by Kari Thomas
Surrender Her Touch
By
Kari Thomas
Eternal Press
A division of Damnation Books, LLC.
P.O. Box 3931
Santa Rosa, CA 95402-9998
www.eternalpress.biz
Surrender Her Touch
by Kari Thomas
Digital ISBN: 978-1-61572-558-8
Print ISBN: 978-1-61572-559-5
Cover art by: Amanda Kelsey
Edited by: Anastasia Wraight
Copyedited by: Carrie Richardson-Orosz
Copyright 2011 Kari Thomas
Printed in the United States of America
Worldwide Electronic & Digital Rights
1st North American, Australian and UK Print Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any form, including digital and electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the Publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
I received the acceptance for this book on Father’s Day. This was a particular hard day for me because my dad had just passed April 28, 2011. Although I never allowed him to read any of my books (I didn’t want to shock him with the sex scenes!) my dad was my biggest supporter of my writing. He never failed to let me know how proud he was of my published accomplishments. Without his unending support and love, I don’t think I would have made it as far as I’ve come. So, this is dedicated to Dad, with all my love and all my heart-felt Thanks for the incredible love and support you gave me constantly. I will always feel your continuing support, Daddy.
In Memory: John Thomas Gomez 1936-2011.
As always, I’ve got to acknowledge my wonderful supportive friends. Every time I run into writers block, or life throws obstacles in my way, you push me forward again. What would I do without you? My sister, Linda Rudd. Evelyn Seranne. Mary Corrales. LoAnna Janz. Amber Polo. Rita Rainville. Joan Pickart. You’re all the best!
Prologue
“We’ve had this argument before, Slade. You lost last time, too.” Police Chief Reed Bowen glared at his First in Command Private Detective Slade Stryker. Slade was the most stubborn, arrogant, I-never-hear-the-word-no man Reed had ever known. He was also the most cunning, intelligent, and unbreakable man. That’s why Reed was determined to keep him off this case. It wasn’t Slade’s time yet.
“Damn it, Reed,” Slade growled low, his dark, amber-gold eyes narrowing. “You know you need me on this. Give me one legit reason for not letting me investigate.” He sat back in his chair, his six-four posture deceptively relaxed and his hard features giving nothing away. Reed wasn’t fooled. Give him another minute and Slade was going to explode. He hid a smile. Good. I’ve been looking for a reason to knock some of that arrogance out of you.
Reed leaned back in his chair, staring at Slade. The setting of the sun sent rays of warm orange-red light through the slits of the shades behind his desk. He glanced at his watch. Timing was so important in this. “Because,” he stated, “I have something more important I need you to look into.” Something that will keep you away from this case until it’s time.
“More important than finding out who the bastard is attacking innocent people?” Slade gave Reed his don’t-give-me-that-crap frown. “This idiot has been stalking Kings Mountain residents for months now. We’ve already had two homicides. This half-assed police force hasn’t found the first clue.”
“That’s why I need you elsewhere,” Reed stressed with a dramatic sigh. He saw Slade’s eyebrows rise in interest. Got you. Sort of like killing two birds with one stone. What a damn cliché! “Whoever our perp is, he has one main habit. He stalks his victims first. Because we’ve had more than one victim at a time, we’re working on the assumption that there is more than one perp. I have a bad feeling they’ve decided to divide their range.”
“Why? We don’t have any specific evidence.”
Reed clasped his hands together on his desk, gave his best worried look and announced dramatically, “Because I have every reason to believe that Summer has a stalker now.”
Slade reacted just the way Reed knew he would. He shot to his feet. “Damn.”
Reed made sure he didn’t smile. Let the game begin…
Chapter One
Why now? Why was this damn, mysterious perp suddenly targeting his people? Slade had asked himself that question a thousand times already since the first homicide months ago. He’d rushed to the scene of the crime minutes after the call had come through stating a mutilated body had been found in an alley downtown. Minutes before, one of his warriors had called to tell him one of their own was missing, last seen in that area. Brenn, the victim, lived and worked with his human associates in the YMCA, which provided for the homeless, using his degrees in psychology and social welfare.
Slade had been shocked when he had difficulty identifying the body of the young man. It looked as though someone had taken a carving knife and dug deep, looking for something other than just blood. The most telling of the horrendous carvings came from the outline on Brenn’s back.
The murderer had cut out Brenn’s wings.
Slade had immediately put his best team on the investigation, going behind Reed’s back by pulling in Slade’s own men. Reed had already assigned a team and never knew Slade was checking into the situation too.
He had to. When some maniac targeted a victim to deliberately cut out his wings, then the case belonged to him.
He was the Enforcer of the Firestorm Dragon Security Warriors. Protecting the secret existence of his Clan was his number one priority. No way in hell was he going to let some human bastard target his people and get away with murder.
The Shamara Dragon Clan risked exposure on a daily basis, and it was Slade’s job to protect their secret. Some of the Clan members lived in the city of Kings Mountain, Colorado, while the majority of the clan lived in the 5,000 acre, private compound outside city limits. It wasn’t forbidden for the dragon shapeshifters to mingle with humans—in this day and age it was almost a necessity for their survival—but they purposely remained a secret society in order to protect their secret shapeshifting heritage. A few of the dragon shifters had even married human mates. It wasn’t something the Clan agreed on, but they had to accept. Times were changing, and it was slowly becoming obvious to the ancient dragons that preternatural beings were mixing with the human race more in order to simply survive.
Damn it. Slade hated the necessity of mixing with the humans. Now, with the murdered victims–all dragon shifters–growing in a steady number, he knew it was just a matter of time before some kind of exposure happened. How the hell am I going to keep the Clan safe?
He’d been working nonstop on trying to find the murderer–or murderers–for weeks now. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a decent sleep. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten all day either. His dragon DNA required a lot of sustenance to maintain his energy levels during the day hours.
He parked his Hummer in his allotted spot at the police station and got out, stretching tense muscles before going inside. Reed had called him in to meet his daughter Summer. Slade wasn’t happy about having to lose time guarding Summer when he should have been tracking down the murderers. However, Reed had stated he was worried the stalker dogging Summer’s every step might also be related to the homicides. If there was any chance it was true, Slade had to look into it.
&nb
sp; Reed met him at the door of his office. “Sorry, Slade. She had a late appointment today and couldn’t make it. Here’s the address where she works. She usually gets off at five p.m.”
“Any more info on the murder cases?” Slade glanced at the piece of paper with the address and then leaned back against the door. Because of Reed’s order that he not be involved in the cases, he had to be careful not to show too much interest.
“Nothing substantial,” Reed answered noncommittally.
Hell, that didn’t say much, did it? He almost hoped the stalker after Summer had something to do with the murder cases. He resented the time away from the search. Still, if Reed’s daughter was in danger, he wanted to be the one to check into it.
He couldn’t explain it, even to himself. His fascination with her had started years ago when the Clan had first moved to Kings Mountain and he’d taken the job under Reed. He’d seen her picture on Reed’s desk. She was nineteen then and away at college. Later, Reed had confidentially told him the story behind her adoption. She’d lost her entire family in a horrific murder that left her orphaned at five years old. Reed, a distant relative, adopted her. He was overly protective of her, and only a few of the staff in the police department had actually ever met her. When she returned home after earning a degree in child psychology, her schedule was hectic and kept her out of the public eye.
Every time he went into Reed’s office Slade looked at that photo. At nineteen, she had been a stunning beauty. He couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like now at twenty-six. Her exquisite, fey features were framed by a wealth of shining, silver-blonde hair cascading down past her slim shoulders. Her eyes were the most unusual shade of violet, long-lashed and mysterious. Her cupid-bow mouth was made for kissing. The primal male inside him had to add: And for other things…
Whoa. He knew better than to let his thoughts go in that direction. She was human. Enough said. A few of his Clan members had married humans, but it wasn’t for him. He spent all of his time protecting the Clan from any dangers the human race might present. He didn’t need to be involved with them any more than that. He didn’t want to be. Humans were frail, prejudiced, and had too short of a life span. He didn’t like the idea of sharing his life with a woman he would eventually outlive.
Still, he couldn’t get Summer completely out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. There was something about her that kept him intrigued. Hell, I haven’t even met her and I think about her. The male side of him didn’t want to dwell on the possible explanations for his fascination of a human woman he’d never met, but his dragon self rumbled in keen interest every time he thought about her or looked at her picture. Obstinately, he put it down to primal lust for a beautiful woman and the fact that he’d been celibate too damn long.
Still thinking about the unwanted fascination, Slade left the station and headed to the address where Summer worked.
Fifteen minutes later he turned off Main Street and into the parking complex at the Tower Building. Gaze alert for a parking spot, his sharp preternatural sight suddenly saw a bulky, odd-shaped, fleeing shadow darting between cars. He could tell immediately that it wasn’t human. The movement was too fast, the form too unsubstantial. Slade hit the brakes and stopped the Hummer. He jumped out and ran.
His long legs and shifter strength helped him cover the distance in seconds. Just as he reached the back of a van, the tail lights on the vehicle came on. He saw a brief flash of movement as the shadow jumped into the open door of the passenger side. He barely had time to dive out of the way before the van spun out, tires screeching and rubber burning. Damn. Almost got me. The shadow may not have been human, but the driver most likely was. He wasn’t able to see inside the tinted windows of the van as it sped by so he couldn’t be sure if the accomplice was a male or female. He quickly memorized the license plate numbers. He spun around and made the quick dash back to his Hummer. Seconds later, he was peeling out of the parking garage and in pursuit of the fleeing van. His gut instinct was telling him that this was Summer’s mysterious stalker. It must have been waiting for her to exit the garage elevator. What the hell was it? Why was it stalking Reed’s daughter? Possible answers flew through his mind as he chased the van through late-afternoon traffic. As an afterthought, he positioned the police siren light on his dashboard. No sense in getting pulled over for speeding.
Bad mistake. Slade cursed. The occupants in the fleeing van saw the light immediately and made a sudden turn off the main street onto a side road. Slade was driving too fast to slow his own vehicle down. He swung the Hummer off onto the road and instantly felt the tilting as the tires left the road. Split seconds later, he lost control and the Hummer flew off into the ditch. Upside down.
Lucky for him, dragon shifters had tough hides. Not so lucky was the fact that while in human form, that didn’t count.
Chapter Two
Summer Althea glanced at her wristwatch and shook her head. Her last appointment for the day had taken longer than she’d expected. It was already six p.m., and getting dark. She cringed at the thought. How stupid was it for a twenty-six year old to be afraid of the dark? Not to mention having to keep that little personal fault a secret from anyone who knew her. Colleagues teased her about never joining them after work for drinks or socializing. She would die before having to embarrassingly admit she’d rather be safe at home as soon as the sun went down. Of course, that left her without very many true friends or even the “I-have-one-why-don’t-you” boyfriend her female acquaintances bragged about. What man in his right mind would want to date a woman who still harbored a childhood fear so intense, so deeply rooted, it could cause her to have severe panic attacks?
Even her adopted father, Reed, worried about her disability, but he supported her and protected her, no matter what. He knew about the massacre of her family–though he didn’t know the full truth–and he never tried to force her to get over the fear and be more sociable. Summer adored him and his sometimes over-protective attitude. It gave her the security she needed.
They had both thought it a perfect idea for her to have a career in child psychology. Summer had always felt the desperate need to help other children through their childhood fears, and this was the best way she knew how. She loved her career and her children clients, she respected and adored her adopted father, and she was healthy; her life was just where she wanted it to be for now.
Well, with the exception of this stupid oh-no-it’s-dark situation! She groaned. Am I ever going to be an adult about this? She did a thorough visual search around the garage after the elevator doors swung open. It wasn’t so much that it was getting later by the minute, but a different uneasy tension tugged at her. For days now she’d had the uncanny feeling she was being watched. She’d caught strange shadows out of the corner of her eye, and the hair on her arms would stand up in eerie precognition. She’d mentioned it to Reed once and then forced herself to believe it was just her imagination. She was working on a case with a very disturbed child, and it was emotionally draining for both her and her client.
“All clear,” she muttered under her breath. She hurried over to her Mustang, clicking the keyless entry and grabbing the door open at the same time. Once safely inside, she relocked her door. A little giggle escaped. “Mission accomplished.” She groaned again. She really was emotionally drained and physically tired if she could find humor in this.
Reed’s house was on the outskirts of the city, taking about twenty minutes to reach once on the dirt road leading to the Kings Country Estates subdivision. Each property was set back from the road for maximum privacy, and the house was in the middle of ten acres.
Summer saw Leo pacing the driveway as soon as she turned in. The big mountain lion was always there, waiting for her.
She smiled in memory of the day, years ago, when he’d come into her life. He’d been hit by a car and left to die on the road leading to the house. At first, she’d wanted to call the Animal Control for help, but there was something about the big cat tha
t called to her–even later she never understood the odd feeling–and made her throw caution to the wind to try and help him. She didn’t think twice about using her remarkable–and oh-so-secret–skills to heal him.
From that moment on, he never left her side. At first she’d left him there, healed, by the side of the road and hoped he would return back to the wild. When she got home, however, he was there waiting for her. She tried to shoo him off. He chuffed indignantly at her. She tried to scare him off by picking up a long stick and shaking it at him. He cleaned his paws and ignored her threat. She ran to the door, and he beat her there. No matter what she threatened or did, he stood his ground. She finally gave up. She was shocked to realize she had no fear of the big cat and instantly wondered what people would think if they knew she now had such an unusual house guest. Because he definitely wasn’t going anywhere.
She named him Leo and waited for Reed to come home that night. Her father had reacted exactly as she’d predicted and gave her a long lecture about trusting a wild animal. He was ready to call Animal Control when suddenly Leo showed he was there to stay. Reed had been standing a few feet from her, arms waving and voice raised in agitation. Leo was behind her. Suddenly, he shot around her and dived for Reed. He took him to the floor, his large paws holding him down. As Summer stared in horrified shock, the big cat growled low once and then slowly got off Reed. He came back to take a fighting stance in front of her. Reed got to his feet and had a stare-down with Leo. Finally he muttered, “I’ll be damned. Who would have thought it?” From then on, Leo was a permanent member of the household, and he became Summer’s protector. He slept in her room, followed her every footstep when she was home, and never allowed anyone to come near her except Reed.
She opened the garage door with the remote and watched as Leo followed the car inside. He met her at the car door with a low rumbling purr and rubbed up against her as she got out.