and slip-on shoes provided in his cell. Naked, he stretched out on the narrow bunk, stared at the ceiling and turned his thoughts to more immediate issues. Why had the designer of the cell used so simple a jamming signal? Rhys had expected more of a challenge. Who had engineered his release and why? His probes while conversing with Silk convinced him she hadn’t the answers to his questions. Although Silk knew he was a mindbender, she hadn’t a clue as to Rhys’ identity or history. If he hadn’t gleaned any information from Silk, neither had Oitat. Another smart move on the part of whomever arranged his release. He sensed no dark corners, no evil lurking in Silk’s mind. In Rhys’ world, a jailer with a good heart was an anomaly. The moment Silk separated the seam of her uniform, Rhys’s mind and libido snapped to attention. Her thought patterns shifted to him. I’ve considered your offer. His cock stretched and his heart hammered in anticipation. And? She stepped out of her jumpsuit and he felt a tremble of desire ripple through her. He ached to touch her, to hear her laugh and to have her look upon him and smile. You’re cheaper than a companion but are you any good? Help me open the cell and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Her temperature increased, her body warming as she thought of him, imagined them fucking. Her breathing came faster, shallower. I will not compromise the mission. Balls humming, Rhys closed his eyes. What do you want from me, Silk? I need… Say it.

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I need you. Her resistance fading, her thoughts centered on the heat building between her legs. Like a warm cocoon, Silk beckoned him. How long has it been since you’ve felt the thrust of a man’s cock? Months. Rhys envied the men who’d had the privilege of making love to her. Lie down. Open to me. Think about us, together. Her mind opened and her response to his suggestion made him throb. She imagined him standing, looking at her. Slowly, she bent her knees and spread her thighs, exposing her pussy. She pulsed, hot and ready. I’m so hot it hurts. Wet and hot. When her pussy contracted, Rhys felt it in his balls. He fisted his swollen cock. Link with me. Feel my cock. Mentally, she reached out to him. It’s hard and long. I want to please you. Her hand brushed over soft curls. One finger dipped into her wet channel. Muscles clenching and temperature soaring, her finger probed her lush pussy. Rhys’ breath caught as she raised her hips to meet her probing finger. He ached to touch her in the flesh, to feel her heated skin beneath his fingers and her firm breasts pressed against his chest. He stroked his cock. Imagine my cock inside you, filling you, fucking you. Silk moaned and pushed another finger inside her pussy. Faster. Deeper. Think of me inside you. Keeping pace, Rhys pounded his flesh. Fuck me. Her anguished moans joined his as Rhys climaxed. This time, he’d let her control the action and rush to completion. Next time, he’d take command. Together, they’d savor the pleasure.

***** Rolling over, Silk adjusted her pillow. A voice probed the gentle fog of sleep. Silk. A subtle ache began deep in her womb then spread, warming her body. Although she’d climaxed earlier, she remained unsatisfied. I want to please you. Cupping a hand around her breast, Silk stroked her flesh. As she rolled her nipple between her thumb and forefinger, the ache deepened. She rubbed her thighs together, not to diminish the need and the heat building there but to enhance it. Tell me what you need. 109

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You. Link with me and give in to the sensation. Feel the heat, the need. Free your mind, feel my hands. Big, calloused hands brushed hers aside. Long, eager fingers tenderly stroked her flesh. With each caress, her breasts felt firmer, fuller. His fingertips slid over her nipples, plucking at the taut points. Your skin is soft and warm. Wet heat slid over her nipple, licking once, twice before capturing the aching flesh. Lisin drew in a breath, arching her back, encouraging, wanting more. Adon suckled deeply, drawing on her needy flesh until her pussy pulsed. Amazed by his ability to project, Lisin lifted her hips in silent need and begged for his strong male fingers to ease the delicious pain throbbing in her pussy. A long finger probed her slick, aching channel, answering her plea. Anything she imagined, he gave. I can give you everything. Fuck me with your fingers. Lisin gasped as two long fingers slid inside her. Yes. In and out, Adon’s big fingers probed her flesh, giving Lisin a slow, lush fuck. She wanted more. Faster. Using a third finger, Adon thrust his fingers deep inside her, stretching her, filling her. She dug her fingers into the bedding, grasping a handful and held on. Fuck me. Suck me. Thrusting, he increased the tempo while drawing lustily. Writhing in the splendor, Lisin cried out as she climaxed. When her breathing quieted, Adon released her breast and removed his fingers. Without his touch, Lisin felt empty and isolated. If I were with you, I’d taste your sweet cum. Lisin’s eyes opened. Alone in her bed, she’d experienced the best climax of her life. That was amazing. That was nothing compared to what I’m capable of giving you. Can you lick my pussy? Her hips lifted off the bed as a wet tongue slid over her, tantalizing her aroused flesh. His hands gripped her thighs as his tongue probed deeply. Mobile lips captured her swollen clit, suckling. Lisin whispered his name. A long finger slid inside her, pumping her engorged flesh. A surge of heat radiated through her until her thighs trembled and another climax slammed into her. When Adon released her clit and severed their link, Lisin moaned. Don’t stop. 110

Silk

I want to fuck you, Silk. Really fuck you. I couldn’t release you if I wanted to. I don’t have the security code. You can access the ship’s security system. I’ll take it from there. Give control to a prisoner? Never. When you deliver me, I’ll be shut away again. I may never see the light of day again. Or does a death sentence await me? I don’t know. Who arranged for my extradition from Cefr Max? I received the assignment from my exec, Captain Talon. I don’t know who gave TST the contract. Lisin rose from the bed. You know I’m speaking the truth. I know. I only ask for the pleasure of being inside you, to feel your skin, your body beneath mine. She paced the room. You ask far more. Silk. I’ve been imprisoned in a soundproof cell for months. I haven’t touched a human being. I haven’t listened to music. Until I was released to you, I hadn’t heard a human voice. I want to hold you, breathe your scent and hear the sound of your voice. Sighing, she relented. I’ll play music for you. You’ll unblock the cell communication system? You can listen through me. It’s not the same. I just want to close my eyes and listen. I’ll unblock the system. What would you like to hear? No robotic sound. I want to hear real people playing real instruments. Real voices. But the robots play perfectly. They have no souls. When you socialize with rudimentary droids for months, the spirit longs for the imperfections that make us human. I’ll have to download the music. If you unblock the cell communication, we can talk while we wait. I want to hear your voice. Help me, Silk. Help me to feel human again.

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Chapter Three “Thank you for unblocking the communication system. It’s good to hear a human voice, to hear you speak. This is nice. Thank you, Silk.” “It was weird hearing you in my head. This is better.” “I’d prefer speaking face-to-face.” She laughed softly. “Sorry, I’m breaking the rules as it is.” Rhys loved listening to Silk. The more time he spent with her, the more he ached to touch her, to wallow in her softness, her scent. Fascinated, he wanted to learn all he could about her. The hours passed as they shared their views on current events and spoke of places they’d visited. For a young woman, Silk had seen a lot of planets. Far too many, given her short time with TST. “Where is your home?” “Yinata. Or it was, before the great quake. What about you, Adon?” Her sexy voice affected him in ways he hadn’t anticipated. Something odd burned in his chest. Something he’d never felt before, something dangerous to his survival. He cared about her. With every passing hour, his ache for her deepened, became sharper. “I was born on Nicus. My parents were genetic engineers.” “Were you a product of their work?” “They never admitted it but I’ve never been able to account for my powers. I know I was given drugs to enhance my brain development while I was still inside my mother’s womb.” “Are you parents still living?” He realized he didn’t want to talk about the cold, clinical couple that had viewed him more as an experiment than a son. “Yes. What about yours?” “Gone. Both of them. The quake. I’d already joined the military and…” Her voice quavered and dropped to a whisper. “I couldn’t get there in time. At least they were together.” Rhys recalled the incident. A major terra quake had occurred on Yinata, decimating the population. By the time help arrived, few had survived. He reached out. Her pain was genuine and the love she’d shared with her parents something he’d never experienced. She touched his heart. “I’m sorry, Lisin.” “Between deployments, I’d visit them. My father was a commercial freighter pilot.” “Did he teach you to fly?”

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“By the age of twelve, I was his copilot. By fourteen, I had my wings.” Rhys heard the pride in her voice, felt the joy she’d felt piloting her father’s ship. “He took you with him?” “Always. Once I’d left home, he decided to semi-retire. Less runs with more time on Yinata. Another couple of days and they’d have been off-planet. Safe.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve spent more days out here than on-planet but being a mindbender, you know that.” “It’s not always a blessing to know what others think and feel. There is a lot of pain in the universe.” Rhys withdrew, giving her privacy. He, of all people, knew the pain of intrusion. “You called me Lisin.” “Did I?” He had. She was getting to him. Unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life in a soundless cell, he’d better get his act together. He had to escape but he hated to leave her. “I like you, Adon.” Her heart rate accelerated, pounding a passionate melody in his head. She did like him. Rhys couldn’t recall the last time he’d connected with a woman other than in a brief physical exchange. After severing his relationship with the government, his friends were few and his lovers were pleasing but forgettable. To survive, he’d kept an emotional distance. “Most people are afraid of me.” “Should I be afraid?” She should. There were far more people who wished him dead rather than alive. But Rhys wanted, needed this link. He needed Silk. She reminded him he was human, someone who needed something as simple as the touch of a hand and something as complicated as love. “Are you afraid?” She started to speak but didn’t. Rhys felt her mentally reach out to him. He wanted to capture the moment and draw her close but he had to remain focused. This might well be his only opportunity for escape. “I’ll never harm you, Silk.” “Promise?” He never would. He’d die before raising a hand against her. “Yes. Do you like working for TST?” While she talked about her job, Rhys monitored the music download. She’d opened a port to the ship’s computer and disabled the cell communication system. Without realizing it, she’d granted him access to the ship’s central operating and security systems. Given time, he’d exploit her mistake.

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Why TST had chosen a lone female with no experience with mindbenders to transport him puzzled Rhys. Someone had made his escape possible, if not intentional. He’d have the ship’s central operating system reprogrammed within hours. Listening to Silk’s sexy voice with the soothing sound of string instruments in the background made his escape preparation sheer pleasure. Although Silk had opened up to him, Rhys understood her military service and security experience had trained her to complete her mission, including taking him out if necessary. If threatened, she’d act. Not that he’d force her into that position but ignoring her intelligence, training and her probable reactions was foolhardy. When he escaped, Silk was going to be seriously pissed off.

***** Lisin enjoyed talking to Adon. She shouldn’t feel so at ease sharing her feelings with her prisoner but Adon listened. He didn’t try to tell her how she felt. But with Adon safely secured in his cell, what was the harm? “Silk.” Lisin swiveled in her pilot’s chair. Gloriously naked, Adon stood not four feet away. Too late, she realized her mistake. She tried to reach for the weapon strapped to the chair but her muscles froze and refused to follow her brain’s command. Fear rose within her, hot and fast. “Fuck!” She could speak and move her head but nothing else. He’d paralyzed her arms and legs. At least he hadn’t fried her brain. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Your paralysis is temporary but necessary. I’m sorry, Silk. If you were in my position, you’d do the same thing.” Lisin concentrated, trying to raise her hand but her body refused to obey. Burning with anger, she cursed him. “I’ve been called worse.” He closed the short distance between them, leaned down and cupped her face in his big hands. “You’ve wondered if I’m guilty, and right now, you think I deserve whatever fate awaits me. If nothing else, believe this. I never misused my powers and I’ll never harm you.” Bending his head, he kissed her. Immobile, Lisin couldn’t reach her weapon. She’d lose her job over a mindfuck. It wasn’t even a real fuck! “It was more than a fuck.” She shook her head. “Liar.”

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“It was. I wanted you, Lisin. More than I wanted anyone in a very long time. I still do and I fear I always will.” He lifted his head and looked her in the eye. She felt the pounding of his heart, his intense desire. Despite the situation, he wanted her to know how much he craved her. “Don’t touch me!” He dropped his hands. She hated herself for wanting him. Hated him more for his deception. “I care about you, Silk. Deeply. Forgive me.” “You used me!” “I’m sorry but I won’t go back to prison. I can’t.” “Fuck you, Adon!” “I wish we could. I’d like nothing better than to hold you, make love to you.” Anger boiled inside her. “Deceiver! User! Murderer! Freak!” The last one hit him hard. She saw pain flash in his eyes. He turned away from her and searched the crew’s lockers. “I’ve changed the ship’s course.” She shouldn’t worry about him. He was seriously screwing up her life. “Where are we going?” He selected a uniform and dressed. The snug-fitting, sand-colored uniform showed off his broad shoulders, flat belly and hot ass. She shouldn’t think about his ass. When he turned, the smile curving his lips let Lisin know he’d heard her thoughts. “Beji7 station. It’s busy and security is sorely lacking. A short docking there shouldn’t draw any attention.” “You’re going to leave me in this chair?” He crossed the short space between them. “I’d rather leave you sated but this is my shot at freedom. I don’t expect you to understand.” “Your freedom. My job.” “Sorry about that, Silk.” He leaned down and brushed his lips to hers. “I’ll make it up to you.” “Sure you will.” He raised his hand and touched her forehead. “Sleep, my beautiful Silk.” “Fuck—”

*****

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Lisin opened her eyes and glanced around. White walls. White ceiling. Naked, she lay beneath a white sheet. A middle-aged man with a Beji7 medical emblem on his loose-fitting jacket entered the room. “I’m Medic Dake. How are you feeling?” Remembering how and why she was on Beji7, Lisin jerked to a sitting position, flexed her arms and wiggled her fingers. “Am I okay?” The medic’s gaze slid to her bare breasts, then back to her face. “All your vital signs are registering normal. We’ve found no physical reason to explain your loss of consciousness. The air scrubbers on your ship were functioning. Do you recall losing consciousness?” “How long have I been here?” “Thirty-six hours.” Damn. By now, Adon was long gone. “I’d like to contact my employer.” “Station security has contacted TST.” “Where are my clothes?” The medic pointed to a closet. “You don’t have to leave the clinic. TST has guaranteed payment.” “I feel fine and see no reason to take up any more of your time.” “The doctor has to release you. Just a couple more hours, then you can leave. If you wish, you can arrange for a room on the habitation level.” “Thanks.” The medic paused at the door. “If you feel unwell during your stay, contact the clinic.” Lisin had no intention of extending her stay on Beji7. The sooner she got back on her ship, the better. Captain Talon wasn’t going to be happy with her performance. She’d lost her prisoner. Time for Plan B. Unfortunately, Lisin had no Plan B.

***** A hollow feeling settled in the pit of Lisin’s stomach as she walked the long corridor to face her soon-to-be ex-boss. The walls felt narrower and the air colder than she remembered. Instead of receiving her separation documents in secured files, Talon had demanded an appearance so he could fire her ass in person. She’d accepted the cost of allowing her prisoner to escape but Adon’s deception still rankled. Like a fool, she’d opened her heart just far enough to let him reach inside. Just thinking about it pissed her off. Pushing thoughts of Adon away, Lisin picked up her pace. She wanted it done. She’d applied for several pilot positions and received an offer from a space junk collection firm. The money and the hours weren’t as good but she’d have a place to live and a paycheck. 116

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Standing before Talon’s desk, Lisin released a slow breath. “Sir.” Her boss rose from his chair. Although he had nearly twelve years on her, worked behind a desk and ran one of the most successful private transport firms in the galaxy, Talon was fit and battle ready. His blue eyes met hers. “Captain Silk. I never anticipated we’d meet under these circumstances.” “The loss of the prisoner is unacceptable. I’m sorry, Sir.” “TST will survive. A mindbender isn’t your ordinary prisoner.” Lisin expected a dressing-down or at least a couple of expletives. Instead Talon held out a sealed envelope and said, “I’ll miss you, Silk. Know where you’re headed?” Although she wanted to open the unexpected envelope, Lisin resisted the temptation. “Prius Major. Considering a pilot position.” “You’re a good pilot, Silk.” “Thank you, Sir. May I ask a question?” Talon didn’t answer but he didn’t refuse. “The mindbender, was he guilty?” “I think you already know the answer. Good luck, Silk.” Dismissed, Lisin placed the envelope in the inner pocket of her jacket, thanked the captain and headed for the docking port. While waiting to board the transport to Prius Major, Lisin remembered the envelope and pulled it out of her pocket. Inside was a business card for Talon Security Services. The name on the card was Cas Talon with a number and a contact address on Prius Major.

***** Cas Talon walked as gracefully as a woman could when pregnant and armed to the teeth. The blaster tucked beneath one armpit and the knife sheathed on the underside of her forearm gave her a don’t-fuck-with-me appearance, despite her bulging belly. The co-owner of Talon Security managed to look both threatening and serene. Although they’d only spoken briefly to arrange a meeting, Lisin liked Cas already. Talon Security was hiring and one look at its owner was enough to sell Lisin. Seated opposite her potential employer at a small coffeehouse they’d chosen as their meeting place, Lisin gave her order to the service droid. While they waited for coffee, Lisin said, “I’ve always considered Prius Major a safe planet.” Cas brushed her fingers over the grip of her blaster. “It is. The firm provides security for several high-profile executives. The hardware makes them feel they’ve spent their money well.” “Captain Talon told you my history?” 117

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“He did. My brother-in-law also told me you’d have a score to settle with Adon.” “What does Adon have to do with the job?” Lisin asked as two cups of coffee were placed on the table. “Adon is the job.” Lisin’s hand shook slightly as she picked up her cup. She wondered if Cas noticed. “I have no idea where he is.” “I think he’s here on Prius.” A spear of heat shot through her. “He’s here?” “I need to speak with him. If he contacts you, I want to know and I want you to convince him to meet with me.” “What makes you think he’ll contact me?” Cas glanced at Lisin’s hair. “He likes redheads and, given the circumstances of his escape, I’m guessing the two of you made a connection.” Likes redheads? “We’ll pay well for you to remain on Prius.” “And do what?” “Wait for Adon to contact you.” “What if he doesn’t?” Cas smiled. “My money says he will.” Lisin would grow old on Prius if it meant seeing Adon again. Since awakening on Beji7, the man had haunted her dreams. Lately, she’d awoken hot and aching, craving his touch. Perhaps her cravings weren’t entirely of her own imagination. “The man’s a fugitive and on the UP’s most-wanted list but all you want to do is talk to him?” Cas tossed an activation key for a propulsion cycle on the table. “Your bonus for accepting the job. If you arrange a meeting with Adon, I guarantee a permanent pilot position with Talon Security.” “You always give cycles as a signing bonus.” “It’s mine. Brant, my husband, has banned me from riding until his daughter’s second birthday. By that time, he’ll want a boy.” “You don’t strike me as the kind of woman who is told what to do.” The serene smile on her face reached her eyes as she patted her rounded belly. “Like his brother, Brant’s a formidable man and very convincing when motivated.” She picked up her cup and sipped the coffee. “I’ve given up my cycle, but never my coffee.” “What color is your cycle?” “Flame red.” Lisin snatched up the key. “I’m in.”

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Chapter Four A thrill shot through Lisin’s middle as the cycle’s powerful engine caught. Pressing the accelerator, Lisin raced away from the densely populated city and headed for the flat, wide plains of central Prius. The cycle flew over the level landscape. Hugging the cycle with her thighs, Lisin leaned forward and held her throbbing pussy tight to the molded seat. She thought of Adon, recalling their sensual mindfuck. Beneath her, the pulsing engine thrusters vibrated, pushing her to the erotic edge. The faster the engine revved, the more intense the pulses pounded her damp pussy. Silk. I can give all that and more. Wrenched from the precipice of satisfaction, Lisin lost her balance. The cycle swerved beneath her. Lisin focused, controlling the cycle before it went into a dangerous spin. Sweat trickled between her breasts as she applied the brakes, slowing the cycle down. Another cycle, black with a far more powerful engine, slid alongside hers. The driver nodded. I want you, Silk. Fuck you, Adon! We think alike. Catch me if you can. The black cycle launched forward, leaving a visible vapor trail in its wake. Lisin throttled up to full power, leaned down and raced after Adon. He was her mission and she wasn’t about to let him escape again. The deceiving mindbender owed her. He was going to pay and this time she wouldn’t settle for a mindfuck. She wanted it real and raw. Hot on his vapor trail, Lisin headed straight into the setting sun until a final flash of orange signaled the coming night. The open plain gave way to hills and valleys, forcing Adon to reduce his speed. Following him through a narrow valley, she braked and pulled along his parked cycle. Her headlights illuminated a small house nestled among a grove of tall trees. Adon dismounted, pulled off his helmet and shook his head. His long brown hair settled against his shoulders. He stripped off his protective windsuit covering his shirt and trousers. At top speed, even dust particles could penetrate normal clothing and cut skin. Lisin cut the engine and removed her helmet. In the fading light, Adon moved like a shadow falling upon her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off the cycle. She dropped the helmet and withdrew a blaster she’d hidden in her pocket just for this encounter. When she placed the muzzle to his chest, Adon glanced down at the

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palm-size laser gun. Although small, at point-blank range the weapon was deadly. His gaze met hers. “I told you I’m never going back to prison. Kill me or fuck me. Your choice, Silk.” The cool determination in his eyes communicated his intent. She didn’t want him behind bars, but his escape had cost her dearly. “What are you doing on Prius?” “Finding you.” “Every cop between here and Cefr is looking for you.” “I want you, Silk. I couldn’t stop wanting you.” His big hand cupped the back of her head and his lips met hers, fierce and demanding. The weapon slid from her fingers as Adon picked her up and carried her into the house, through a shadowed living area, down a short hallway and into a bedroom lit by several softly glowing golden lights. He planted her on her feet at the foot of a large bed. Without speaking, he stripped off his t-shirt. The golden light danced over the smooth skin of his broad chest. Leaning down, he pulled off his heavy riding boots and cast them aside. When he reached for the fastener on the waistband of his trousers, Lisin sucked in a breath. Her heart pounded in anticipation as he stripped off his pants. When he straightened, Lisin’s mouth went dry, but her pussy creamed at the sight of the healthy erection pointed in her direction. She moistened her lips. Adon placed his hand on the center of her chest and gave her a gentle shove, sending her backward onto the bed. Their gazes met, locked and a whole new heat burned in her center. Finally, she would have him. Hooking a hand around one calf, Rhys lifted her leg and removed her heavy cycle boot. Without breaking eye contact, he removed her other boot. When she ran her bare instep along the length of his acing cock, he nearly came. For months, his hand had provided the only skin-to-skin contact he’d experienced and Silk’s erotic teasing had him on the edge. He reached for the seam of her windsuit. As the seam parted, it was his turn to suck in a breath. Beneath her windsuit, Silk was naked. Sliding his hand between her breasts and down her torso, the seam parted all the way to her red curls. He slid his hand through her tight curls until hot, damp pussy greeted his fingertips. She clamped down on his fingers, squeezing. “You’re mine, Silk.”

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With a subtle shift of her body, the windsuit slipped off her shoulders and down her arms, exposing her breasts. Like two ripe berries, her nipples tempted him to taste. He wanted to suckle her breasts, lick her pussy, fuck her for the rest of his life. “You’re so sweet and lush, I don’t know where to start.” Her instep slid along his straining cock. When it jerked, a sensuous smile, full of promise, curved her lips. “Let’s start with that inside me.” The windsuit peeled off her delicate body in one eager pull. If it hadn’t, Rhys would have torn it apart with his bare hands. He covered her body with his, positioning his hips between her soft thighs and pressing the head of his cock to her wetness. Drawing on the memories of their time on the transport, he’d made love to her a thousand times, mentally driving into her again and again. Now he wanted more than memory satisfaction, he wanted the glorious mix of mind and body. He needed to feel her flesh, her heat, to experience the ecstasy of being inside her. Thrusting his hips, Rhys slid into her tight, eager heat. Her arms encircled his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, holding him as if she’d never let him go. For the first time, ever, he opened his mind to a woman during sex. He felt her anger give way with each thrust, her want escalate with each withdrawal. He pushed deeper, burying his cock inside her and stilled. Her skin heated, her pussy squeezed him and her mind screamed for more. She ached for him, only him. Fuck me, Adon. Fuck me hard. Love me. The explosive mix of mind and flesh made her impossible to resist. He moved his hips, fucking her, loving her, taking her to the edge of erotic insanity. He tried to hold back, but inside her wet, lush heat, he lost control. Love me, Lisin. Love me. Hearts thundered and heat poured from their surging bodies. Her pussy quivered and creamed, clenched, igniting an explosion from his balls. Need, desire, want collided, entwined, merging in an erotic fusion unlike anything Rhys had experienced before. As his heart rate eased, Rhys faced reality. For weeks, his desire for her, his need of her had overridden common sense. He should have raced to the far reaches of the galaxy, gone underground, but his ability to control and ignore his emotions failed when confronted with Lisin. Although society feared him, Lisin had trusted him. Trust was a rare commodity in his experience. And along with trust, she’d given him hope. She’d reached out, touched his heart, his soul, treated him like a human. She made him believe that, should he reach out, she’d open her arms and welcome him into her life. That he might share his life with her, have children with her, was nothing less than a miracle. He cared for Lisin and wanted her with him, always.

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Great stars, he loved her with an intensity that shook him to the core and that made him foolish enough to remain on Prius. But caring about someone, loving someone, represented a dangerous weakness easily exploited by men like Oitat. Rhys had two choices. Wipe her mind clean of his memory and leave the galaxy or meld with her. Only true love allowed a complete mind-meld between a mindbender and a human. If the channel opened and the emotion was pure, the two minds were strengthened. Melded together, he and Lisin became one. She wanted him in the way every man or mindbender hopes a woman will, but did she love him enough to open her soul, become one forever? He’d felt her love. In the midst of her explosive passion, she’d exposed her emotions. Rhys couldn’t bear life without her. Lisin rolled onto her side, opened her eyes and looked at Adon. When he smiled, her heart lurched. His eyes glowed with desire and something else. In that moment, Lisin realized that all her anger had burned itself out and the fire replaced with something she’d never anticipated. Something she never wanted to end. “Did you make this happen?” “What happen?” “This. Us.” “I can redirect thought, put minds asleep, erase memory patterns and, with effort, obliterate the brain or kill. I can influence someone to the point they believe my suggestions are their own.” “Like sex?” “I’ve never forced sex. I can’t force true emotion.” “Like love?” “I can’t make you love me.” “Is sex enough?” “Usually it is. With you, never.” “Don’t fuck with me, Adon. We’ve gone, I’ve gone beyond—” “My name is Rhys.” “Don’t fuck with me, Rhys.” “Never again.” He kissed the tip of her nose and looked her straight in the eyes. “I love you.” Stunned, Lisin searched his eyes. The intensity of emotion she saw made her heart thump hard and fast. “Lisin Silk, do you love me?” “I’ve never been in love.”

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“Yet here you are, making love to a mindbender, a fugitive with a huge price on his head. You know what I am, but you’d never turn me in. Why?” “I told myself I wanted revenge.” A smile curled his lips. “Revenge by sex.” “I wanted you. I didn’t hate you because you escaped, but because you left me behind.” He reached out, caressed her cheek. “I’ll never leave you again.” She loved him, wanted him. “Open your mind to me. Experience my love. Know my mind, my heart.” He drew her close. The gentle crush of her breasts to his muscled chest sent ripples of need through her body. Everything tingled. “I love you. You’ve been looking, wanting, waiting for the right man. I’m that man. Meld with me. Meld our minds, forever.” “Forever?” “A mindbender only can meld with one human. One time. You will know my life and will judge for yourself my guilt or innocence. The burden of my life is not a light one. I have done things.” Lisin thought of her years as a soldier. “So have I.” His lips settled against hers and his tongue slid into her mouth. Lisin opened her mind and heart to him. The searing intensity of his love flowed through her and the upwelling of her feelings joined his, mixing, swirling and linking. The meld began, the interlacing of desire, need, want and love binding them together. Time stilled and the kiss continued. His chest heaved and their bodies separated, allowing his hand to rest over her heart. Heat penetrated skin, muscle and bone to surround her heart. His love flowed into her, blooming in her chest. Thoughts and memories entwined as their minds merged. When her pounding heart threatened to burst, he broke the kiss and the meld eased. She sucked in a breath. “Am I going to die?” “No, but it’s good you’re healthy. The sex we’ll have will tax your heart.” Rock-hard, his swollen cock pressed her belly. Aching, she wanted him inside her, loving her, fucking her. She’d never get enough of him. The gentle squeeze of her breast and nudge of his cock told her he’d give her anything she needed. His tongue trailed down her neck. I’m going to suckle you ‘til you scream. She burned in anticipation of his mouth on her breast. Make me scream. Please.

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He eased her onto her back and adjusting his weight until his lips hovered over her breast. The touch of his tongue to her aching flesh sent a sweet shiver along her spine. The stroke of his hand down her torso to her thighs and back again teased her stimulated flesh. He squeezed and caressed, making her feel wanted, utterly feminine and soft. Drawing deep, he suckled her. Moaning, Lisin writhed in the pleasure of Rhys’ magical mouth. The simultaneous ecstasy, his and hers linked together, took lovemaking to a whole new level. Shifting his weight, he positioned his hips between her thighs. After a lush tug on her breast, he kissed his way down her belly until her thighs rested on his shoulders. He licked her with slow deliberation. The touch of his tongue to her hot, swollen flesh made her pussy clench and quiver. This belongs to me, forever. Through his tongue and lips, she experienced his pleasure and the intense need building in his balls. “Please.” He plunged his tongue inside her, making her wetter, hotter. His hands gripped her hips, caressing and massaging. The combination of his hands, tongue, lips combined with his emotional pleasure to give Lisin a new sensual experience. When his lips settled on her clit and suckled, Lisin’s hips lifted from the bed. Shaking, she clutched the bedding and held on. Climaxing, she screamed his name. Rising on his knees, he leaned forward and curled an arm around her waist. Balancing his weight on his heels, he lifted her to him. Her legs slid around his waist, her arms around his neck and her weight rested on his powerful thighs. Ride me. Fuck me hard. I want to watch you climax. Wet and creaming, Lisin lowered herself onto his hard cock. Looking into his eyes, she pounded his length. Heat poured from her skin. He grasped her ass in his big hands and held her tight. His thighs went slick with perspiration as she rode him, fucked him. Love me. Undulating her hips, Lisin slowed her pace, letting the heat and the pleasure build. Her heart swelled, threatening to burst and her eyes drifted closed. “Lisin.” She opened her eyes. His burning gaze held hers. “I love you.” Rhys’ softly spoken words sent her over the edge. Her pussy fluttered and clamped down on his hot length. A ripple of pure ecstasy rolled through her, joining with his climax. Her whole body shook and her heart pounded furiously against her chest wall. “Breathe.” Lisin drew in a breath.

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“Let go, Lisin.” She released her death grip on his hair. Without realizing it, she’d wrapped the thick strands around her hands. Leaning her head against his still-thundering chest, she said, “I thought I would shatter.” He eased her onto her back and stretched out beside her. “I thought my heart was going to jump through my chest.” Once her heart rate had settled down, Lisin rolled to her side. Rhys’ eyes were closed and a slight smile curved his lips. Reaching out, she trailed her fingertips down his chest to his flat belly. His powerful body was a delight for the eye. After a few minutes, he spoke. “I saw you with someone at a coffeehouse. A woman I knew a long time ago.” “I met with Cas Talon of Talon Security. She gave me a job.” “What kind of job?” “Waiting for you.” He opened his eyes. “She believed you were on Prius. That you’d try to contact me. When you did, I was to ask you to contact her.” He gave her a doubting look. “That’s it?” Lisin rolled over, facing away from him. “You can read my mind, answer your own question.” He pressed his body against her back and slid his hand around her waist to cup her breast. Despite the amazing orgasms she’d had, her body responded to the stroking of his palm and the touch of his fingertips to her nipple. “I want to fuck you while we ride my cycle.” “The wind will tear the skin off our bodies.” “Not at pulse two.” True. Propulsion cycles were built for speed. Only timid riders held a propulsion cycle at pulse two or naked lunatics. The idea intrigued her, but Rhys’ relationship with Cas had piqued her curiosity. “How do you know Cas?” “I commanded a mercenary unit during the Macao conflict. Cas was my second officer.” He rolled her nipple between the pad of his thumb and forefinger. A river of need slid sinuously from her breast to her pussy. “She’s married now, to Brant Talon,” Lisin said, a little breathless.

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When he didn’t respond to her statement, she asked, “What does an ex-mercenary want with you?” His cock nudged her ass. “Guess I’ll find out when you arrange a meet.” “You want me to contact her now?” Releasing her breast, he rolled her onto her belly and straddled her thighs. Sliding his hands beneath her waist, he lifted her ass up until her weight rested on her bent knees. “Later. Right now I have more pressing matters,” he said, probing her pussy with the head of his cock. When his cock slid inside her, he groaned. “I’ve been thinking about this since I saw you in Cefr Max.”

***** Rhys picked the meeting place for privacy and security. Although he had no reason to distrust Cas, many years had passed and people change. The place he’d chosen was a hundred miles outside the city on the Prius flats. She arrived in a white hovercraft. If anyone or anything approached them, Rhys would have warning. A smiling and happy-looking Cas walked toward him. She gave him a mock salute. “Commander Adon.” “I haven’t been called that in years.” “UP’s loss is my gain.” Rhys remained silent, waiting for Cas to continue. Tense, alert and armed, Lisin stood to one side, providing cover. “My company, Talon Security Services, has been offered an option to franchise our operations in the Macao system. You know the territory and it’s outside UP’s sphere of influence. The present government is seeking admission into the Intergalactic Federation, but until things are stabilized, that won’t happen. My husband, Brant, and I want you to command the operation.” “Who arranged my release from Cefr Max?” “Some influential friends who must remain anonymous.” If he probed Cas’ mind, he’d know who had helped him, but she’d expect him to respect their wishes of anonymity. “Why?” “You don’t belong in prison. Your friends know you were the government’s fall guy. When they learned of your quietly planned release and transfer from prison, I was contacted. If you hadn’t screwed up our plans and escaped, you’d already be on your way to Macao.” Lisin stepped closer. “Your plans?” Cas turned toward Lisin. “My brother-in-law chose you for the mission. You’re a good pilot with a clean, apolitical record and you knew nothing about Adon. Since you

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had no idea that my husband and I were waiting at the hand-off coordinates to free Adon, Oitat’s probe couldn’t reveal our plot or any connection between TST and the prisoner.” “His probe?” “Oitat is a mindbender,” Rhys explained. “Why did Oitat allow me to leave? Who arrange my transfer?” “Your father still has tremendous influence within the UP. Oitat was ordered to return you to Nicus.” Shocked, Rhys’ whole body tensed. The thought of returning to his parents’ home and their lab was far worse than any prison. “I’d rather exist in Cefr Max.” Cas leaned against the hovercraft. “When your anonymous friends found out about your parents’ arrangement with Oitat, they knew they had to act. They arranged for TST to handle the transportation and transfer. I’d planned an escape guaranteed to misdirect UP, but you managed a real escape. If I’d selected the pilot, I would have known better than to choose a redheaded female.” “How did you know I was on Prius?” “I didn’t. But given the circumstances of your escape, my husband and I calculated you had formed some connection with Ms. Silk. We located her and offered her a job, with my cycle as the bonus.” Rhys looked at Lisin. “You set me up for a cycle?” She grinned and shrugged. “I like thrust-power between my legs.” When Cas cleared her throat, Rhys realized he’d been staring at Lisin and thinking about a pulse two cycle ride. “We’ll front the money and you’ll receive forty percent of the profits,” Cas said. “The contract is renegotiable in three years. You’d hire and train your own force. The Macao system is still a dangerous place.” “Compared to Cefr and Nicus, it’s a holiday.” Cas moved toward him and held out her hand. “Commander, I need your expertise. Are you in?” His decision made, Rhys nodded and shook her outstretched hand. “Brant and I will have the necessary bank credits made available upon your request.” “Put them in Lisin’s name.” Cas glanced at Lisin. “You’ve hired your first pilot?” “Partner. Equal shares. Take it or leave it.” “We’ll take it.” Cas patted her belly. “Watch out, Lisin, before you know it, you’ll be giving up propulsion cycles.”

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Before climbing into the hovercraft, Cas saluted Rhys and waved at Lisin. As the vehicle sped away, Lisin slipped her hand into his. Rhys wrapped his fingers around her hand and squeezed. He knew she’d understood the cold fear he felt when he’d learn his parents had arranged his release from Cefr. The fear still lingered. “Are you sure about this?” He turned away from the receding hovercraft and faced her. “About the money or the job?” “Both.” “I should have given you a chance to refuse, but as long as we’re in the UP’s jurisdiction, I’ll be hunted.” He cupped her face in his hands. “If you remain with me, aid me in any way, you’ll be subject to arrest.” “I’m never leaving you. How can I give up part of my own heart?” A smile curled his lips, reaching his beautiful eyes as hope filled his mind and love swelled his heart. That she could feel his emotions and know he truly loved her was a heady experience. Lisin wondered if she’d ever get used to it. “It’s a chance for a normal life. At least as normal as life can be for someone like me.” Lisin hungered for a lifetime at his side. She wanted that same contentment and serene joy she’d observed in Cas Talon. “I like a job with action, and when I relax, I like to ride.” “At pulse two?” She reached up and unfastened the seam of her windsuit. Without saying a word, she stripped off her protective suit and boots. Naked, Lisin straddled his cycle backward. “I love thrust-power between my legs.” His gaze heated as he focused on the triangle of curls between her legs. “Are you referring to my cycle or to me?” She stroked the cycle’s padded seat. “Climb aboard and find out.” He stripped off his windsuit and boots. Naked and already hard, he straddled the cycle. When he started to speak, she wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him. Climbing astride his muscled thighs, she let him guide her onto his cock. Lisin moaned as he buried his length to the hilt. The engine came to life and cycle moved forward. Pulse Two. Hang on. Ohhh. I feel the pulses in my balls. Uhmmmm. It’s amazing. You’re so wet. I wanna come. He kissed her brief and hard. 128

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Nothing she’d experienced before prepared her for the thrill of the pulses moving through Rhys’s balls and cock straight to her throbbing pussy. Pressing her breasts to his heaving chest, Lisin rocked her hips. Hot wind caressed her bare back and whipped his long hair. Slick with perspiration, skin slid against skin as they moved against one another. His need, his desires fed hers. Giving in to the intense pleasure, her body convulsed. Still burning, Lisin rode him harder, letting his climax build. Knowing he was on the edge, Lisin clamped down on his cock. She held him tight, peaking with him, sharing his ecstasy as hot semen shot in lush pulses from his body into hers. She clung to Rhys as the rapture eased. On the return ride to the meeting place to pick up their discarded windsuits, Lisin leaned against him and thought of the day she’d carry his child. For that she’d willingly give up cycles. He kissed the top of her head. When we’re safe. Arriving at the meeting place, Rhys shut down the engine and wrapped his arms around her. “You never answered my question. Which thrust-power, me or my cycle?” Lisin raised her head and looked into his amazing eyes. “You. Always you.”

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About the Author Born a coal miner’s daughter, B.J. McCall now lives in California. Thanks to an older sister who was also a librarian, reading became B.J.’s favorite pastime. Reading a romance novel is B.J.’s perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon or a day at the beach. Her love of romance and science fiction came together in the Aktarian Chronicles. The creation of her futuristic world challenges B.J.’s imagination. Princess Tayra’s dress in Icy Hot, the first story in the chronicles, is a perfect example of her imagination at work. The chronicles are a work-in-progress. The phrase “do what you love” applies to B.J. She loves to write and each story is special. She hopes her readers will enjoy each and every one of them. B.J. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by B.J. McCall Deep Heat Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis II anthology Icy Hot Short, Tight & Sexy Slumber Party, Inc. Things That Go Bump In the Night V anthology

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

TASTE OF HONEY Natasha Moore

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Lexus : Toyota Motor Corporation Stetson : John B. Stetson Co. Wranglers : Wrangler Apparel Corp.

Taste of Honey

Chapter One “How about a dance, cowboy?” The come-on in that silky voice would tempt a saint, and God knew Jake Manning wasn’t hittin’ the Pearly Gates any time soon. When the scent of expensive perfume drifted over the stink of beer, whiskey and stale smoke, his body stirred against his will. He’d ducked in here to nurse a draft and a heart that had been stomped into a million pieces. The last thing he needed was a sweet-smellin’ woman. But he couldn’t stop from lifting his gaze off the condensation on his mug, and glancing over his shoulder. Sleek blonde hair. An even sleeker body molded by a tightfitting tank top and painted-on jeans. The damn high-heeled boots she wore probably cost more than he made in a month. He turned away and chugged his beer, hoping to rinse away the bitter taste of lessons learned the hard way. The band slid from an upbeat twang to a slow drawl, bringing a few couples out onto the dance floor. Jake pushed away the image of that high-class body pressed up against his. He sure as hell didn’t need that. She placed her hand on his shoulder and it sizzled like a branding iron. “Dance with me.” Her breath brushed his neck as she tempted him again. He shifted on the barstool to glare at her. “Lady, why are you pickin’ on me?” Her smoky gray eyes raked over him, starting with his beat-up cowboy hat and heating him all the way down his faded Wranglers to his scuffed-up boots. Her slick red lips slowly spread into a smile. “You look like you’d be a good dancer.” Dancer? Did she think he was some wet-behind-the-ears cowpoke? Jake shook his head. “Find some other sucker.” “Come on,” she said in a voice as slow and sweet as the honey his mama liked to put in her tea. Her hand slid off his shoulder and stroked its way down his arm until she laced her fingers with his. “It’s just one dance.” Aw hell. Jake pushed back his Stetson as he stepped off the barstool and then followed her onto the dance floor. He’d never been able to resist a taste of honey. She was nearly as tall as he was. When she stepped into his arms, her chin rested lightly on his shoulder. That high-priced scent of hers wrapped around his senses and made it hard for him to breathe. Her firm thighs rubbed up against his legs, giving him an instant hard-on. She wound her arms around his neck and sank into him. He had a hell of time keepin’ his hands where they belonged. Her soft breasts rubbed against his chest and his hand was itchin’ to slide up and wrap around one of ‘em. And damn if his other hand didn’t want to drop down to cup her shapely ass.

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If he closed his eyes, he could pretend it was Lisa he was holdin’ on to. Pretend it was Lisa he was pressed up against so close he’d recognize the curves of her body in the dark. Except Lisa was rounder, shorter and as much as he’d loved her, she’d never smelled as sweet. The band shifted from one slow song to another. The lead singer had a little cry in her voice as she sang of broken promises. Goddamn country songs. He shouldn’t have come in here tonight. Jake stopped in the middle of the dance floor. He’d had enough of this makebelieve. “So tell me, lady. Why me?” Her eyes flew open. Maybe she’d been pretending he was someone else too. She blinked once and then sighed. “Honestly? Because you look like I feel.” “What the hell does that mean?” “You’ve just been dumped, right?” He remembered his last talk with Lisa and how she might as well have poured a bucket of ice water over his sorry hide. Dumped. Yeah, that’s how it felt. “I look that bad, huh?” “It was the crying in the beer that tipped me off.” They’d started dancing again, but Jake stumbled after that comment. “I sure as hell wasn’t cryin’.” She lifted a sculpted brow. “Heaven forbid.” He smiled for the first time in weeks. He couldn’t imagine any guy dumping a woman who felt this good in his arms. If he came home from the dusty corral to a sweet-smelling, sassy woman like this every night, he’d have a hard time letting go. Her gaze flitted to some tables off to the side and she stiffened. Jake followed her glance and noticed a group of guys in starched shirts, ten-gallon hats and polished boots. Shit. Nothin’ but a bunch of slick-eared, city-dwellin’ goat ropers. “He over there?” She nodded, and looked back at Jake, hurt shadowing her eyes. He wasn’t going to give the jerk the satisfaction of thinking they were talking about him, so Jake rubbed his cheek over her hair, the strands soft as they floated over his skin. “Which one is he?” Her lips brushed his ear as she whispered, “Blond mustache. White shirt. Black hat.” Jake caught a glance of him as they circled the dance floor. Too smooth. Too polished. But then, he guessed a lot of women liked that. Especially smooth, polished women. “So? What? You wanna make him jealous?” The hurt in her eyes was replaced by a flash of anger. “My thoughts were running more along the line of making him pay.”

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If he couldn’t get back at Lisa and that smooth jerk she left him for, this was the next best thing. “Well, hell, lady, why didn’t you say so?” He grinned and brushed his lips lightly along her cheek. She was so soft. Her skin was pale, and he hadn’t noticed the faint shadows under her eyes until now. “Hang on to your heifer, darlin’. In a few minutes, he’ll be sorry he ever let you go.” There was a hint of unease in her shaky laughter. “Take it easy,” he whispered. “This’ll be fun.” The sexy sway of the ballad was the perfect song for a dance floor seduction. He pulled her close and their bodies fit so well, he’d have said they were made for each other if he believed that crap. All he knew was she felt like heaven, even if he’d be horny as the devil by the end of this evening. It sure beat the hell out of mopin’ about Lisa. He lightly bit her earlobe and then teased her gold hoop earring with his tongue. “We’ll have him so hot from watchin’ us that he’ll have to limp to the men’s room and jack off.” He caught the long hoop with his teeth and gently tugged. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. She swayed her hips in time with the music, sending sparks of need shooting through him as she brushed against his rapidly hardening cock. “I was right,” she murmured. He slid his hands down to cup her firm ass and pulled her tighter against him. There were those sparks again. “About what?” She looked him in the eye and her slick red lips turned up into a smile. “You are a very good dancer.” “Thank you, darlin’.” He’d have tipped his hat, but all the good manners his mama taught him went out the window. He wouldn’t have been able to take his hands off the lovely lady’s body if he tried. She brushed her lips across his and fire shot across his skin. Her lips moved against his as she asked, “Do you dance a lot?” “Until a few weeks ago, I only danced with one partner.” The ache from thinking about Lisa wasn’t as bad as it had been a few minutes ago. In fact, the only ache he felt was behind his zipper. “Is she here?” “Nope. She’s on her honeymoon.” “Oh.” A look of sympathy swept across her face before it was replaced by a grin. “Well, I should say I’m sorry to hear that, but I try never to lie.” She licked his earlobe and he shivered down to his toes. “I sure would have hated to miss this dance.” The band burst into a lively two-step that had her backing out of his arms. She tossed her hair back and wiggled those hips. Her breasts teased him as he watched them bounce before his eyes. A huge round diamond dangled from a long gold chain,

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dancing between her breasts, a reminder of the differences between them. A reminder that this was just dancin’. She only picked him to get back at an old boyfriend. He caught her hand and pulled her back to him. This dance wasn’t done yet. If he was gonna ache for her, he wanted those hips moving against his. He wanted his hands on that body. She seemed to know what he needed, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulsing herself intimately against his aching cock in time with the music. He buried his hands in her soft hair, the strands sliding like silk through his fingers. He lowered his face to the crook of her neck, inhaling that heavy perfume. His senses whirled until he could hardly think straight. Nothing could have stopped his lips from sliding along hers. It was bound to happen. Like Lisa running off with Ethan Powell the third. Or Jake stepping off the barstool tonight. Honey. He knew she’d taste sweet and rich. Too rich for his blood. But that didn’t stop him from slipping his tongue between her welcoming lips and drinkin’ her in. She moaned, the sound lost in the music pulsing around them. But Jake heard it. It echoed his own. Shauna Montgomery wasn’t thinking about the fact that she was in the middle of a crowded dance floor as she sucked face with the sexiest cowboy on the face of the earth. She wasn’t thinking of that bastard Bobby and how she hoped his eyes were popping out of his head right about now. She couldn’t think at all. Her body was awash with sensations. The raw, musky scent of his skin. The heat of his body wrapped around her. The hardness of his arousal as it rubbed against the zipper of her jeans. The taste of beer and something else, something primal, as they tangled tongues. She should have been embarrassed. She should have been horrified that she was rubbing her body up against a perfect stranger. In public yet. Letting his hands roam all over her. Wanting his hands on her. The sensible switch in her brain must have been turned off. Her body was in control now. She moaned and pressed even harder against him. Who was she kidding? No part of her was in control, she was simply reacting. Her body throbbed with desire. Her panties were wet. Her nipples prickled with need. His cream-colored shirt was soft as she gathered the fabric in her fists. She wanted to pull him closer. Wanted to crawl inside him. What was it about this cowboy that made her feel more intensely than she ever had before? They weren’t even pretending to be dancing anymore. His lips were bruising as they captured her mouth, feeding on her, drinking her in. His hands tangled with her

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hair and held her head in place. She grasped his muscular upper arms and held on tight. Gradually, the kissing gentled. She wanted to cry when he slid his tongue out of her mouth, leaving it empty. He lightly brushed his lips over hers and she felt the smile that lifted his lips. “You think that did the trick?” “What?” The kiss really had turned her brain to mush. She struggled to focus on his words. “What trick?” His dark eyes sparkled with amusement. He probably thought it was funny that he’d kissed her senseless. No, not senseless. Her senses were on overload. Brainless. That’s what she was now. “Did we teach the jerk a lesson?” The jerk? Oh. Bobby. She just nodded and stared at that lean, rugged face. Laugh lines were etched into his tan skin. What kind of idiot woman would dump this handsome cowboy? He turned his head and the soft, brown cowboy hat shaded his face. Damn. “Looks like the band’s taking a break.” Her brain started working again. The music wasn’t throbbing through the speakers any longer and the other dancers had returned to their seats, but they were still in a clinch in the middle of the dance floor. And somehow she’d ended up straddling one of his thighs. Now she felt a warm blush creep over her face. She slowly peeled herself away from him even as her body whimpered at the loss. Through the buzz of arousal still running through her, she felt a burst of triumph. She didn’t have to look at Bobby to know he’d watched every stroke, every touch, every pulse of their bodies on the dance floor. She hoped he was hard and hurting and regretting the fact that he’d tossed her aside with complaints like she was too bossy and spoiled and lacking in sex appeal. Ha. After one dance with the cowboy, she could tell Bobby a few things in which he was lacking. Things this cowboy definitely wasn’t lacking. The guy had come to her rescue like a knight in faded denim. He’d held her in his arms as if she was something special. And acted as if she had tons of sex appeal. Acted. That’s right. Shauna couldn’t forget that this was all an act. Make believe. Put on for Bobby’s benefit. The cowboy was probably anxious to get rid of her now. She’d be sorry to see him walk away from her, but he’d done more than his part. Shauna took a deep breath and pasted a wide smile on her face. “Thanks for the dance, cowboy.”

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Jake tried to pretend the dance hadn’t affected him. Truth was he admired the lady for going after a little revenge. She’d made him forget all about Lisa and his trampled heart. And made him horny as hell. When she smiled and thanked him for the dance, his mouth went dry. He was just thirsty, that’s all. It was too damn hot in here. He should head on back to his barstool and let her walk out of his life. Instead, he slung his arm around her shoulder and asked, “How about a drink? We don’t want him thinkin’ it was only a dance.” She nodded. Her skin was shiny and damp. A dark patch of sweat formed a V between her breasts and made a perfect contrast for that big, sparkling diamond. As he followed her off the dance floor, he tried not to watch her hips sway in those tight jeans, but what the hell. The sexy rhythm matched the throbbing of the blood pulsing through his veins. His hands itched to hold on to those curves again. A tiny patch of skin peeked out where her shirt rode up a little. He rested his hand on the small of her back, right along that soft little bit of skin. Just for show. He followed her over to a table in the corner, far away from Mr. Smooth. He helped her to her seat, sliding his hands along her shoulders and down her back as he scooted in her chair. Just for show. The table was so tiny their knees bumped when he sat down across from her. They were so close their breaths mixed all together and his mouth went dry. He called a waitress over. When he ordered a draft, the lady surprised him by ordering the same. He raised his eyebrow when the waitress left. “What?” she asked. He shrugged and let his gaze sweep over her fine features. “I didn’t figure you for a beer drinker. You look more like white wine or champagne.” “Goes to show you don’t know me very well.” He laughed. “Lady, I don’t even know your name.” “Shauna.” “Jake.” The waitress came with their beers and Shauna reached for the tiny purse slung over the back of the chair. “Let me get this.” Jake already had his wallet out. “I’ve got it.” She pulled out a twenty. “Really. You came to my rescue. It’s the least I can do.” And the fact that she was richer than him went without saying. “I’ll get it.” He put his hand over hers. “As long as you’re sittin’ in a bar with me, I’ll be buyin’ the drinks.” “Jake…”

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He liked the way his name sounded coming from her lips, but he was damned if a lady was buyin’ his beer. His mama taught him better than that. He squeezed Shauna’s hand and stared her down. She frowned as if she was going to put up a fight, but finally tucked the bill back in her purse. She watched him pay for the drinks, then took a dainty sip. “Bobby said I was too pushy.” He let go of her fingers and wrapped his hands around his mug so he wouldn’t reach out and brush the tiny bit of foam clinging to the corner of her mouth. “Did he always let you have your way?” She shrugged. Then his breath caught in his throat when she reached out her tongue and licked the foam from her lips. Jake bit back a groan, his imagination galloping off in the wrong direction. He could picture her spread out on his bed, in all her naked glory. He could almost feel his mouth on her silky skin. He’d run his tongue along every inch of her body, up and down and back again. He licked his lips and took a slug of beer. He noticed Shauna watching him carefully. What had they been talking about? Oh yeah. “How about in bed? You like to be in control there too?” She blushed, a soft red that spread across her face and settled on her cheeks. “I’m not going to talk to you about sex.” He reached out and swept his finger along her cheek. Damn, she was soft. “We’ve already been closer than some people are when they have sex. I’m just sayin’ I can tell you called the shots in the bedroom. And he let you. That was his problem.” There was that cute frown again. “What do you mean?” “If I’m handlin’ a high-spirited filly, it’s up to me to show her the ropes. I’m not gonna do anything to break her spirit, but I’ll be damned she’s gonna run all over me.” Shauna nearly spit her beer across the table. “Did you just compare me to a horse?” “I’m just sayin’ you’re too much woman for him.” Why did a warm flush of pleasure flow through her? “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” The little grin that spread across his face had her stomach doing little flips. “He didn’t know how to handle you.” “And I suppose you do?” Images of him handling her sent tingles following the flow of pleasure. His strong hands stroking her bare skin. His fingers squeezing her breasts. Her nipples prickled and she ached to have his fingers roll and pluck them. He had the nerve to wink. “I’ve had some experience handling high-spirited females.” “And suppose I don’t want to be handled?” Oh God. She could imagine his hands sliding between her legs. A trickle of moisture ran down her thigh. Jake lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I didn’t say I wanted to handle you. I’m simply saying ol’ Bobby wasn’t near enough man for you.” 139

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“And you are?” He shrugged. The gesture looked almost lazy, but Shauna knew it was anything but. “I handled you pretty well out on that dance floor.” She opened her mouth to shoot back a snappy retort, but stopped short when she had to admit, at least to herself, that he was right. She couldn’t complain about the way he’d handled her on the dance floor. In fact, she’d love for him to handle her some more. Right now. Her heart raced and her mind whirled. Should she get up and leave before things went too far? Or should she stick it out and see where this conversation would lead them? Jake made her a nervous. She felt off-center with him and she wasn’t used to that. On the other hand, she felt alive for the first time in years and she sure didn’t want to go back to feeling numb again. She’d thought Bobby might be different. But all the guys she dated seemed to be okay until they took her to bed. Sex was always ho-hum. Shauna didn’t think her standards were all that high, but were passion and excitement too much to ask? One dance with the cowboy had given her more passion and excitement than she’d ever felt with Bobby. In bed or out. The annoyance drained out of her and all that was left was arousal. Her panties were wet and she rocked forward in her chair as she tried to relieve some of the throbbing pressure. Jake’s eyes widened slightly, probably because by leaning forward, she flashed him a generous view of her cleavage. She smiled as he gulped his beer. Time to get this night back in her court. She’d started this. She would be the one to determine the way this evening would go. And right now she wanted it to end with this cowboy in her bed. She wanted the passion the dance had promised her. She wanted her blood pulsing again simply from his hand stroking her skin. She wanted her skin on fire from his kisses. She wanted to tempt him and taste him and take him. She dipped her finger into her beer and plunged it between her lips, sucking deeply, all the while holding his shadowed gaze. Just his heated stare sent a sizzle through her body. Oh God, what would it be like to take his cock into her mouth? To feel that heat fill her? She dipped her finger into the glass again and this time slid it into his mouth. He grasped her wrist as he latched onto her finger, rubbing his tongue along the length, then sucking hard, taking it deep into his mouth. The pull seemed to tug from her very core. “I bet you’re good at more than just dancing,” she said, her voice shakier than she would have liked. He sucked once more before he released her finger, his hand still around her wrist. “Now what makes you say that?” She tried to pull her hand back, but he held fast. “Got a feeling,” she murmured.

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“That right?” He brought her hand to his mouth and licked the length of her index finger. She squirmed in her chair. “Mmm. Right between my toes.” He reached out and hooked her necklace chain with his finger. The diamond hung between them. “This a gift from him?” She snatched the necklace out of his hand. “This wasn’t a gift from anyone.” He cleared his throat. “Most women I know don’t buy themselves diamonds.” She wasn’t going to feel guilty because she could finally buy herself a piece of jewelry. “It was a celebration. The year my business finally took off.” The year she could finally afford to hire a couple employees. Could move out of the dinky apartment upstairs. Could finally have room in her life for something besides work. He raised his eyebrows. “Hell of a celebration.” “You got a problem with that?” “Hell no, darlin’.” He smiled and rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand. “So what’s your business?” “I own a boutique called Shauna’s. Ever heard of it?” He shook his head, but kept up the erotic stroking, his calloused fingers stirring her senses further. “I’m not surprised you own your own business.” “Why do you say that?” “You come across as a woman who’s used to having your own way.” Here we go again. He made it sound like an accusation. “What’s wrong with that?” “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. Of course, you have to be in control.” He paused for a brief moment. “At work.” Her pulsed jumped. “And when wouldn’t I want to be in control?” His eyes darkened beneath the cowboy hat, causing a shiver to shoot through her body. He turned over her hand and gently scraped her palm with his fingernails. She squirmed again. “In the bedroom.” An unexpected thrill ran through her at his words. Why did the thought excite her when it didn’t even make sense? “What? Why would you say that?” “Because it’s true.” The expression on his face told her that he knew what he was talking about. She tried to pull her hand away from him, but he didn’t let her. He kept stroking her hand, kept staring at her with those dark eyes, promising things she couldn’t even imagine. She hadn’t had a lot of luck with men’s promises. “Did she give up control?” “Lisa?” A shadow darkened his eyes for a moment and she was sorry she’d asked the question. Jake stirred up feelings, new ones, that she’d never felt before. And this conversation was only getting her more confused.

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“Lisa didn’t want to be in control. Of anything. She wanted me to decide where to go to dinner, what movie to see, who was going to be on top.” He shrugged. “The only decision she made was to dump me, and I’m not entirely sure that wasn’t ol’ Ethan’s doing.” Jake was too much of a man to want a woman like that. He needed the challenge of a woman who liked to be in control. The possibility that she could be that woman was more than she could handle at the moment. “She wasn’t enough woman for you,” Shauna said, throwing his words back at him. Jake’s shaky laughter betrayed the hurt Lisa had caused him and Shauna felt the overwhelming urge to scratch her eyes out. She leaned across the table and placed her free hand on his cheek. The hint of a five o’clock shadow scraped her palm. “I mean it. You’re too much of a man to live that way. She did you a favor.” He was quiet for a moment. Conversations droned around them. He leaned forward until they were no more than a breath away. “Maybe you’re right.” She brushed her lips lightly over his and felt the sparks. Oh God, the sparks. She licked her lips before she could speak, trying to keep it light when all she wanted to do was crawl over this table and jump his bones. “Of course, I’m right.” The sound of guitar chords let them know the band’s break was over. “Do you want to dance any more?” he asked. She shook her head. She’d be tearing his clothes off if they danced again. He drained his beer and then winked. “I’m thinkin’ it’ll be the final blow to ol’ Bobby if we leave together like we can’t keep our hands off each other.” She laughed and pulled him close, kissing him quick and hard. “The hell with Bobby. I can’t keep my hands off you.” “Just to warn you, darlin’, I’m not looking for a woman in my life.” “Good. I’m not looking for a man, either.” He stared at her like he wanted to devour her, one lick at a time. Desire rained over her. “I just want a taste of what you’ve been talking about.” He stood and offered her his hand. When he pulled her to her feet, the momentum brought her body against his, hard and tight. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pinned her with his gaze. “You’ll have to leave your control at the door.” A shiver ran through her body. Why did the thought thrill her so much? “All right.” “My place or yours?” he asked. “I’m a half-hour away.” “I can beat that by half.” She licked her lips. “I’ll follow you.”

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Chapter Two Jake pulled his pickup into the driveway of his little house on the edge of town. It wasn’t much, but it was his, free and clear. She probably lived in one of those fancy condos on the other side of town. He tried to see the place through her eyes, but what the hell? Right now, he didn’t care what she thought of the place. He was too hard to care about anything but losing himself in that soft warm body. No, that wasn’t true. Hard as he was, he wanted to show her what great sex could be like. When he’d been dancing with Shauna, he’d felt all the tightly reined passion she held in her body. It was like she didn’t know what to do with such wild feelings. Jake aimed to show her. Her headlights stopped behind his truck. He stepped out of the cab and reached the door of her Lexus before she could open it. He did the honors and offered her his hand. She looked surprised, like the guys she was usually with didn’t have the manners to help their woman out of the car. “I thought you might have changed your mind,” he said as she slid from the car. She shook her head and silently walked with him up the short brick walk and into the house. Her hand felt good wrapped in his. As soon as he closed the door behind them, she looked at him with wary eyes. “I’m not sure what to expect tonight.” “I’m not gonna hurt you, Shauna.” He pulled her into his arms because he couldn’t wait a minute longer to touch her. He kissed her hard and long, until she softened against him and her breathing was ragged with passion again. “If I do somethin’ you don’t like, tell me and I’ll stop. I promise.” He captured her lips again for one more long kiss. “But you’ll like it.” He grabbed her ass and pulled her tightly against him, rubbing his cock along her stomach. “I bet ol’ Bobby was a gentleman in bed, wasn’t he? Sex was slow and tender.” He let go of her ass, but then took one of her full breasts into his hand, doing his damnedest to be gentle. She leaned into his grasp. “But something was missing with ol’ Bobby, wasn’t it?” He squeezed just hard enough and she gasped. But she didn’t pull away. She didn’t yell at him to stop. She moaned and arched her back. “Sometimes, don’t you just want a hard, hot fuck? Don’t you want a man to take you with passion he can barely control because he wants you so bad he can’t think straight?” He took her hand and placed it on his aching cock. “I’m about to explode, Shauna. Because of you. I want to make you explode too. I want to know I can do that to you. Do you want that?” “Hot,” she panted. “I’m so hot.”

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He released her and stepped away. She swayed and he could tell she struggled to focus on what he was saying. “You have to tell me, Shauna. Is this what you want?” “Yes, Jake. Yes. Take me. Show me what it’s like.” And here he didn’t think he could get any harder. He took another step back from her. Her eyes were already glazing over with passion. Her chest heaved with each deep breath. Jake knew his breathing was just as ragged. His hands itched to tear the clothes off her and see her naked flesh, but he had a better idea. He took his hat off and hung it on the rack by the door, then turned back to face Shauna. “Take off your clothes.” “Right here?” They were still standing in the tiny entryway that opened into the living room. Jake was surprised she could still blush, but he wasn’t surprised that she’d feel the need to argue. To try to stay in control. “Wouldn’t you rather we go to the bedroom first?” “No. I said take your clothes off. That means right here. Right now.” She frowned a little, but pulled her top over her head without another word. She placed it on little table he put his mail and keys on. Then she straightened and looked him in the eye. Her lush breasts swelled above the lacy black bra. He clenched his fists to keep himself from reachin’ out to grab them. “Keep goin’.” His voice was a little rougher than he wanted, but since his body was a bundle of ragged need, it was the best he could do. Her fingers scrambled to unhook the bra. He swallowed hard when her breasts tumbled free and she dropped the lacy undergarment to the floor. Her hands shook as she popped free the button at the top of her jeans. When she hesitated, a low growl rose from Jake’s throat, surprising him as much as it did her. She slid the zipper down revealing a small triangle of black lace. His breath caught. His heart pounded. She shimmied the jeans over her hips. When she slid the panties down her thighs at the same time, he got a tempting peek at her pretty pussy through her damp blonde curls. Damn. She propped her hand on the wall to steady herself, and kicked the jeans and panties off. Then she bent over to unzip the short boots with the stiletto heels. “Leave the boots on,” he ordered, his voice not much more than a croak. She looked up at him with that little frown, but stood back up without a word. Lord, what a sight she made. Her skin was smooth and pale. Her body was curvy, hips lightly rounded, breasts full with dusky nipples. Her pussy lips were a pretty pink and the sight made his mouth water. Her long legs were firm, the muscles stretched out in perfect form thanks to the high heels. Now they would serve his purpose. “You’re beautiful, darlin’.” He folded his arms over his chest and continued to sweep his gaze lazily over her naked body. The uncertain expression on her face told him she wasn’t comfortable. Good. He wanted her off-center tonight. He knew she must feel completely exposed as she stood naked in front of him while he was still dressed.

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This was only the beginning of her loss of control tonight. “You’re turned on whether you want to admit it or not.” He took a step toward her and scraped a fingernail across one tightly beaded nipple. “Look at those breasts just begging to be touched. You want me to touch them, don’t you, darlin’?” She nodded. “I want to hear you say it. What do you want me to do to you tonight?” “Touch me. Touch me, Jake.” “Touch you where?” “Everywhere.” “No. No. Where do you want me to touch you?” “My breasts.” She dragged in a shaky breath. “Squeeze my breasts. Oh suck my nipples.” Her voice was barely a whisper. Jake doubted she’d ever spoken her needs out loud before. “Later.” He had to keep her off balance. Out of control. He grabbed her wrist and headed for the bedroom. When Jake grabbed her wrist, Shauna wondered if she should have scooped up her clothes and gotten out of there while she still had the chance. She didn’t know how to take Jake. Nerves swirled in her stomach. Need sang along her skin. She’d certainly never met anyone as sexy as him, or anyone who’d ever made her feel this sexy. But he seemed to be determined to do the unexpected tonight. He led her straight across the hardwood floor and down the short hall to a door at the end, then pushed open the door and flipped the light switch. A king-sized fourposter bed dominated the space. He pulled her into the room and whipped her around, using her body to slam the door shut behind them. Pressed up against the hard door, Jake leaned into her, scraping his teeth along the tender skin at her throat. She gasped as shots of need zinged through her body, concentrating at her very core. Her pussy clenched, moisture trickled down her thigh. She wrapped her arms around him, combing her fingers through his soft hair, holding him there, holding his mouth where it pleasured her almost to the point of pain. But as soon as she did that, Jake lifted his mouth from her throat and stepped away from her. Shauna leaned back against the door, panting. Whimpering. Waiting. “You like it a little bit rough, don’t you?” He turned away from her and opened a closet door. “Soft and gentle isn’t enough for a woman like you, is it?” he asked, reaching up onto a shelf. “You’re too passionate for that. But you’re still tryin’ to be in control. I see I’m going to have to help you with that.” “What… What did you have in mind?” He turned around then, a coil of white rope in his hand. A shiver of fear ran through her body. Or was it a quiver of anticipation? “Rope?” 145

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He shrugged. “I rope for a livin’.” He strode over to her, where she still stood with her back pressed up against the closed bedroom door. He lifted the rope coil and rubbed it against her cheek. “I’m thinkin’ I’d like to lasso me a filly.” What had he said earlier? Something about training a high-spirited horse? Maybe she was getting into more than she bargained for. But her body responded to the scrape of rope against her skin. Almost against her will, she leaned into the rough caress. She was so horny she couldn’t think straight. She needed to be touched so badly, she’d go along with anything. At first, she felt uncomfortable standing there naked while he was fully clothed. Now she didn’t even care. But what was going to happen tonight? “Tie me up? Is that what you have in mind?” Jake dropped the rope to the floor and gathered her into his arms. Featherlight kisses covered her face. “Trust me,” he murmured. She wanted to. Hoping she was doing the right thing, she nodded and circled his waist with her arms. He smiled and gently stroked his hands down her bare arms, the rough calluses sending tingles of awareness along her skin. When his hands reached hers, he drew her arms away from his body and stepped away from her. “See, it’s these hands that get you into trouble.” “What do you mean? Don’t you like to be touched?” She’d felt his hard cock when he hugged her. He had to be as aroused as she was. “Darlin’, I love it. But we’ll get to that later. Right now, we need to get these hands out of the way.” Shauna nervously wet her lips as she watched him bend over and pick up the rope. “See, I reckon you’re the kind of woman who has your hands in everything you do. The kind of woman who sees something you want and, hell, you just reach out and grab it.” “What’s wrong with that?” “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it, darlin’. Just stating a fact.” He started slowly uncoiling the rope. Need wound through her body as she watched him. “Like when you saw me at the bar tonight. You dragged me right off the barstool.” “I did no such thing.” He ignored her protest. “I’m not about to have you draggin’ me off in one direction, so focused on what you can do that you can’t focus on what you feel.” Was that what she did? Could he know her so well, so quickly? A mischievous gleam sparkled in his deep brown eyes. “Give me your hands.” This was the real deal. Did she really want to do this? She wasn’t afraid of Jake. He could have grabbed her hands himself without asking if he’d wanted to. It was the fear of the unknown. While a part of her was a tiny bit

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frightened, she’d never been so aroused in her entire life. What if what Jake said was true? What would happen if she gave up that control she liked to hold on to so tightly? She’d never know if she didn’t give it a try. Shauna took a deep breath and stretched her arms out in front of her. “This rope is coated, so it shouldn’t scrape your skin, but if it starts to hurt, you let me know.” He quickly wound the rope around her wrists, tying them together. He grinned. “Now to get them out of the way.” He glanced up and she followed his gaze. A large ring hung from a beam that ran across the ceiling. He expertly tossed the end of the rope up and through the ring. He snatched the end as it fell back down. “Impressive.” He shrugged. “I work with rope every day. If we’d had more room, I’d liked to have lassoed you in.” He continued to pull the rope through the ring and soon her arms rose above her head. She had to shuffle her feet in the stiletto heels as she moved to stand directly below the ring. And then he still kept pulling, until she was stretched tight with her arms high above her head and she was barely able to keep her balance. “That’s too high!” Shit, she was practically on her tiptoes. He shook his head and tied off the rope around one of the posts of the bed behind her. He ran his rough hands over her arms, sending delicious shivers along her skin. “It’s perfect.” “I can barely stand.” Well, she could, but she’d never been in a position like this before. Open. Totally exposed. Completely vulnerable. “It’ll give you something to concentrate on.” “What?” Like she needed anything else to concentrate on when her skin was on fire. When her nerves buzzed and her heart raced. When her breasts tingled and her pussy throbbed with need. He stood in front of her, his hands on his lean hips. “I think you’ve forgotten what tonight is all about, darlin’. I’m the one in control now. All you gotta do is to feel.” His voice was low and oozed sex. “Let me make you feel things you never thought you could. Let me bring you higher than you’ve ever soared before.” Shauna glanced up at her arms stretched above her. Hell, why not? She was halfway to soaring now. Jake stepped back to study the vision before him. All that smooth skin just waiting for his touch. Round pale breasts and rosy nipples. His mouth watered just thinkin’ about how they would feel in his mouth, the way they would roll around on his tongue while he teased them with his teeth.

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He let his gaze lazily trace the curves of her body. Her tight stomach and trim waist. Slightly rounded hips and smooth thighs. Her blonde curls were all shiny, giving him no doubt that she was as aroused as he was. He tightened his hands into fists as he made himself take a deep breath and remember to take it slow. He didn’t want Shauna to be afraid. He wanted her to be aroused as she had never been before. “Are you going to stand there staring all night? My arms are going to sleep.” Those gray eyes flashed. He figured she still was a little afraid, a little angry. She didn’t know what he had in mind and at this point all the promises in the world couldn’t make her sure he wouldn’t hurt her. He was pleased that she’d trusted him this far. Now to show her it was worth it. Here was the challenge. To tame this filly without breaking her spirit. Lisa never had that spirit. He realized that now. She’d let him do whatever he wanted, in the bedroom and out, but she was a passive participant. Why didn’t he realize that until now? He took a step toward her and her eyes flashed again. “You sound impatient. Can’t wait to get my hands on you, is that it?” “I want to get my hands on you.” The little growl in her voice made Jake grin. He took another step closer. “Later.” He could smell that sexy perfume of hers. Years from now, he would think of her if he ever smelled it again. “Close your eyes.” “Why?” “Trust me.” “You’re asking a lot.” “I know, darlin’.” He leaned forward and swept his tongue over one hard nipple. She gasped as she stared at him. He took her earlobe between his teeth and gently tugged, the gold earring swinging against his jaw. “Trust me.” She nodded and closed her eyes. He started out slowly while he still could, brushing his lips along her cheek, breathing in her scent. She didn’t want soft and gentle, they’d already figured that out. His cock ached and he had to fight the urge to drop his drawers and take her right then and there. He hoped he’d have time to take care of the lady before he exploded. He dragged his tongue across her lips. She opened them to let him in, but he resisted diving deeper into her mouth right now. A man could only take so much. Instead, he swept his lips down her throat, scraping his teeth over her soft skin. She moaned softly and the sound washed over him like a warm summer rain. He ran his hands down her slender arms, from the bound wrists above her head to her shapely shoulders. Then he grasped the full breasts that had been tempting him for hours. She arched her back, pushing into his greedy fingers. He squeezed that firm flesh and scraped his thumbs over the ripe tips. She gasped and moaned again.

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He took one rosy nipple into his mouth and sucked deeply. It pebbled against his tongue and he liked knowin’ he made it get hard like that. He sucked harder and she swayed against the ropes as she arched into him. She was so damned responsive. He scraped his teeth against the tip of her nipple and she swayed again, crying out his name. After suckling there for a few minutes, Jake turned his attention to her other beautiful breast. He grasped it with both hands and licked the pale flesh. Her skin was delicious, a little salty and a lot sweet. When he captured the nipple between his lips and pulled deeply, she began to writhe, rubbing her thighs together. Yeah, he loved knowin’ he made her as crazy as she made him. He bent down and burrowed his face between her breasts, rubbing his face along the smooth skin. He could have stayed there for hours, cradled in that softness, but he knew Shauna’s arms couldn’t stay above her head for too long. He had more work to do. He dropped to his knees, shifting to give himself room behind his zipper. He stroked her skin on the way down, sweeping his hand over her taut stomach, dipping his finger into her bellybutton, cupping her firm ass. Then he was staring at the treasure he’d been thinkin’ about since the moment he saw her in the dim bar. The blonde curls covering the entrance to her sex were trimmed short and the pink lips, dark and swollen, peeked out from below. He parted them with fingers that shook with anticipation. “Open for me, darlin’.” His voice was rough with need as he stared at the wet lips, shiny in the dim light. She didn’t hesitate, but wobbled slightly on the high heels as she spread her legs as far as she could in the position he’d put her in. He glanced up to see that her eyes were still closed. Her mouth was open slightly and he could hear her lightly panting. What a sight she was. He tore his gaze away from her face and brought his attention back down to the pretty pussy in front of him. He blew lightly on the wet flesh and smiled at the sharp intake of breath and the clenching of her flesh. The scent of her arousal was almost enough to push him over the edge. “Jake. Please.” “Please what, darlin’? ‘Cuz if you want me to hurry up, I just might have to slow way down. You’re not in control tonight, remember?” “No. No. I want you to slow down. Really. Take your time. I’ve got all night.” She was a smart lady, but she still had a lot to learn about giving up control. “So do I.” He traced a finger down her slick folds but stayed away from her swollen clit. “Nice try, but you don’t have any say right now. You can go back to your smooth boyfriend, Bobby, if you want everything to go your way.” Her laugh was a little shaky. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. “Bobby would have been done and gone by now.” “Then why are you complaining?” 149

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A little whine snuck into her voice. “I’m not complaining. I’m just so close, Jake.” He held on to her ankles, keeping her legs apart. “Close your eyes. And your mouth.” “But Jake…” He let go of her ankles, stood up and walked away from her. “Have it your way.” He opened the bedroom door and flung it open. His hand was still on the doorknob when she called out his name. He sighed with relief. He couldn’t let her know that he was dying from need, as much as she was. He didn’t turn around and look at her. He had to be ready to walk away. “What, Shauna?” “I’m sorry. Don’t leave. Take me however you want to.” He turned around slowly. The sight of this incredible woman took his breath away. She was willing to submit to him, offering herself to him on his terms. He knew how hard that was for her to do. He nodded. “Close your eyes. And close your mouth.” She didn’t hesitate. She shut her pretty little eyes, clamped those slick red lips together and spread her legs as far as she could. He made himself to approach slowly, softly. He silently knelt before her until his mouth was even with her slick pink pussy. Then without waiting another second, he grasped her hips and dove in, finally tastin’ that honey he’d been dreamin’ of.

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Chapter Three Shauna gasped. She didn’t have any warning when his mouth started its blissful assault, enthusiastically licking her swollen lips, delving his tongue into her hot core. There was nothing she could do but stand there and feel. Feel his lips nibble on her labia, sending myriad tingles dancing through her body. Feel his tongue lap up her juices. Feel his teeth gently scrape her clit, shooting fireworks along her skin and deep within her. She rocked her hips, rubbing her sex against his magical mouth. She silently cried all the things she wanted to say out loud but didn’t dare. Oh yes! Yes, like that! Harder. Faster. Do that again. Yes, that! Right there. Somehow he knew where. Somehow he knew how hard. How fast. Or did she want it this way because that’s how Jake was doing it? It didn’t matter. He was in charge. And if her brain could manage any coherent thoughts she might admit that there was something to be said for this giving-up-control stuff. She could only feel. She could only experience. She didn’t have to think about where to put her hands. Or worry about what to do with her mouth or her legs. She could only feel. And get closer and closer to climax. Her body buzzed with arousal, the thrum growing stronger with each stroke of his tongue. Her whole body was involved. The blood pulsed through her head in rhythm with his strokes. Her heart beat in the same time as his tongue licked and lapped. If she opened her eyes, she was certain she’d see sparks leaping off her skin. She was going to explode. Or burst into flames. She had no control. She had no need for it. And when Jake took her sensitive clit into his mouth and sucked, she screamed as the orgasm rocked through her. Her body jumped, jerking on the ropes holding up her arms, but they only became part of the orgasm, part of the spasms that consumed her. Jake continued to hold on to her hips, supporting her even as he continued his assault on her. Waves of release swept over and over her, until he gradually slowed, and finally stopped. She opened her eyes then. She had to look down on this man who’d given her this gift. He still knelt before her. He was wiping her juices off his face with the sleeve of his 151

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shirt. When he saw her looking down at him he didn’t admonish her, instead a wide grin spread across that handsome face. “How did you know?” she asked, her throat raw from screaming, dry from panting. “That you needed to let go? Darlin’, you were strung so tight I could have played you like a guitar.” He stood up then and untied the rope from the bedpost. She sighed as she brought her still-bound wrists in front of her. “How are your arms?” “Okay.” Not as bad as she thought they’d be, and when Jake started massaging her arms and shoulders, they felt pretty darn good. He leaned into her from behind and his arousal pressed into her bottom. He had to be hurting bad. It was time she gave something back. She turned around to face him. “How about if you take these ropes off and I’ll make you feel just as good.” A mischievous gleam sparked in his eyes. “Not yet.” “You don’t want some release?” “Darlin’, I’m dyin’ for it.” “Well, then?” “I like the way you look like that, your skin all shiny and your eyes a little dazed. And your hands tied up.” “But don’t you want to get out of those clothes?” He looked down as if he just realized he was wearing them. “Well, I have to say I’ll go along with that. You can take them off for me.” She almost cried out that her hands were tied, but he knew that. He was throwing up a challenge for her and she’d be damned if she was going to back down. She smiled slowly and stepped so close to him she could feel his breath on her cheek. Her wrists were pinned together, but her fingers could move. After a bit of fumbling, she managed to unbutton his shirt and pull it out of his jeans. She leaned into him as she reached up to push it off his shoulders. After his shirt dropped to the floor, she rubbed her breasts against his bare chest, the light sprinkling of hair tickling her. Her nipples were still so sensitive the friction sent prickles shooting through her again. His belt buckle was a little trickier, but she managed to unfasten it and expose the button. Releasing that was even tougher because his jeans were so tight from his erection. One broken nail later, the button was undone and she fingered the tab of his zipper. Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she stared at the large bulge behind the denim. She wanted him inside her so badly she could taste it, but she knew it wasn’t going to happen any time soon. Especially if Jake thought she wanted it that way. He had a kind of warped sense of logic. Although Shauna had to admit that she’d just

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experienced the most mind-blowing orgasm she’d ever had and it was due in a large part to Jake taking the control away from her. But now that she knew how his mind worked, she just had to be a little sneakier. She ran one finger down his straining fly. Jake sucked in his breath, but didn’t say anything. She smiled and raised her arms. Since she was still in those killer heels, she could lift her arms over his head and hook her bound wrists behind his neck. She loved the way his hard body felt against hers. She swayed for a moment like she had on the dance floor, rubbing her breasts against his chest, rubbing her leg against his hard cock. Jake drew in a shaky breath. “What are you doin’?” Keeping him a little unsettled? “Making you feel good.” “You’re supposed to be taking my clothes off.” “I am. I didn’t know we couldn’t have a little foreplay during the stripping procedure.” “Did anyone tell you that you have a sassy mouth?” She smiled wide, but he lifted her arms over his head and stepped away from her. One step though, and he was backed against the foot of the bed. “Take off my pants, Shauna.” “Okay.” Instead of grabbing the tab of the zipper with her fingers and pulling it down, which she knew was what he expected, Shauna dropped to her knees in front of him. She rubbed her cheek against the fly. He was so hard. So hot. She pressed her mouth against the bulging denim, blowing warm air onto his straining cock. “Are you hot for me, Jake?” He groaned. “You know I am.” She grinned up at him. “Just checking.” Now his groan was more like a growl. “Take the damn jeans off.” “I’m going to.” She eyed the tab of the zipper peeking out at the top of the fly. She grabbed it with her teeth and pulled down. The rasp of the zipper was almost as loud as Jake’s gasp. His cock pushed the fly open, the hard length bouncing against her face, only his boxer briefs between them. She wanted to taste him. Feel him on her lips. On her tongue. With a sudden burst of urgency, she pushed his jeans and briefs down to his ankles and let his gorgeous cock spring free. She licked her lips once before she guided his velvet cock into her mouth with her bound hands. Jake thought he’d died and gone to heaven when Shauna took him into her hot, wet mouth. He grabbed on to the bedposts on either side of him and hung on. He was so close to the edge, he was afraid he’d explode long before he was ready for her to let him go.

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He stared down at the woman he’d only met a few hours ago. What a sight she made. Naked. On her knees before him. Her bound hands in front of her. His cock sliding in and out between her slick red lips. He reached one of his hands down, grasped a handful of her silky hair and guided her head back and forth as she rode his cock with her mouth. Hot. Wet. Deep. The pressure built, swirled around, rose up within him. “Stop.” His voice sounded like a croak. She sat back on her heels and looked up at him. “What’s the matter?” “I want to be inside you when I come.” He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. Without a word, he turned her around and bent her over the end of the bed. Her tempting ass faced him. “Darlin’, I love your ass.” He rubbed his palms along her firm cheeks and she pressed back into his hands. She was so smooth and soft he could hardly stand it. He rubbed his hand along the slick folds between her legs. When he dipped a finger into her slippery core, her inner muscles sucked at him. Yeah, she was ready for him. He was ready too, but there was one more thing he wanted to do before he sank into her wet heat. He coated his finger with her cream and then spread it up the crease between her cheeks. When she was lubed up good, he rubbed his hard, aching cock along the cleft of her ass. Fuck, that was good. He drew in a shaky breath. Too good. “Spread your legs.” She did as he commanded and with her feet in those fuck-me heeled boots, damn, if she wasn’t the perfect height for him to do just that. He wrestled with the jeans tying up his ankles until he found the condom in the back pocket. He rolled it on in no time and rubbed the swollen head of his cock along her slick, swollen folds. Oh yeah. Finally, he plunged deeply into her tight heat. He moaned and grabbed on to the pale cheeks of her ass. At first, he tried to take it easy, pulling out and sinking back in as slowly as he could bear. But at this point, he couldn’t keep up the leisurely pace. This had to be a hard, hot fuck. There was no other way. He slammed into her, driving his aching cock over and over again into her welcoming body. Her cries and gasps matched his own. The room filled with primitive sounds. Groans and shrieks and the slap of sweaty skin. He reached around her body, grasping a firm breast with one hand and finding her wet pussy with the other. One rub of his finger to her clit was like striking a match. She exploded under his hand, bucked under his body like the broncs he used to ride. He came with a roar that filled his head and poured out of his mouth. The spasms seemed to last forever, rocking his body and his world. When they were finished, he collapsed on top of her. His heart pounded into her back. He gathered her into his arms and kissed the nape of her neck. Her skin was so soft as he stroked the length of her.

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What would it be like to hold a woman like this every night? No. Not a woman like this. This woman. This woman who would be an equal partner in life and in bed. He’d have said they were made for each other if he believed that crap. If he was lookin’ for a woman, Shauna would be the one. A minute later, an hour later, he realized he’d pinned her over the end of the bed. He struggled to his feet and slipped out of her body. He disposed of the condom and turned back to her. “Are you all right?” She lifted her head and nodded. “Can you untie me now?” She propped herself onto her elbows and grinned at him over her shoulder. He was about to laugh and say “sure” when he looked down at that beautiful white ass and saw bright red marks where his rough fingers had grabbed her. The word dried up in his throat as it tightened. And as he helped her to her feet and turned her around to untie her wrists, he noticed rough red scratches along her soft, perfect skin. He glared at the rough calluses on his working man’s hands. Hell, he’d marred her beautiful body. “I’m sorry, darlin’,” he said as he rushed to loosen the rope from her wrists. The skin was red and roughened there as well. What had he been thinkin’, dammit? How could he have treated her like this? He brought her wrists to his mouth and gently kissed the scraped skin. “I’m sorry.” Shauna snatched her hands away from him and propped them on her hips. “Sorry? You’re sorry?” “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you. You trusted me.” “You didn’t hurt me, Jake. I’m fine.” “But look at your wrists.” Then he noticed the scratches across her breasts and his stomach sank. “Look what I did to your skin.” She waved his concerns away with a flick of her elegant hand. “You were right. There had always been something missing when I had sex before. I didn’t know what it was until now.” Even after a bout of sex, hair tousled, naked except for those boots and the diamond resting between her breasts, she looked every inch a lady. Another glance at his rough hands reminded him how far he was out of her class. How could he have ever thought they could be partners? Equals? Lisa had beaten into his head how a guy like him was good for sex, but not for the long haul. He cleared his throat and stepped away from her. “Glad I could help out, lady.” She frowned. “Jake?” He looked down and saw his jeans were still pooled around his ankles. Real classy. He pulled them up and had them zipped in a moment. But try as he might, he couldn’t forget the sight of Shauna unzipping him with her mouth. “It’s late. Time for you to go home.” “What?”

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“Come on, darlin’. We both knew this was just a one-shot deal, right? Make the old boyfriend jealous. Show the lady a good time. I think I’ve held up my end of the bargain.” Shauna refused to let tears betray the hurt that twisted in her chest. If flames could have shot from her eyes, she would have sent them flying. It was better to be angry than totally embarrassed. It was true she’d picked up Jake just to piss off Bobby. It was true she’d really gotten into the playacting with Jake. So when did it turn from pretending to something that felt like it could become the real thing? She’d stripped in front of this man. She’d allowed this sexy stud to tie her up and give her the most amazing orgasm of her life. She’d let him take her doggie style and slam into her with all the zeal of a passionate man. And then he’d stroked her so tenderly, she thought maybe he felt the stirring of possibilities too. She picked his shirt up off the floor and slammed it into his chest. “Don’t worry. You lived up to your end of the bargain. And I imagine any woman who would allow you to tie her up is good enough for you.” She glared at him, daring him to tell her she was wrong. Praying that he would say that not just any woman would do. That she was special. But his mouth drew into a grim line and he didn’t say a word to deny it. She stomped out of the bedroom, the stiletto heels clomping when they hit the hardwood floor. Her hands shook as she pulled on her jeans and top. She didn’t take the time to put on her underwear, instead she stuffed the bra and panties into her back pocket. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. No way was she going to cry over some overbearing cowboy who didn’t know a good thing when he had it in his hands. He watched from the door until she got in her car, started it up and pulled away. She made the mistake of looking back when she pulled out onto the deserted street. The doorway was in the shadows, but she was sure she could see his dark eyes staring at her. The tears didn’t fall until she’d made it home and dragged herself into bed. Her shoulders were a little sore, her lips swollen, but all in all, she felt well and thoroughly loved. He’d wanted to show her that good things could happen when you let go of your control. And he’d proved that was true. But she’d learned years ago that sometimes you had to take control in order to make things happen.

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Chapter Four The stink of beer, whiskey and stale smoke surrounded Jake as he drained his second draft. What the hell made him stop in here again tonight? Why did he want to torture himself? He didn’t sleep more than a few minutes last night. The bedroom smelled like Shauna, like expensive perfume and musky sex. He’d wrestled with his sheets all night long and reminded himself that he could have been sleepin’ with a beautiful woman. Not just any woman, no matter what Shauna believed. But she was too good for him. Lisa had taught him that lesson and he’d always been a quick learner. He didn’t want to get his heart stomped on again. He signaled the bartender for another beer. When the band slowed it down, the steel guitar led into a crying-in-your-beer song. Jake shook his head, remembering how Shauna had accused him of doin’ just that. Shit, how long would it be before everything didn’t remind him of her? He had to stop thinkin’ about her, the smart, sassy woman who rocked his world last night. A rich, smart, sassy woman who outclassed him by a mile. But he couldn’t get her out of his head. Hell, he could even smell her in this smoky bar. “How about a dance, cowboy?” His heart stuttered in his chest. He focused on the condensation on his mug, not wanting to turn around and find out he’d imagined that silky, seductive voice. He’d pushed her away before she could push him out of her life. He’d seen how he’d hurt her. There was no way in hell she’d want to seek him out now. Then he felt her hand on his arm and nothing could stop him from looking over his shoulder. There she was, as polished and beautiful as he remembered. He hurt to think she could have been his for a little while, but he knew from experience that this wouldn’t compare to the pain he’d feel when she eventually left him. Like Lisa did. “Lady, what are you doing here?” “Looking for you.” He turned back to his beer. “Go away.” “No.” She sat down on the stool next to him. Did she wear that short red skirt to torture him with her long bare legs? Did she go braless to punish him with the way her nipples poked through her tight shirt? His hand itched to touch her. His cock did too. When the bartender came over, she ordered a draft. Then she turned her gray eyes to Jake. “I realized that you pushed me out the door before we had a chance to talk about things.” “Nothin’ to talk about.” 157

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The barkeep came with her draft and she pulled some money out of a large leather purse. Jake didn’t say a word. He’d be damned if he was payin’ for her drink tonight. “You have this bad habit of thinking you have to be in control of every situation, cowboy.” She took a slug of beer and stared him down. “You don’t want to talk about the strong feelings we have for each other. Instead, you just push me away. Well, someone told me that sometimes you just have to let go of that control.” Before he had time to realize what she was doing, Shauna grabbed his hands behind his back and he felt the chill of metal and heard a loud click. That she’d just handcuffed him didn’t register until she’d already closed the cuff over his other wrist. “What the hell?” He’d have liked to jump off the barstool, but with his hands behind his back, he was afraid he’d fall on his ass. Laughter burst out around them. Hell. He’d never be able to set foot in this bar again. She smiled and took another long drink from her mug. “Time for the cowboy to see what it’s like to let someone else be in control.” He wanted to be angry, but instead his cock seemed to rise to the challenge. The thought of being at Shauna’s command had him straining against his fly. But he couldn’t let her know that yet. His imagination ran wild. What would she do to him if he was handcuffed to her bed? What could he do to her? He glared at her from beneath his Stetson and made a show of rattling the chains. “Where are the keys?” She grinned. “Back at my place.” He laughed. He couldn’t stop himself. “When you take control, darlin’, you do it right.” She leaned over to whisper in his ear. “I was thinking we could take turns.” She swept her tongue along his neck and his cock jerked in response. “There’s something to be said for both sides of the control issue, don’t you think?” “Darlin’, I like the way your mind works.” She drained her beer and helped him off his stool. She hooked her hand around his arm. Her sweet perfume surrounded him. “Let’s go find those keys.” He’d follow her anywhere. He’d never been able to resist a taste of honey.

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About the Author I fell in love with the written word as soon as I could read. I started writing my own stories while I was still in grade school. I even passed around my own version of fanfic to my classmates long before the term was ever coined. As I grew up, I fell in love with romance and I love the chance to add some extra sizzle to my stories. I live with my own real life hero who is happy to tell everyone that he’s my inspiration. We travel in our RV whenever possible—the great thing about writing is I can take it anywhere. See you down the road. Natasha welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Natasha Moore Nothing to Fear

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WINTER DRAGON Jory Strong

Winter Dragon

Chapter One The sting of the arrowhead was barely noticeable to the blue dragon. It plunged into his side, little more than a pinprick, as he raced to get home before the full force of winter arrived. It was only when the magic began to spread, when he dipped precariously low and nearly caught himself on a tree stripped of its leaves, that he realized something was wrong. By then it was too late. The claws that could sunder a human into pieces or haul a seta-beast’s carcass to his lair for a feast were numb, useless against the arrow. His wings would soon follow. Beneath him was familiar territory, a neutral valley that served as a flight-way for all dragons. In front of him and to the right were the imposing cliffs marking the outer boundary of the land the blue dragons laid claim to. In front and to the left was territory claimed by scarlet dragons. Though it would cost a great chunk of his hoard to get help from the scarlet dragons, he knew there was little choice. The distance to the lair-city he called home was too great and he was rapidly losing the ability to fly. The dragon lifted his head and stretched out his neck, intending to trumpet his request for assistance. But his vocal cords were frozen, rendered as useless as his sharp talons. A treetop scraped his belly. Fear skittered through him though he refused to let it form an icy knot in his belly. His knowledge was vast. It was his true hoard, the thing he valued far more than the gold and gems lining the floor of his private lair. And unlike the majority of his kind, whose interests tended to be limited to the dragon world and the pursuit of treasure, he was a being who thrived on studying everything of the world around him—including elves and humans. Whether it was a human sorcerer or an elf, whoever had sent the spell arrow into his side would have a tracking spell attached to it and would soon arrive to claim their prize. He would use his knowledge to evade their snare. The dragon silently grunted as the needles of a pine tree rained down on his wing after striking the branch. He made the decision to land and barely reached a small clearing before he lost all ability to fly. Cold seeped into him immediately. With the last of his will and strength, the dragon whose most private, self-given fifth name was Aizik, forced the change, gave up the dragon’s form for a human one.

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Misery came with the touch of naked flesh to frigid land, with the chilled wind that served as a deadly blanket leaching his heat away. Aizik shivered but was grateful he’d managed the shift. He could preserve the fire at his core and sustain life longer in his second form. And when the sorcerer or elf came to collect him, there’d be less temptation to kill him for a dragon’s skin. Instead, they might be willing to bargain. Every moment felt like an hour. Aizik’s mind wandered, first by choice, then later with disconnected thoughts and mosaic images as he drifted toward a final, deadly sleep. Aizik thought he’d slipped into hallucination when he saw the small herd of unicorns appear. They entered the clearing tentatively, snorting and stamping deadly black hooves, nickering back and forth as if in conversation, until finally they approached. Several of them went to their knees then settled against him, sharing their body heat. Pain sliced through him as cold-numbed limbs warmed, though the spell-paralysis remained. Their behavior was beyond his understanding, something from a human fairy tale. He wondered if the spell had masked his dragon nature from them. Otherwise he couldn’t imagine them approaching. But he was grateful for their presence and their heat. He knew they had most likely saved his life. Aizik’s mind cleared as the deadly chill left him. He noticed a mare and stallion leave the herd. He became aware of the dragon song. The wind carried the news of Ember’s failure as her foot found the final toehold set in the jagged rock face. Tears burned her eyes, but she blinked them away along with the grit from her long downward climb. Far above her, dragons flew in a cloud-dotted sky and perched at lair entranceways. They trumpeted the tale of her banishment, spread it across the mountain ranges and valley, their voices beautiful despite the pain their song caused her. There was no going back. The lair-city was no longer her home, the dragons no longer a part of her world. Ember pushed away from the wall to drop onto a path that would take her to the base of the mountain. She landed cleanly, with the grace of someone accustomed to having made the same jump repeatedly. Sorrow closed her throat. It blended with the slicing pain in her chest. A ragged breath escaped. She brushed at the tears sliding down her cheeks and caught sight of the mark on her left hand. Its sudden appearance was the reason her mother and the other females had given when they demanded she stand before the elders and prove she was dragon despite the Elven looks and the ability to do spell magic she’d inherited from her father.

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The strange mark formed a circle though the lines weren’t smooth in every place. Patterned sections—ripples, jagged lines, sharp spiked points—broke up the shape’s curve. One of the patterns was repeated in the circle’s middle. The jagged series of lines made her think of fissures in the earth, the veins of precious gems and gold that found their way into so many of her memories of her father. He’d been River in Stone, an elf banished from his homeland and forbidden to enter Elven lands under penalty of death. And now her life paralleled his. She’d been banished from the place she’d called home since his death. With a heavy heart, Ember forced herself forward. She had a long walk ahead of her if she was going to make it to the retreat she’d fashioned for herself. It’d started out as a playhouse, a hodgepodge of tree branches and rocks set against the entranceway to a cave with a hot spring in it. But over the years, as she’d grown to look more Elven, she’d needed a place she could escape to and so she’d refined and expanded it. Now it looked much like the cottage of her childhood. Ember’s throat tightened again. She tried to turn away from memories of the earthquake that had crushed River in Stone where he worked in the mine—and what had come next—but it was impossible. With his death, the star in the center of the blue pendant around her mother’s neck had winked out and Ember’s life had forever changed. Her mother had stepped through the cottage door and taken a dragon’s form for the first time in Ember’s memory. She’d been more awed than terrified at the sight of the blood-red scales and magnificent being—until the dragon’s gaze had settled on her. Eyes often colored with coolness flickered instead with dislike and disdain before giving way to flat nothingness. Then her mother turned the massive dragon’s head toward the cottage they’d just left. She opened her mouth and sent a breath of fire to curl around and claim the place that had been Ember’s home. It burned as Ember stood shell-shocked, tears running down her face. And when it finished burning, her mother launched herself into the sky and flew away. Ember looked down at the mark on her palm. Even her grandfather, the one who’d arrived a week after the earthquake to take her to the dragons’ city of lairs, hadn’t been able to sway enough of the elders to allow her to stay. Dragons hated and feared magic, especially Elven spell magic. They saw the mark on her hand as evidence she would soon grow stronger, and winter—the time when they were most vulnerable—was rapidly arriving. Soon there’d be snow and ice. The land would be reduced to a frozen, barren place. Only the strongest dragons would leave the lair-city to hunt fresh meat. The young, the old, those who couldn’t keep their body temperatures from dropping would stay inside, where fires burned and hot springs fought off the frigid outside temperature, making it safe to sleep without the worry of never waking.

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The winter made the humans more of a threat. Dragon skins were valuable, as was dragon meat to people who were struggling to survive. She didn’t see what threat she offered. She would never betray the dragons to the humans who grew bolder about attacking in the cold months. Her spell magic seemed limited to the ability to start small fires. And while she had some affinity for stone, she didn’t have enough to hear its whispering or to call it to her so anything in its path would be crushed. Ember swallowed hard, thinking of the earthquake and the days she’d struggled to scrape away dirt and boulders—numbing her mind to her mother’s destruction of the cottage and abandonment—even as her hands grew raw and painful in a desperate attempt to reach her father. Until her grandfather’s arrival, she’d refused to give up hope that she would find her father alive in the rubble. Only when her grandfather had explained that her mother’s regaining of a dragon form meant she’d been freed from an enchantment spell, did Ember understand that the moment the star faded from the pendant was the moment she’d lost both of her parents. And even though it had happened years ago, and she was now fully grown, old enough to have a mate and gain a lair of her own, the memory remained fresh, hurtful. The narrow, steep path gave way to the valley floor. Ember shivered as wind whipped through, its chill slicing past the layers of her clothing. Above her the dragon song had finally stopped. Now silence reigned except for the call of a falcon, the rustle of grass where it bent nearly to the ground, as if bowing to the impending winter. Much of the wildlife had already migrated to warmer climates, or found sheltered places to settle into when not hunting. It would be a lonely winter without their company. Her greatest abilities were with living things. But she didn’t blame those who could for leaving, and those who remained for being wary about emerging from their hiding places—even in her presence. Winter was a time of death as surely as spring was a time of birth. Survival was a prize that went to the strongest, the toughest, to those with the greatest will and the most luck. She glanced up and knew she needed to hurry. Blue skies had yielded to great banks of snow clouds. The valley floor was crisscrossed with paths, most leading to the stream-fed lake at the far end. It was bordered on three sides by deep forest, one of which abruptly ended at sheer cliffs and a mountain range belonging to dragons who owed allegiance to a different lair-city. Even if she could have scaled the cliff walls and explored that dragon realm, she wouldn’t have. The blue dragons were fierce, deadly. They were said to guard even the outer reaches of their territory with the same protectiveness as the lair-city at its heart.

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The first flake of snow reached her as she neared the forest edge. It was soft and wet, like a tiny kiss of greeting, and Ember smiled despite having no family to call her own, no dragon form or dragon name. By the time she stepped under the sheltering canopy of evergreen trees, the temperature in the valley had dropped and the snow was falling more rapidly. Ember hurried forward, the trail so well memorized her feet knew it by rote. She tucked her head, intending to adjust the scarf she wore around her neck. A soft whinny had her glancing up to find a unicorn blocking the path. Its brown summer coat had shed to the white one that would allow it to blend in during its migration. Once the first snow was on the ground, the unicorns would leave. “Coming to say goodbye,” Ember said, recognizing the mare by the distinctive pattern of black and gold on its horn. The mare nickered, as if agreeing with Ember, then turned and went down on a knee. Ember slid gracefully onto the animal’s back, using the light touch of her legs to the unicorn’s sides and her fingers grasping the mane to stay in position. It was as close to flying as she ever got, to race through the valley and along forest paths on the back of a unicorn. It was a gift that never failed to lift her spirits, to make her value her Elven heritage, as it soothed the pain of not being dragon enough to change form and take to the skies. The hot shame of having to stand naked in front of the elders as they all watched and waited for her to prove she was one of them was extinguished—at least for the moment—as the unicorn ran and Ember felt the exhilarating sting of ice against her cheeks. The mare barely slowed as she rounded corners and leaped over fallen limbs as if they were giant tree trunks. Joy filled Ember when a second unicorn joined the first, a magnificent stallion who followed closely at the mare’s heels. Ember didn’t care when they passed the trail leading to her hideaway. If she had to walk the rest of the day and into the night in order to get to her cottage, it would be worth it to take the memory of this last ride with her into winter. It might be the last one she ever experienced. In the spring she would be gone from this place of magic, perhaps forever. She loved the open spaces and dark forest, the placid lake and towering beauty of the mountains. She took pride in the cottage she’d built with the help of the wild creatures. But she craved more than just a home, she craved a family. The thought of being among humans scared her. She had so little experience with them, yet she knew she needed to travel to one of their cities and see if she could be happy there. Except for the rounded tips of her ears, she might look elf, but she would never be welcome among them and might well be killed if they knew her father was River in Stone. From her earliest memories he’d instructed her to hide should any elves stumble

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upon their home in the human land bordering that of the elves. At first she’d thought he was ashamed of having a halfling daughter, but gradually, as she’d aged, she’d learned at least part of his story—how he’d come to be clan-less because his parents and brother were caught plotting an assassination of Elven royalty in order to gain power. The stallion whinnied and his call was returned by unseen animals. The mare slowed her pace to a trot before turning abruptly and entering a small clearing where the rest of the herd waited. Ember’s breath caught in her throat when several unicorns rose from the ground to reveal the naked man they’d kept warm with the heat of their bodies. He lay unmoving except for the rise and fall of his chest, his masculine perfection marred only by the arrow in his side. Ember slid from the mare’s back and hurried to him.

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Chapter Two Cold jolted Aizik from a light doze when the unicorns suddenly stood, taking their life-preserving warmth with them. He had the presence of mind to open his eyes only enough to determine what had startled them. He expected to see the arrow’s maker bearing down on him. Instead he saw a woman astride the unicorn mare he’d noticed leaving the herd. Elf, Aizik thought, and despite her race, he felt his body stir in reaction to her beauty when she dismounted gracefully and hurried toward him. She was pale-skinned and dark-haired, winter personified. But when she reached his side and touched her bare palm to his naked flesh, she brought waves of heat instead of frigid agony. He would have moaned in pleasure if the spell-tipped arrow hadn’t left him without voice. And though he’d encountered Elven females before during his explorations of human cities, he’d never had one of them fill his cock with blood and his thoughts with carnal images. She explored the arrow’s entry point with gentle fingers then slid them up the wooden shaft, and the image of her doing the same to his erection made him shiver with need. Her effect on him opened the door to suspicion, to the worry she was the one who’d let the arrow fly. Aizik looked at her face and found her eyebrows drawn together, her bottom lip caught gently between her teeth. He blocked his mind to fantasy and forced himself to look at her as his enemy, to prepare for the moment when he could escape the trap he found himself in. Dark, dark eyelashes lifted unexpectedly. Winter-blue eyes caught him watching her and her small gasp had his thoughts traveling in the direction he’d forbidden them. “The arrow is spelled,” she said, her voice soft with concern. “I’m not sure what will happen if I try to remove it.” A hesitant smile formed on her lips, then disappeared when he didn’t respond. “Can you speak?” she asked, and he would have done so just to please her if he’d been able. Her teeth caught her bottom lip again. The fingers touching the feathered ridges on the arrow’s shaft slid downward to touch his side again, making him groan inwardly and almost wish it were pain he felt instead of raging desire. She gave him no warning, not that he would have protested. A quick yank and the arrow’s tip ripped from his side.

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Aizik began shivering violently as the spell magic fled his body, leaving deep, wide places for the cold to fill. The flesh on his side sealed as though it had never been penetrated, locking the deadly chill inside him. If he didn’t get somewhere warm soon, he would perish despite the human form. “Thank you,” he managed through chattering teeth, but she was already standing and turning, speaking to the stallion in low, musical tones. And then the animal was kneeling, offering its back, and somehow Aizik was astride, an Elven arm around his waist, a female body pressed to his back, the top layers of her protective clothing peeled away to share her warmth with him. The trip through the woods was a mix of agony and wonder, the sight of a small cottage set against the sheer cliffs a welcome one. Aizik let her help him inside and didn’t protest when she guided him to her bed and settled him under the covers. Ember turned away from the naked human in order to start a fire in the fireplace. Her heart pounded, fed by adrenaline as well as hope. He was a gift from the unicorns. There was no other explanation for why they’d offered their warmth to him, why they’d taken her to him, then helped her get him to safety. The elves revered the unicorns. Her father had often told her tales of them. They were sacred, magical beasts, as were the winged horses she’d seen only once in her life. Ember’s heart swelled with happiness. They meant for the stranger to be her mate. Her hands shook as she traced patterns in the air and whispered the words that had once brought flames to life. But she wasn’t surprised when nothing happened. Since the mark appeared on her hand, what little magic she did possess seemed to have deserted her. Even the minnow flashes of dragon fire she’d sometimes felt were gone now, taking with them any possibility she might have another form. Ember started a fire with a flint-stone, as her father had taught her to do. It crackled to life, quickly catching on the smaller twigs in the fireplace, growing in intensity to lick hungrily at the larger ones. She could feel the human’s eyes on her back and felt a sudden shyness, a nervousness she hadn’t felt earlier. When her father was alive, there had been few visitors, and those she’d seen from a distance. And while the sight of a naked man was familiar since even the scarlet dragons lessened themselves by taking a human form when it was more convenient or pleasurable to do so, she hadn’t spent any time around humans, didn’t know what he might be thinking. The flames in the fireplace grew hotter, filling the cottage with warmth and hastening the moment when she would need to turn around, to see to the stranger in her bed. Ember stood and shed her coat and scarf, draping them over a chair. For a moment she saw the cottage as a stranger might. It was comfortable, pleasing to the eye though tiny. A sense of pride filled her as she looked at it. Everything in it had been crafted by her own hands except for the figurines and glass globe on the mantle above the fireplace. 168

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A lump formed in her throat as her eyes settled on them. They were all that was left of her father. Each summer, starting with the very first one when the unicorns accepted her on their backs, she’d made the long trip to the burned remains of her childhood home in order to sift through the debris. The valuable gems and precious metals were gone—taken by dragons—but Ember had never cared about those items. She lifted her hand, seeking the comfort that handling the carved pieces and the small globe with its winter scene usually brought, then let it fall away as memories of those final moments in the dragons’ lair-city crowded in. She turned from the fire and found her guest watching her, his blue eyes dark, a beautiful contrast to his raven-black hair. Ember glanced down, said the first thing that came to mind. “It was too dangerous to keep the arrow for you to examine. The unicorns are leaving the valley. They’ll drop it somewhere away from here.” Strength poured into Aizik as the temperature in the room rose. The heat filled the hollow places left by the spell magic. It fed the dragon flame at his core. Soon he’d be strong enough to take the dragon’s form and fly home. But as his eyes traveled over the woman, he found himself reluctant to leave her. More than that, he found himself aching to possess her. The need was there in his rigid cock, in the fantasies that flooded him each time he met her gaze or glimpsed delicate white teeth worrying a lip meant to be explored, kissed, sucked. He forced himself into a sitting position and brought his knee up in order to hide her effect on him. If she were dragon instead of elf, the fiery heat she generated in him might tempt him into thinking she was meant to be his mate. Embarrassment and outrage filled Aizik as his thoughts went to what had prompted his most recent travels. He was well known for his odd interest in the world beyond the dragon territories, and his even more horrifying habit of spending large amounts of time in a human form so he could explore it. But to learn that the eldest living dragon of his family name had offered a prize of gold to any female who could convince him to mate with her had been a blow to his pride. A reward! As if he were a dragon of dull scales or puny size! As if he couldn’t attract a female on his own or didn’t want one! He did want a mate. But he wanted someone…different, unique, someone who had interests other than collecting shiny things and basking in the sun. He wanted someone who saw who he was inside and wanted him just the way he was. If he’d felt safe wintering among the humans, he would have stayed away from the lair-city. He’d even been tempted to stay among dragons of a different color, but he doubted the offer of a bounty for mating with him had been rescinded, and he preferred to risk the long winter months in close confinement with females who couldn’t fool him into thinking they wanted him for himself.

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“I’m Aizik,” he said, extending his hand in the human way, hoping to draw the elf closer. She was exquisite, sleek and willowy with black hair that flowed down in straight lines to her buttocks. Now that she’d shed her coat, he could see the feminine curves he’d felt against his back as they’d ridden the unicorn. “I’m Ember Caught in Stone,” she said, moving toward him gracefully, hesitating briefly before tucking her hair behind her ears to reveal that despite her name and her appearance, she wasn’t fully elf. The closer she got to him the more he wanted to touch her, to see if the heat in her cheeks, the shy glances she gave him from underneath dark eyelashes signaled she felt the same burning desire he did. His cock stretched along his abdomen, begging to be sheathed inside her. She placed her hand in his and he nearly groaned. He couldn’t resist the urge to capture her other hand as well. Shock trapped Aizik’s breath in his throat when he felt the mark on her palm. This was the female the scarlet dragons sang about as he lay trapped by the spell. This was the halfling who’d failed to take a dragon form and been banished. And if that were true… Aizik turned her hand over to assure himself he wasn’t caught in a fantasy of his own creation. He brushed his thumb over the circular mark, felt Ember shiver and heard her quick intake of breath. He lifted his face. Their eyes met. Held. “When did this appear?” he asked. “This morning.” She glanced down at her palm and worried her bottom lip for a second before adding in a soft whisper, “Do you know what it means?” Aizik traced the mark with his thumb. His thoughts shuffled through some of the stories and legends he’d collected in oral form and in the books he hoarded. One in particular teased at the edges of his memory but wouldn’t emerge. Finally he said, “I’ve heard about marks appearing like this. But I’m not sure anyone knows what they mean. The elves don’t share their tales. The ones I can easily remember feature humans. If the mark appears on magic practitioners, it blocks their magic for a while then afterward they’re usually more powerful. If it appears on a null, one with no inherent magical ability, they’re unchanged by it. Either way, the mark remains for a short time then disappears.” Aizik looked up at Ember’s face and felt his heart thunder in his chest when he saw her for the gift she was. Here was a female who carried dragon blood but saw him as human, ordinary. Here was someone he could share his true self with, who wouldn’t be impressed by his ancestry, or worse, pretend an interest in him in order to snare him as a mate and add to their hoard of treasure.

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Here was someone unique, different. He doubted she would have heard about the prize offered for mating with him. When he’d given her his name, he’d given her the last set of letters in a name that was forty-three characters long. He’d shared what he called himself. If she’d heard of him at all, then she’d heard mention of him by his fourth name, the common name given to him by his parents and used by all. He couldn’t take her to the lair-city until the mark faded. The blue dragons were more tolerant of magic than the scarlet, but with the arrival of winter, they wouldn’t welcome an unknown female who looked like an elf and bore a magical mark. Aizik’s lips curved in anticipation. They could winter together here. The flame at his core burned hot and strong enough that he could risk the cold. By the time spring came… A small knot of worry formed in chest. Would she want a dragon mate? Especially after having been banished from the scarlet lair-city for having no dragon form? Would she want to tie herself to a race where she would always be considered less when her Elven heritage would make her a prize beyond measure to a human male, especially a sorcerer? Aizik pushed the disquieting thoughts away with firm resolve. Despite what his ancestor might think, he was no dull-scaled, puny-sized dragon who couldn’t attract a female on his own. By the time he revealed his dragon form to Ember, she wouldn’t care because she would already know who he was. Ember took comfort that Aizik didn’t fear the mark. His lack of concern over it added weight to her belief he was human. She’d had a fleeting thought he might be dragon, though it didn’t seem likely since it was her Elven heritage that drew the unicorns. They were prey for dragons, especially during times when food was scarce. “Are you a sorcerer?” she asked. Aizik’s laugh sent flutters through her chest. “No, I’m not magical at all.” Ember’s eyes traveled from his face to his healed side. Her nipples pebbled at the sight of his smooth skin and muscled body. He might not consider himself magical, but she did. Where their hands touched, heat flowed into her, making her want to guide them to her breasts, her belly, to the needy place between her thighs. She knew what it was like to be touched there, but only by her own hand. There’d been dragon males who found her attractive. They’d whispered promises of pleasure— if she would meet them in the woods, away from the sun-baked rocks where couples fucked in both human and dragon form in the warm months. They’d offered to mount her, but only if they could do it without openly acknowledging it—as if the desire to cover her body with theirs was a dirty secret they were ashamed of.

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Carnal images cascaded through Ember’s mind. The scarlet dragons might think the human form was less, but they often took it when they coupled. In the summer it was impossible to avoid seeing males and females engaged in sexual acts. It was impossible to escape the sound of their moans and their screams of pleasure. She’d fantasized about being one of them. Of having a male gaze at her adoringly as he worshiped her body with his hands and mouth, mounted her from behind and mated with her for all to see. She’d dreamed of having a male let her touch him possessively, love him thoroughly, both physically and emotionally. Ember’s gaze lifted to find Aizik studying her with the same intensity as she was studying him. He found her attractive. She knew that look, though she’d never let herself act on it. Until now. She worried her bottom lip nervously. Heat flashed through her when his face tightened. “Do you know who shot you?” she asked, wondering what rules humans applied to coupling, if it would be too forward of her to speak of her willingness to be intimate with him. She couldn’t expect him to know she was meant to be his mate, though she believed it was true. Aizik sighed and her heart melted when a slight blush colored his cheeks, making him seem vulnerable. “I’m afraid I have a tendency to lose myself in thought. By the time I noticed the arrow, it was too late. The damage was done. I can’t be certain I was the intended target, though I suspect I must have been since neither sorcerers nor elves are known for wasting their spells.” She was curious about how he came to be naked, if he remembered shedding his clothing since no human traveled without them, even in the summer. But she didn’t want to embarrass him and she thought it was probably the result of the spell. “Do you live in Saintcrow?” she asked, naming the nearest human settlement. It was several days away and she’d only ventured there once before being forbidden to do so by the dragon elders. “No, though I’ve visited often enough. There’s a bookseller in the old section of town. I’ve been known to disappear into his shop for days on end. Some of the things that pass through his hands—” Aizik halted. His lips curved in a wry smile that made Ember want to lean forward and touch them with hers. “You’re a scholar,” she guessed. “Yes. And a traveler.” “I’ve only been to Saintcrow once,” she confessed. “This valley and one other are all I’ve ever known. But I’ve explored them so well I could navigate them in dense fog or pitch dark.” His chuckle was like warm honey. It made liquid hunger pool in her labia and breasts. “I wouldn’t expect any less from a female who rides unicorns.”

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She didn’t resist when he placed her hands on his raised knee before cupping her face with his. Calloused fingertips stroked her cheeks, her lips, and she quivered in anticipation. “I haven’t thanked you properly for saving my life,” Aizik said in a husky voice.

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Chapter Three Slowly, as though he intended to give her a chance to escape if she desired it, Aizik leaned forward. His breath reached her first, warm and masculine. And then his lips arrived, butterfly-soft as they pressed to hers. Ember sighed and he answered it with a moan, with the velvety stroke of his tongue against the seam of her mouth. She opened for him, shivered when he sealed their mouths together before feeding her hunger with the rub of tongue against tongue. She whimpered when his hands traveled downward, when his fingers brushed across her chest as he unbuttoned her shirt. Nipples hardened and strained, pouted for him to discover them, and when he did, her back arched, her eyes closed at the exquisite sensation of being touched so intimately by another. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured before tugging at her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and sending bursts of heat to her nipples. Her hands left his knee to tangle in hair as black and silky as her own. She wanted to explore every inch of him with her fingers, her lips, her tongue. But she could only cling to him as once again he pressed his mouth to hers, mated his tongue with hers in a sensuous slide that mimicked the thrust and retreat of a cock in a woman’s sheath. Liquid heat pooled in her breasts, her woman’s folds, escaped from her slit to wet her panties and inner thighs. His hands tightened on her hips and she wondered if his sense of smell was as keen as a dragon’s, if he could scent how ready she was for him to mount her. Without lifting his mouth from hers, Aizik shifted his position so he was sitting on the edge of the bed with her standing between his legs. Of their own accord her fingers left his hair, explored broad, powerful shoulders and a muscled chest. She found his nipples and his moan sent joy cascading through her. It surprised her how much the sound of his enjoyment increased her own. “Ember,” he panted when she squeezed his nipples as he’d done all too briefly to hers. He left her mouth to kiss her neck, the curve of her jaw. She trembled when he reached her ear, whimpered when he took the lobe between his lips and sucked on it, his rhythm matching the squeeze and release of her fingers on his nipples. Sensation bombarded her. It drove out all thought, left only heat, a sense of belonging, the overwhelming need to feel him inside her, filling her core with his fire. Ember cried out when his tongue found her sensitive ear canal, fucked into it. She thrilled at the way his chest muscles bunched underneath her palms, as if he were only barely managing to keep himself from taking her. Her clit was erect against the silky

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material of her panties, desperate to be touched, to rub against the smooth hardness of his cock. Lust roared through Aizik in a fiery heat unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It left him wanting to rub and hump against Ember like a fledgling caught in the first rush of raw desire. Already his sac was full, the skin pulled tight over his testicles. Each tug on his nipples sent a lance of exquisite agony through his shaft, a warning along his spine that he was close to coating her with his seed. Aizik shuddered, panted with the image of having her bared and marking her in such a primitive manner, of rubbing his semen and his scent into her soft folds and silky skin. He’d never done that with any female, never been tempted even when their scent announced they were ready to breed. He’d known he wouldn’t settle for a brood-bond, a mating that lasted until the young fledged from the lair. He wanted a permanent bond with a female whose heart, soul and body would mesh seamlessly with his. With a groan and a final thrust of his tongue into Ember’s ear, Aizik pulled back. His hands left her hips, went to cover hers, to still the fingers sending tortured ecstasy from his nipples to his cock. “Undress for me,” he whispered, his penis swelling further at the sight of her standing in front of him with needy eyes, her chest rising and falling quickly, making him hunger to see more of her than her face and the strip of flesh exposed by her parted shirt. She trembled slightly and he nearly took over the task of stripping her when she nibbled on her bottom lip, transmitting her shyness, her worry. The part of him that was a gentle scholar urged him to lean into her, to coax and encourage. But a dragon male’s instinct to make a bold display in front of his prospective mate was stronger. Aizik pushed what remained of the bedding aside, let her see the way his cock stood thick and proud, the globes beneath it full of seed. There was no hiding his response to her, the way her soft moan at the sight of him caused his foreskin to pull back and further expose the glistening tip of his penis. Heat coiled in Ember’s belly as she ate him with her eyes. He was as smooth and hairless between his thighs as a dragon male was. And his scent… It was alluring, like a darkly carnal spice that begged to be inhaled, tasted. An unfamiliar boldness filled her as another bead of arousal escaped the slit in his cock head. He was hers, a gift from the unicorns she was meant to explore and enjoy, to mate and share a life with. She’d never thought to be the aggressor, but having him show himself to her, having him respond so erotically to her fingers on his nipples made her feel desirable, confident. Her lack of a dragon form didn’t matter to him, and though she didn’t know whether or not it was the human way, she thought if Aizik were dragon, he’d take her

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openly on the sun-baked rocks. He’d accept her touch, revel in having the other males see her respond to his hard cock and mate-scent. She’d never imagined human males and dragon males would share similarities, but perhaps it wasn’t so surprising. Dragons would couple in their true forms, but from the displays she’d witnessed, they took far more pleasure in doing it in a form they usually considered inferior. Ember pulled her hands from underneath his and placed them against his muscled thighs. His hips jerked in reaction, sending an answering throb through her blood-filled clit. She couldn’t have stopped herself from leaning down if she’d wanted to. Urges that were primitive, powerful, forced her mouth to his cock, to the flesh straining to reach her, to know her touch. He tumbled backward onto his elbows with a groan when her lips caressed his shaft, took great fistfuls of her hair in his hands as if he were afraid she would try to escape. Nothing was further from her mind. His scent was intoxicating. His taste was addicting. She’d heard such a thing was true of bonded dragon pairs, but she’d never guessed she could crave a male as profoundly as she already craved Aizik. It took only the barest touch of her mouth to his cock and she knew she wouldn’t be satisfied until she’d swallowed his essence. Aizik’s thighs bunched and strained beneath her palms. His breath came out in ragged pants as she trailed kisses down his thick cock, traced the heavy veins with her tongue before sucking the loose skin into her mouth. His hips lifted repeatedly. The air heated with a spicy scent that left her torn between continuing to hold his thighs open or sliding her hand beneath the waistband of her panties and touching herself. “Take me in your mouth,” he whispered, his voice guttural, urgent. Her hands left his thighs, one to cup and fondle the smooth heavy globes of his testicles, the other to circle his erection. His skin was feverish, darkened. His cock throbbed, its beat matching the spasming of her cunt. She ran her tongue up his length before taking the tip of his penis between her lips. Aizik nearly came as soon as she put him in her mouth. He thrust upward, unable to check the violence of his need. Lust roared through him, a mating heat beyond anything he’d never known. “Please,” he managed, not wanting to hurt her in his passion, but knowing he was at the edge of his endurance. He might view himself as a scholar, had given himself the name of Aizik in recognition of his truest nature, but he was still a dragon male—capable of primitive acts of domination.

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“Please,” he whispered, stroking her cheeks with hands still wrapped in strands of her hair, trying to entice her to take him deep in her mouth and accept his essence. He shivered when she moaned, cried out when her tongue rasped the tip of his cock. His muscles tensed. Breathing became a struggle. He panted when her lips closed firmly around his penis and she began sucking, slowly at first, then faster, until there was no thought. No reality other than the pull of her mouth. Until there was only pleasure so extreme it couldn’t be held back, couldn’t be contained, couldn’t be limited. Aizik nearly passed out as orgasm took him like a bonfire, as ecstasy exploded through him with each jet of semen through his cock. Dragon flames roared from his depths, would have escaped through his mouth in a breath of fire if he’d been in his other form. He sank to his back, shuddering, sated, his heart swelling as he watched Ember nuzzle and lick his already-filling cock before lifting her face. There was satisfaction in her expression, the heated, pleased look of a female who’d gotten what she wanted. They were meant to be mates. He’d never produced the mate-scent when he was with another female, had never smelled it on any female the way he could smell it on Ember. In another minute he’d be ready to mount and couple with her. But before he did, he wanted to taste her, to bury his face between her thighs and give her the same pleasure she’d given him. Aizik forced himself into a sitting position. He loved the way Ember’s dark eyelashes dropped and her face warmed. The way she was both bold and submissive. He’d always wanted an equal in a mate, and Ember would be that despite having no dragon’s form. But he was also a male dragon, and the part of him not governed by intellect wanted to dominate, even if it was only occasionally, and only in bed. Fantasies of breeding her filtered through his thoughts. Images of seeing her in a nest of jewels as she grew swollen with the first of their young had his heart racing. Their offspring would be dragon. Legend said it was only when a pure elf mated with a dragon that the young were denied a dragon form. Aizik didn’t know if it was true. Such matings were so rare. He wondered if Elven magic weakened or doused the dragon flame at their core. A memory flickered at the edge of his consciousness then was gone as physical pursuits thrust intellectual ones away. He captured Ember’s lips and slid his tongue into her mouth in a darkly carnal, utterly savage celebration of the ecstasy she’d just given him. He reveled in the way she tasted of him, in the way she crowded closer, pressing the front of her body against his, tantalizing him with the feel of skin and the reminder that she was a treasure yet to be fully viewed or explored. When the kiss ended, he repeated his earlier words, only this time they weren’t a request, they were a command. “Undress for me.”

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Aizik’s demand sent a wicked thrill through Ember. She’d witnessed male dragons taking females in savage couplings, had fantasized about having a mate who desired her so possessively, who would show her his strength and make her feel safe because of it. Instinctively she knew Aizik’s nature was gentler than a dragon male’s, that he lived more in the world of intellect than physical force. But lust burned and coiled in her belly at the way he looked at her, at the way he was willing to demonstrate he could master her. Ember trembled as she shrugged her unbuttoned shirt off her shoulders. Unhappy memories tried to crowd in—of standing naked in front of the elders and being unable to change—but before they could, Aizik’s hands were on her breasts as if he guessed the nature of her thoughts. “Nothing matters but the two of us,” he said, his fingers gripping her nipples, sending painful pleasure to her clit in a sensual punishment for letting her thoughts wander. Ember shivered and he squeezed again, made her hips jerk as another bolt of icyhot need pulsed into her rigid knob. “Say it,” he demanded.

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Chapter Four “Nothing matters but the two of us,” Ember whispered and he rewarded her by leaning forward, by freeing one nipple and claiming it with his mouth. At first he rooted and nuzzled, suckled sweetly. But then his lips and tongue became possessive. Ember cried out when he gripped her nipple with his teeth and bit down. Her hands found the front of her pants, struggled against the buttons in her hurry to bare herself, to find some relief from the inferno of need building inside her. “Please,” she whispered, pressing against him, nearly sinking to the floor when he began sucking in hard pulls that reached her womb and had her keening, shivering with the need to feel his touch between her thighs. She whimpered in protest when he released her. Trembled when he leaned back to survey the effects of what he’d done to her. “The rest of it,” he growled and she quickly obeyed, shed the short suede boots and then her pants and underwear. He didn’t give her time to worry about whether or not she appealed to him, didn’t let the doubts do more than flutter into existence before he banished them by pulling her onto the bed, rolling them so they were in the center with him straddling her. “Aizik,” she whispered, acutely aware of the rigid length of his erection against her bare mound. Wherever their skin touched there was heat, the need to rub and grind, to meld even more closely together. “What do you want?” he asked, rocking, striking her clit with his thick, hard cock. “You,” she said, arching her back, reaching for him. He grabbed her wrists and held them to the mattress. “My turn,” he said, taking her mouth, plundering it with his tongue and filling it with his taste. The heady dark spice scent had her hungrily tangling her tongue with his, delving into his mouth. She fought to spread her thighs even as she thrust her engorged clit against his throbbing erection, whimpered with the desire to have him find her opening. Aizik fought to keep his thighs clamped to Ember’s. Her scent was driving him crazy, making him wrestle with his self-control. It was evocative, warm molasses on a winter breeze, a promise of hearth and home. He forced himself away from her mouth. Kissed down her throat to delicately curved breasts just large enough to fit in his hand. Their shape and texture was enthralling, the mix of elf genetics and dragon, pure perfection.

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It was a revelation to him just how much he loved their gentle swell, how aroused he became sucking and biting her dark, winter-berry nipples. Dragon females had flat chests except when there were young to nurse. And human females, with their larger breasts, had never stirred him. But Ember— He alternated. Kissing, laving, suckling at each breast as she writhed and whimpered beneath him. Her scent blended with his, filled the air with the heady musk of dragons in the first stages of bonding. His cock was wet from rubbing against her slick folds, from the lubrication a male dragon produces to ease his thick, heavily veined penis into a female’s sheath. The instinct to claim her drove him downward to her mound. Like a pure dragon female, she was smooth, bare. But the sight of her parted cunt lips, the dark berrycolored slit, affected him as no dragon female ever had. Mine! The word roared through him, imprinted itself on every fiber of his being along with the image of her partially splayed thighs and woman’s flesh. Until it was time to breed, dragons weren’t possessive of their lovers and some chose to find pleasure with multiple partners. But Ember would never know another’s touch. She would never lie on the heated rocks and ledges of the lair-city in summertime and couple with other males. He wouldn’t tolerate it, felt himself ready to do battle at the mere thought of it. Aizik pressed his lips to her lower ones with a possessive growl. His tongue pierced her, gathered her essence. Her scent was mesmerizing, her taste addicting. With the first stab of his tongue into her hot core, he knew they would need and desire only each other. Theirs would be a mating to last a lifetime. He swallowed her down. Used his tongue, his lips to claim every inch of her cunt. She fought to spread her thighs wider, to free her hands, but he kept her prisoner to the fiery lust that burned between them. He savored her arousal, preened at the panted sound of his name as she pleaded with him to cover her, to fill her with his cock. Aizik’s attention shifted to her engorged clit. To the tiny vulnerable tip. He lashed it with his tongue, took it in his mouth and sucked. Mindless pleasure rocked Ember. Her hips jerked. Her toes curled as shards of icyhot desire pulsed through her clit. Her channel spasmed and wept, clutched helplessly at an emptiness that felt soul-deep. “Please, Aizik, please,” she begged, arching upward, driving her clit deeper into his mouth, fucking it through firm masculine lips. He answered by freeing her hands so he could cup her hips and intensify his carnal assault. Ember responded by tangling her fingers in his hair, by holding him tightly. She thrashed as he stroked the underside of her swollen knob, rasped over the naked head—repeated the cycle until she was lost in savage release.

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Her vision blurred into darkness. Her heart raced and heat radiated from her center. It was so much better, so different than anything she’d felt by her own hand. Ember wanted to sink into the mattress. She wanted to luxuriate as she’d seen dragons do after being sated physically. Pleasure rippled through her. Contentment as she’d never known pulsed in heated waves from her core. She forced her eyes open to meet Aizik’s. He held her gaze as he shifted position, offered her the chance to spread her thighs fully for him. Ember opened for him, felt the clawing hunger return to rake through her belly. She canted her hips. Lifted them. Saw fierce possessiveness in his gaze as he cleaned her with his tongue. When he was finished, he kissed his way up her body, returned to her mouth. “Mine,” he growled, covering her lips with his in a darkly carnal kiss that held her essence as well as his. Ember moaned when his cock head found her opening. He was hot and thick, as wet as she was. She shuddered as he worked himself in slowly, gentle despite the tension vibrating through him, the rigid muscles in his back and shoulders. The sensation was indescribable, exquisite agony and unbearable pleasure rolled into one. He stretched her. Filled her. The pulsing, hard heat of him had her channel tightening hungrily, her nipples beading. It was impossible to stay still. His kiss became more dominant, his body heavier on hers. She wrapped her legs around his hips and loved the way he growled into her mouth, fought to get even deeper with both his tongue and his cock. Lust roared through her, flickering along her nerve endings like a fire testing the boundaries, desperate to spread. And she wanted it to spread. Made it spread. Her fingers left his hair. They raked down his back and shredded his control. Gentleness disappeared. The bed shook with the frenzy of his movements as he pistoned into her. She strained and writhed underneath his onslaught, burned with an erotic fire that grew hotter as she neared completion. When it burst over her she clung to him, knew utter satisfaction as he shuddered and gasped, yielded to her spasming sheath and let her milk him of his seed. “Was I too rough?” he asked long moments later, the question announcing the return of the scholar, the man who’d admitted to disappearing into a bookseller’s shop for days on end. Tenderness flooded Ember. She loved the feel of his weight, the intensity of his stare as he seemed to probe, looking for confirmation their coupling had satisfied her. 181

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She lifted her head to press a kiss to his mouth, blushed as she admitted, “It was perfect, everything I ever dreamed my first time would be.” The blue of his eyes deepened with intense satisfaction. Masculine pride radiated along his hardened body. “Good,” he said, the rumble in his voice making her think of a male dragon. He rolled off her, but took her with him so they lay on their sides, faces inches apart. The room was warm, the fireplace blaze steady. She toyed with his hair, pushed it over his shoulder and behind his back, smiled when he did the same to hers. “Do you have a place you call home?” she asked, and felt a tendril of anxiety creep into her chest when he tensed slightly and worry flashed across his features. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “My home is in the mountains your cottage touches.” Surprise replaced the anxiety. “The blue dragons allow it?” Aizik’s laugh was rueful. “I’m an oddity. They don’t understand my fascination with collecting books instead of gold and precious gems, or my interest in traveling and exploring other worlds.” Contentment filled Ember, a peace unlike any she’d every known. He was perfect for her. How the unicorns had known would probably always remain a mystery, but here was a human who could live in a place where dragons reigned and wasn’t terrified by them or envious of their hoards. Here was a man who wasn’t frightened by the mark on her hand or her Elven heritage. Ember stroked his chest, thrilled at the way his heartbeat accelerated against her palm and his eyes darkened with desire. “My mother is dragon,” she admitted, fighting to keep any other thought about her mother at bay. His expression softened with understanding. “She was enchanted?” A tightness settled in Ember’s chest but she wanted him to know more about her. “I didn’t understand she stayed because of a spell until my father died and she shifted into a dragon. “Children see what they want to see. She and my father seemed happy together. But looking back on it, I know that impression was formed when he brought a fresh batch of gemstones from the mine and they sorted them together, determining which ones to keep and which ones to sell. All the other times she seemed cool, especially when she and I were alone. Once I became old enough to help my father in his mine or in his workroom, I spent most of my time with him.” Aizik pressed a kiss to her forehead. “He was good to you?” “Yes. He spent hours upon hours with me. His warmth more than made up for her lack of it. Later I learned that when he was banished, he was forbidden to have children. His line was to die out with him.” 182

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“How did he come to bespell your mother?” “There are whispered stories she heard about a hoard of treasure and went to steal it. I don’t know whether my father knew her true nature or not.” Aizik traced the rounded shell of Ember’s ear with his fingertip. “Among human sorcerers it’s considered acceptable to use spell magic to ensorcell a mate. I don’t know if the same is true among elves.” Ember bit down on her bottom lip. She loved her father and even though she knew his outcast status had made him unbearably lonely, she hated it that he’d bespelled her mother. “I would never do that to another.” Aizik’s husky laugh made her smile. His whispered “You don’t have to” made heated desire coil in her stomach. “This is the only form I have,” Ember said, wanting Aizik to accept her as she truly was, someone who was neither elf nor dragon, who had no place in either of those worlds. He caught her hand where it rested on his chest and took it to his mouth, pressed a tender kiss to her palm. “I am very satisfied with what I see, with what I’ve found. Or more correctly, with the one who found me.” Ember leaned forward to rub the tip of her nose against his. “I want to share something with you. Do you feel like a bath?” Aizik’s cock pulsed against her belly in answer. Her heart filled and expanded, felt as though it might burst with happiness. She slid from the bed, using the hand he still held to urge him to his feet, then to lead him to the narrow door set directly against the mountain. It was only when her hand touched the knob that she remembered the mark and wondered if the cavern containing the hot spring would be pitch-black. Ember shrugged the worry off. There were candles in the cottage. They’d use them if necessary. But when she opened the door and stepped inside with Aizik, she found it wasn’t necessary. The crystals in the ceiling began shining like thousands of tiny stars competing against one another in a night sky. For her father they would have sung and whispered the secrets lying in their heart, for Ember they sparkled and danced, provided light for bathing and wonder for the man she already thought of as her mate. She knew she would forever cherish the look on his face, the smile he directed at her when he could tear his attention away from the walls of the cave. Without a word he swung her up into his arms and covered her mouth with his as he carried her to the heated pool of water at the center of the cavern.

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Chapter Five Aizik couldn’t believe she hadn’t been claimed by one of the males of the scarlet lair-city. He couldn’t understand how they’d allowed lack of a dragon form and their fear of her Elven heritage to prevent them from seeing her as the treasure she was. But he was glad they had. Carnal images flooded him as he stepped into the water with her. The tip of his cock glistened in the crystal-lit cavern. Dense beads of arousal coated the silken crest in anticipation of claiming her again. There was a ledge of rock underneath the surface of the water. Aizik settled there, felt his heart sing when Ember turned in his arms, straddled him so their bodies touched intimately in the magic of the cavern. Her eyes sparked as brightly as the crystals above him. He knew she was already more important to him than the hoard of gems and gold lining his lair. He captured her mouth as his hands glided down her sides to her hips, lifting her so he could slide his cock into the place it recognized as home. Wherever she was, that’s where he wanted to be. Ember’s moan of appreciation, her tremble of pleasure sent hot waves of desire through his penis and up to his heart. He shuddered as the muscles of her sheath rippled and spasmed, tightened on his engorged shaft. They clung to each other, their hands roaming, exploring water-slick flesh, their tongues twining, thrusting, feeding the passion slowly, building the fire into an inferno until the need to find release was impossible to deny. Aizik used his strength to lift her, to torment himself by sliding out of her until only the very tip of his penis knew the bliss of her channel. He kissed her breasts, licked over her nipples. He loved the way she gripped his shoulders, ran her fingernails over his back and pleaded with him to fill her again, and again and again, until the tight, pulsing squeeze of her inner muscles signaled her release and caused his own. They lingered in the water and talked about the world Ember knew, about the one beyond the valley Aizik explored. When they finally left the crystal-lit cavern, the mark on her palm looked darker, like a crevice through snowy white stone. The fire in the hearth drew them and they lay on the thick seta-beast pelt that served as a rug in front of the fireplace. Aizik felt languid, sated. He combed his fingers through Ember’s hair and imagined them lying together in his lair, or basking in the fire’s heat at one of the common hearths after making love. His eyelids drifted shut. Contentment settled deeply inside him and his mind drifted to his earlier contemplation of legend and his theory that somehow a pure elf’s

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magic contained or doused a dragon’s flame so offspring produced of such matings had no dragon form. His eyebrows drew together as he realized that in all his travels, he’d never met a half-elf, much less one who had a dragon parent. It would be an unusual pairing, but not as unlikely as in the past. Treaties now existed between elves and dragons because otherwise they risked weakening each other so severely the humans would encroach farther into both of their territories. Aizik opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw Ember studying him. Her hand rested above his heart, as if she found comfort and security in the way it now beat for her. He covered it with his, resisted the urge to carry it downward to a cock that was rapidly becoming engorged again. His thumb found her palm and traced over the mark. Was it his imagination or did it seem hot? Aizik turned her hand over. Her gasp gave voice to his own surprise. The mark was now deep red. The story that had tugged at his memory earlier blossomed. He thought perhaps it was in one of the books he’d browsed at a bookseller’s shop, maybe the one in Saintcrow, though it might have been one much farther south, in New Holyoak, the city where the witches and warlocks gathered to teach others of their kind. He’d thought the book a work of fiction, a clever forgery despite its ancient binding and barely legible pages. But what if it wasn’t? Aizik closed his eyes. He could picture the book clearly, but not where he’d seen it. Mentally he turned the pages and reread the legend that had seemed so far-fetched he’d thought it a fairy tale. But now… “Tell me what you’re thinking,” Ember whispered, her voice quivering, holding an uncertainty he couldn’t bear hearing. He opened his eyes to find her on one elbow, looking down at him with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. It’s too soon! an internal voice shouted. He’d wanted time with her before revealing he was dragon. But the way the mark was changing made him think it would soon disappear. Aizik traced it with his thumb again. How could he deny her hope, even if it meant he might lose her? “I was remembering a story I read. It was about a male dragon halfling who couldn’t change forms. The tale didn’t mention his father or his mother, only that he was well-loved so when a circular mark similar to yours appeared on his palm, those in his lair-city sought out an elf who was willing to advise them about it for a share of their hoard. “The elf they consulted said if the dragon halfling held a firestar against the mark until it faded, he would be able to take the dragon’s form. The dragons had never heard of a firestar, and of course, the old elf just happened to have one he was willing to trade

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for more gold. But as I said, the halfling was well-loved and so the dragons agreed to the bargain. And when the mark disappeared, the elf’s prophecy came true.” Aizik pressed a kiss to the mark on Ember’s palm. The nearest elf enclave was at least a day away by flight, weeks away on foot. He’d have to reveal his dragon form to Ember and carry her if they had any chance of getting there before the mark faded. A shudder went through him at the prospect of being caught in winter cold if the elves turned them away. And there was no guarantee the elves would have a firestar or be willing to part with it. A cold fist of fear squeezed his heart. What if Ember wasn’t safe among the elves? What if they guessed her heritage? Her father had been banished from their lands and forbidden children. Aizik agonized. He was at his weakest during the winter, and even at his strongest, he was no match for an enclave of elves wielding spell magic. Dragon form or no dragon form, he wanted Ember for his mate. If he said nothing, the mark would fade and they could go on as they were. The mark might fade anyway, before they could get to the enclave. And if it did, then the risk of winter and his revelation of his dragon form would have been for nothing. Pain lanced through him. It would be a betrayal to take the choice from her. “I can take you to an elf enclave,” he said, meeting her eyes, expecting to see hope and excitement, but finding somber contemplation instead. Ember studied the man in front of her. He was a gift, the mate the unicorns thought her future lay with. He would accept her if she gained a dragon form, but what would his life be like? What would their life be like? It was dangerous for dragons to live for long periods of time away from a lair-city. And if they had offspring, they would need to live among dragons to keep their young safe. The scarlet dragons would take her back with a dragon form, perhaps some would even offer friendship. But the thought of returning to a place where she’d been banished, of knowing they valued her only because of her form, sent a twisted shard of pain slicing through her. She could make her home with another lair of dragons. But as she looked at Aizik, she knew she couldn’t do that to him, couldn’t ask him to live in a place where he’d always be considered less. She knew the pain of that too well. Almost from the first instant when she’d seen her mother transform into a scarlet dragon, she’d dreamed of being able to do the same and felt the sting of rejection and disdain because she couldn’t. “I can take you to an elf enclave,” Aizik repeated. Her heart filled with warm tenderness at the worry she read in his face, as if his thoughts had followed the same path as hers, and regardless of what it would mean for him, he wanted her dream to come true.

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Only now she understood the cost of some dreams was too high. She wanted him, she wanted a home and a family with Aizik. “You don’t need to,” Ember said. She rose to her feet long enough to take the globe her father had crafted for her off the fireplace mantle. A lump formed in her throat as she gently shook it, turning the scene into a snowy one. It was the last gift River in Stone had given her. For my winter child, an Ember Caught in Stone. Awe coursed through Aizik as he took the offered globe. The snow inside swirled around a kneeling figure that was Ember. Her head was bowed to look at the fiery star held in cupped hands. How had her father known the mark would appear on Ember’s palm? Aizik wondered then thought of the story he’d recounted and guessed the dragon halfling had also been part elf as well. Joy filled him and he looked up, intending to blurt out the truth of his own dragon heritage. But before he could do it, Ember pressed her fingers to his lips and said, “I don’t need to be a dragon to be happy.” At her words, emotion churned inside Aizik. Her willingness to sacrifice her dream for him nearly undid him. He kissed the fingers against his lips then gently pulled them away. “You don’t have to deny your heritage, Ember. I’m dragon.” And lest she think he’d meant to mislead her, he repeated what he’d said earlier, shared the entire truth with her. “I’m an oddity. The blue dragons of the lair-city I call home don’t understand my fascination with collecting books instead of gold and precious gems. They don’t value my interest in traveling and exploring other worlds. The eldest of my family line has even offered gold and jewels to the female who will mate with me!” Ember’s smile was like the first rays of spring arriving to chase away the winter. She leaned in and touched her lips to his. “Do you want know what I thought when I saw the unicorns protecting you from the cold?” “What?” “That you were their gift to me. I find everything about you perfect.” Her tongue licked along the seam of his lips and he responded by opening for her, by letting her feel the dragon heat at his core as their tongues rubbed and twined in sensual prelude. The air grew thick with bonding-scent, turned gentle communion into an overpowering need to mate. When their mouths parted for breath, Ember broke the globe on the hearth’s edge and took the firestar in her hand, held it to the mark on her palm. Without a word she positioned herself on her hands and knees, spread her thighs to expose her berrycolored slit, offered herself in a way no male dragon could resist. Fierce possessiveness surged through Aizik along with the primitive satisfaction that came from knowing his cock was the first—and the last—she would ever know. He

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leaned in, rubbed his cheek against her silky buttocks. He inhaled the scent of her arousal, reveled in the way it coated her flushed cunt lips and made them glisten like the intoxicating lure of nectar at the center of a flower. He couldn’t resist the urge to taste her, to run his tongue over her slit and dip it into her sweet sheath. His cock licked a wet kiss over his belly, throbbed with the urgent need to get inside her. Aizik yielded to the overpowering desire. He pierced her with a single hard thrust, covered her completely and gave in to the primitive instinct to mate. Ecstasy roared through Ember. Aizik was a fire in her bloodstream, a dragon song in her heart. She panted, moaned, trembled as his testicles slapped against her swollen flesh and sent exquisite sensation through her clit. Her channel spasmed, coaxed, demanded, and he answered by giving her more of his weight, by thrusting harder, deeper, taking her to the point where pain and pleasure blended perfectly, to the point where there was only frenzied need and uncontrollable hunger. Ember screamed when he bit her shoulder. Her sheath clenched in the savage acceptance of a dragon mate. Fiery ecstasy poured into her, through her, burned so fiercely that if she’d had a dragon form, flames would have escaped her throat with the sound of her orgasm. They collapsed on the soft pelt in a tangle of arms and legs, their bodies still trembling in the aftermath of passion. Ember felt like purring in contentment when Aizik’s hand cupped her breast possessively and his tongue licked over the place he’d bitten, where he’d marked her as belonging to him. “You’re everything I wanted in a mate,” he murmured against her skin. Ember heard reassurance in his voice, and truth. She believed in him, as well as in herself and the unicorns that brought them together. The mark was gone when she opened her hand, the firestone burned out so completely that darkened ash fell to the rug. She didn’t feel different, or at least, she felt no different than she had since the moment she’d realized Aizik was meant to be her mate. He rose to his feet and scooped her up in his arms. “Whatever happens, you belong to me,” he said and the joy of knowing she’d found a man who accepted her for who she was instead of what she was, kept her worry at bay. At the doorway she returned his kiss with the same deep passion he offered. Then he set her on her feet and took her hand in his. They stepped out into the snowy wonderland as equals, as a bonded pair. The winter could so easily bring death to their kind, but as the cold struck Ember’s naked flesh, the minnow flashes of fire she’d felt all her life transformed into a roaring inferno that heralded the birth of a dragon. There was no pain, no fear. There was only the wild rush of heat and the exhilarating thunder of her heart as the body she’d always known yielded to a form bigger than it could contain, as she became. 188

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Magic, she was pure magic, Aizik thought as he looked at the winter-white dragon that was Ember. She was iridescent, like mother-of-pearl, her beauty so breathtaking she would outshine all of the other females in the lair-city. Possessiveness and pride filled him. He took his dragon form and the desire to mate returned with a vengeance when she nuzzled him, rubbed her neck against his in a dragon’s display of closeness and affection. They wouldn’t stay out long in the cold. But there was no resisting the urge to launch themselves upward, to soar in winter skies and let the wind carry their dragon song, one celebrating a love that was already the stuff of legend.

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About the Author Jory has been writing since childhood and has never outgrown being a daydreamer. When she’s not hunched over her computer, lost in the muse and conjuring up new heroes and heroines, she can usually be found reading, riding her horses, or hiking with her dogs. Jory welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Jory Strong Carnival Tarot 1: Sarael’s Reading Carnival Tarot 2: Kiziah’s Reading Carnival Tarot 3: Dakotah’s Reading Crime Tells 1: Lyric’s Cop Crime Tells 2: Cady’s Cowboy Crime Tells 3: Calista’s Men Death’s Courtship Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis I anthology Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction I anthology Elven Surrender Fallon Mates 1: Binding Krista Fallon Mates 2: Zeraac’s Miracle Fallon Mates 3: Roping Savannah Familiar Pleasures Spirit Flight Spirits Shared Supernatural Bonds 1: Trace’s Psychic Supernatural Bonds 2: Storm’s Faeries Supernatural Bonds 3: Sophie’s Dragon The Angelini 1: Skye’s Trail The Angelini 2: Syndelle’s Possession The Angelini 3: Mystic’s Run

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