Marked By A Rogue
The Rogue Hybrid Book Three
K. J. Padgett
Copyright © 2021 by K. J. Padgett
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Coming Next
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Loraine
Brian Cline knew he was a waste of space. I could see that much just by the sight of him. Wrinkled clothes, five o’clock shadow, and the dark circles under his eyes weren’t the only thing that gave him away.
I had been watching for a while. Long enough to see the empty shell of a man beneath that otherwise handsome face. He was the epitome of pathetic.
I rolled my eyes as he finished his fourth drink and sat it down at the bar. He turned away, eyes surveying the crowd in the room until they landed on me. His reaction was visceral, pupils dilating, arrogant smile spreading across his mouth. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.
“Hi,” he said as he approached my table. “I’m Brian. Can I buy you a drink?”
I barely refrained from snarling at him. As if someone like him would ever really stand a chance with someone like me. But I was here on business. So instead, I stunned him with a smile. “Only a drink?” I purred.
His eyes widened in surprised delight. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. He wasn’t going to have to work hard for what he wanted after all. “Do you want to get out of here?”
I stood, nearly at eye level with him in my strappy stiletto heels. My fingers twined in the soft fabric of his jacket before I pulled him closer. The bob of his adam’s-apple was his only sign of any fear. Whether he was brave or stupid, I couldn’t say.
“My car is out back,” I purred.
I didn’t wait to see if he would follow before spinning toward the exit. I was beyond tired of this grimy little hellhole, riddled with germs and human filth.
The night air that kissed my face was gloriously cold as I stepped outside and marched around the corner to the cherry-red Camaro parked out back.
Gravel crunched behind me, and I whirled to find Brian only a foot away. He moved forward, his hands grasping my hips, his body pressing mine back against the car. His kiss was hot and rough. The taste of alcohol lingered on his breath as his lips parted mine.
I pulled back, my smile sharpening. “Maybe you’ll be intriguing after all.”
He looked confused and more than a little tipsy. “Huh?”
The sound of the passenger door opening snatched his attention from my face as William climbed out of the vehicle. I watched him as he straightened his tailored suit jacket, a flashy teal number with little silver buttons on the cuffs. If he weren’t so devilishly handsome in it, I might roll my eyes.
“Well,” William shot me a sour look. “That took longer than expected.”
I shrugged a shoulder. It wasn’t my fault that Brian had been drowning himself in a bottle of whisky when I arrived.
Brian tried to pull away from me, his face sobering as William rounded the car, but I held his jacket in a firm grip. He wasn’t going anywhere. He was as good as a little bird with its wings clipped, staring into the hungry eyes of a jaguar.
“What’s going on here?” his voice rose with panic.
William clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, a smile that was anything but friendly stretching across his face. Dazzling, I couldn’t help but think. He’d always been dazzling when he was like this – dangerous, murderous.
“You, young man, are going to be of great use to me.”
1
Ryn
Half a year ago, I was just a college girl. Normal school. Normal stress about boys, grades, and which top went best with my favorite pair of skinny jeans. I had the guy every girl wanted. I had a cool townhouse and a roommate that kept things tidy and paid rent on time. My parents were a bit overbearing because that’s just how parents are, I guess.
Half a year ago, I was human.
If someone had told me what my life would be like now, I would have never believed them.
When I wake up, it isn’t to the sound of morning birds, but the sounds of crickets chirping in the night. Breakfast doesn’t start with a fresh Starbucks. Instead, I hit up the nearest blood bag or warm vein. Appetizing, I know.
To top it all off, I’m blood-sworn to the King of the vampires. Which, I didn’t exactly know about when I made the bond.
Would I change it? Hell no.
At the beginning of my transformation, I resented becoming one of the things that goes bump in the night. Now, I embrace it. I have to. Because there’s a war coming, and I’ve found myself on the front lines.
“Luke, you’re smothering me,” I shoved at the heavy arm draped across my torso.
Lie. That man couldn’t smother me if he held a pillow to my face. And the truth was, the sight and feeling of him wrapped around my side sent tingles all the way down to my toes.
Sleepy Luke was ruffled, gruff, and oh so sexy. His bedhead was potentially created by whatever god was out there just to make me feel hot and heavy things.
“Morning, honey,” he smiled without opening his eyes or moving the offending appendage.
And that voice. Husky from sleep, filled with the sort of gravel and growl that would make any woman swoon.
My toes curled under the sheets and I felt more than heard him chuckle at my reaction.
Ugh. Damn it all to hell. He was going to be the death of me.
I glanced over at the clock on the bedside table of our little hotel room. It was already nine p.m. As much as I hated to move him, it was seriously time to go.
“Come on, we’re going to miss our flight.” I started to slip out of the bed, gliding from beneath his arm. But as soon as both of my feet touched the carpeted floor, he scooped me up again. I was yanked back against a solid, bare chest. I squealed and wiggled, trying halfheartedly to get away.
Luke’s nose skimmed my shoulder, traveling up the length of my neck and jaw. God. Forget the bedhead. This had me panting harder than a greyhound after a big race.
“We won’t miss it,” he murmured against my skin.
Luke and I had been doing a pretty okay job of taking things slow. Our relationship was odd in the way that it started with my death and then the swift knowledge that Luke – the man who’d saved my life by turning me into a vampire – was also my blood-sworn mate. According to just about every rule book out there, we should have been stuck to each other like gorilla glue at this poin
t, and in a way we were. I loved Luke something fierce. It had taken root right under my nose, wrapping its unbreakable bonds somewhere deep in my soul. He was a functioning part of me as much as my own heart. But we still technically hadn’t completed the bond.
After months of towing the fine line between heavy make-out sessions and getting to second base, I was about to officially start pulling my hair out. I could feel the pressure growing, and the dam was bound to break soon. My physical need for him was reaching a fever pitch. It was as if I’d become a hormonal teenager all over again. My mind had been in the gutter for weeks.
Just when I started to lose all thoughts of flights and security checks, Luke pressed a chaste kiss to my lips and let me go. Talk about a case of blue balls…
I sat there for a minute, totally dazed as he got up from the bed and swept into the bathroom to get dressed. I swear, he had me under some sort of stupefied spell.
Finally, I got myself up and dressed. I made quick work of brushing my teeth and running a comb through my hair. That was about it for getting ready as a vampire. I loved that particular part of my new life. Unless I was going somewhere fancy, I didn’t need to worry about makeup. Vampires were naturally attractive. Something about luring in unsuspecting prey...
I shuddered.
I would never be that kind of vampire. And maybe it was thanks to my blood-bond with Luke, but I just wasn’t tempted by the humans we passed on a day-to-day basis. Actually, the fact that I could overpower any of them made me sort of uneasy. I’d been that vulnerable just a few months ago when I was human, and I hadn’t even known I was in danger from a species of supernatural’s who could snap my bones as easily as a toothpick. It didn’t even seem fair.
“Ready?” Luke asked as he grabbed our luggage.
Luke and I were on a mission to gather support from neighboring claves when this thing came to a head with William and Loraine. Tonight, we were headed to Brazil to visit one of Luke’s longtime friends. Safe to say, I was more than a little anxious about it. Not only was I new to being a vampire, but now I was supposed to present myself as their rightful Queen.
Luke’s cool finger traced the worry lines on my face, effectively erasing them. “Don’t be nervous. I’m with you.”
I gulped. “What if they hate me?”
He actually chuckled at that. “No one could hate you, Ryn.”
I rolled my eyes. “William and Loraine do.” They hated me enough to hire an assassin to kill me before Luke and I could ever meet.
That wiped the smile right off his face. Determination replaced it. “And for that, they’ll pay. Do you trust me?”
His fingers laced with mine, causing butterflies to erupt in my belly.
“Yes.”
Another small, crooked smile. That trust didn’t come easily. It was earned and he knew that. “Then let’s go win a war.”
With that, I followed him into the night.
2
Aella
Rogues.
The word permeated the air like gunpowder through the camp. We were hunting down rogues, lone wolves with a bad habit of losing control around humans. Personally, I didn’t mind them so much if they kept their shit straight, but when the killing starts, we have to step in.
“We’ve been on the trail for days, Aella. I’m starting to think we’re on a wild goose chase here.”
I ground my teeth and glanced at my companion. Seraphim was a good hunter. He got the job done and had my back on the field. But I would have rather done this alone. If not for the solidarity, then for the peace and quiet. The man never shut up.
“You can always turn back.”
He blanched. “And tell your mother what exactly? That I left you alone in the woods with a rogue? Yeah, I might as well tie my own noose.”
I shoved my boots on and began lacing them up. Our small tent was cramped. Seraphim wasn’t the largest male. Maybe a few inches taller than me. But he was bulky as all hell. I’d caught an elbow to the face more than once in the middle of the night. Needless to say, I was ready to get this over with.
Wind whistled against the plastic tent flap, making the whole structure sway and moan. Winter was an asshole in the mountains of Montana, biting and gruesome. Thankfully, being part wolf came with an internal heater, and I only had to put on a thin long-sleeved shirt and jeans. I ran hot. We all did.
“Where are you going?” Ser grunted.
Something in my blood had started to rush in the early morning hours before he was awake. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it made me restless and grumpy. Now that he was up, I had the intense urge to get out there, to hunt and search. I felt like a bloodhound on a scent. Except we hadn’t caught a scent for days... No, this was just a feeling, something deep within stirring.
“Let’s move. I’m not getting any younger here.”
I didn’t have to look to know he rolled his eyes. “You’re twenty-eight and the best assassin in all the U.S. packs. Give yourself a break.”
With a harsh yank of the zipper, the tent door flew open on a biting wind that tousled my dirty-blonde hair. That pumping of my blood turned into a frenzy, and I stepped out into the early morning forest as the first signs of snow started to fall.
“Stay here,” I bit out. “I’ll be back.”
“But Aella!”
I cut him a glance that shut him down quickly. The wolf was prowling just under my skin this morning, ready to leap out, and I knew he saw it in my eyes.
Without another word, I took off at a run, zigzagging through the dense trees. The woods were still, animals hunkered down somewhere to keep warm and hide from the oncoming snowstorm. The chill was so intense it even prickled my skin, causing goosebumps to rise along my arms.
I didn’t slow. Couldn’t. My insides felt charged, like my veins were full of electricity or something.
Trees whooshed by me, and I knew I should slow down. Already, I was too far from camp. Much too far for Ser to track me in time if anything went wrong.
A fresh gust of wind slapped at my face and I skidded to a halt. There was a scent. A rogue sent, full of musk, sweat, and... blood. My stomach churned, and I feared the worst. Maybe I would stumble upon a murder scene. And if I saw this wolf eating someone then I was most definitely going to lose last night’s dinner.
I followed the scent trail, slower this time, stealthier. The last thing I needed was to be detected first. The smell grew stronger, and with it, a sound.
A man groaned and hissed somewhere close. Very close.
All the hair on my body stood on end. My heart thundered against my ribcage so hard it was difficult to draw breath.
I sucked in a gulp of air. What was my problem? I’d tracked hundreds of rogues and I was always calm and collected. Pulling the trigger was never my problem. Forgetting their faces was.
Another groan ricocheted off the trees, followed by the shuffling of feet against dirt and slush from the snow. Whoever this rogue was, he certainly wasn’t being quiet.
With my back pressed into the hard, steadying bark of a tree, I peered around and got my first glimpse of him.
He was naked and covered in blood. Twigs and leaves stuck out of his dark brown hair, and his thick, tanned muscles twitched as if he’d just shifted. If the scent was correct, I was sure I’d find a deer carcass nearby, but I couldn’t move my eyes to look for it.
I was hypnotized. Entranced. My whole body went completely still at the sight of him. Even wild and clearly in some pain, he had to be the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
I scented the air again, drinking in the smell of him. And just like before, written clear as day in his blood... Rogue.
The wind tousled some of my hair from its braid, shifting directions to blow north. The man froze in his tracks, his nostrils flaring wide. This would be a good time to reach for the gun holstered at my hip, but I was frozen solid, immovable.
His eyes flicked up to me, flashing silver as the wolf beneath his skin saw me too. Surprise registered
across his face, and something else, something... He growled. Not a threat or a warning, but a noise at the base of his throat that sent shivers up my spine.
He put one foot forward and before it hit the ground I was spinning on my heels, darting through the trees like a bullet. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I feared I might blackout. Tears stung the back of my eyes. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.
I could hear him crashing through the brush behind me. He was fast. Incredibly so... I hadn’t met a wolf yet who could keep up with me, and he was getting dangerously close. Fear slammed into me, spurring me forward with a new burst of speed. I zigzagged, trying desperately to throw him off balance in the snow as it came down harder, coating the ground in mud and slushy ice.
I followed my own scent back to camp. If I could just reach it... Reach Seraphim...
“Ser!” I screamed. “Seraphim!”
I hoped he could hear me. I hoped to god he hadn’t wandered off, that he’d listened to me for once.
The rogue was on my heels. I could feel the heat of him against my back. Still, I didn’t let up. I wasn’t going to make this easy. If he wanted me, he’d get a lot more than he bargained for.
And then I was falling as his massive body slammed into me. We rolled in the dirt, tumbling over each other in a tangle of limbs. Before I’d even stopped my momentum, I tore the sleeve of my shirt and drew the knife I had strapped to my arm. I crouched low, baring my teeth as I spun to face him.
Marked By A Rogue: The Rogue Hybrid Book Three Page 1