Her mind touched his, locked together in a thought-thread that could never be broken. She could never hide anything from him ever again. Nor he her. The feeling might have left him slightly exposed once upon a time, but this was Freyja. His mate. His twin flame. He could feel the sated ache in her body where they joined, as if her body was merely an extension of his own, and it felt like coming home. Like finally feeling complete in himself.
“Everything and forever,” Rurik whispered, and lost himself in the sensation of loving her.
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Heart Of Fire! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review online. Rurik and Freyja have just begun their journey, but first there’s a little tale of love and loss and revenge to deal with in book two, Storm of Desire, when Haakon finally finds his elusive wife:
Long ago, Haakon thought a dreki stole his beloved wife. He has sacrificed everything to gain revenge for her loss—including his own honor—but now Haakon knows the truth. His entire marriage was a lie. The woman he knew as his wife was a dreki princess named Árdís, in mortal form.
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And when he finally tracks down the deceitful dreki princess, there will be a reckoning of passion and glory....
Want to know more about Storm of Desire? Make sure you sign up to my newsletter to be the first to know its release date, read exclusive excerpts, and see cover reveals. When you subscribe, you will receive a link to the first two chapters!
http://eepurl.com/cIFlDL
About the Author
BEC MCMASTER is a writer, a dreamer, and a travel addict. If she’s not sitting in front of the computer, she’s probably plotting her next world trip, and plans to see the whole world, whether it’s by paper, plane, or imagination. She grew up on a steady diet of ’80s fantasy movies like Ladyhawke, Labyrinth, and The Princess Bride, and loves creating epic, fantasy-based romances with heroes and heroines who must defeat all the odds to have their HEA. She lives in Australia with her very own hero, where she can be found creating the dark and dangerous worlds of the London Steampunk, Dark Arts, Legends of The Storm, or Burned Lands series, where even the darkest hero can find love.
* * *
Connect with Bec McMaster online:
https://www.facebook.com/BecMcMaster/
http://www.becmcmaster.com/books/
Crimson Undercover
Bryan Cohen and Casey Lane
Crimson Undercover © Copyright 2017 Bryan Cohen & Casey Lane
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All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Crimson Undercover
A covert mission. An ancient artifact. A shifter mafia...
Lyra Thorne's life as a hunter of vampires is over, but her job protecting humanity is far from finished. As an operative for a secret team keeping unhumans in line, she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep Chicago safe. But she never expected she'd end up going undercover with a mob full of wolf shifters…
Mace Conner thought he had everything figured out until he fell for Lyra. Now he's forced into surveillance duty while he watches Lyra romance a Russian double agent. Can he keep his feelings in check to prevent an ancient magic from wreaking havoc?
As the mystery deepens, Lyra and Mace have one chance to stop the city from tearing itself apart…
Chapter 1
Lyra Thorne crossed one leg over the other in her short dress, careful not to reveal the hilt of the knife hidden in her boot. The smell of roasted tomatoes and cream sauce wafted over to her table, which was covered with a fine tablecloth that could only be found in a four or five-star restaurant. She took a sip from her red wine and looked across at the muscular Russian sitting in front of her. Nikolai may have been strong, but he seemed to approach each sentence with caution. Lyra wasn't sure if it was the fact that English was his second language or that he was worried someone was watching him. He had a right to be worried.
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "Do you take all of your blind dates to restaurants where the wine costs over $200 a bottle?"
After a moment of hesitation, Nikolai smiled. "Do you not think you deserve wine this good?"
"I know that I do. But from your side, it seems like you're taking a chance on a stranger."
Nikolai took his own sip. "Maybe I just like expensive wine."
Lyra couldn't help but smile. Even though she wouldn't refer to this as a completely social encounter, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a date.
She brought her hands together on the silken tablecloth. "I guess this is the part where I start the small talk."
"Small talk. Big talk. I don't mind either way."
Lyra tried to look beyond the veneer of the Russian man's finely-pressed dress shirt and the gold watch on his wrist. She tried to even get beyond his brown eyes and into the soul of the man who was involved in something magical and deadly. "What is it you do for a living, Nikolai?"
Nikolai straightened his collar, an action he'd done several times since they'd arrived. "I work in the family business." The Russian looked to his left briefly before returning his gaze toward her. "It's maybe not so much my dream job, so sometimes I'm not doing exactly what I want. But there's something good about sticking with your family."
Lyra nodded. "I understand, though I haven't seen my own family in a while." She let out a wistful sigh. "They didn't exactly approve of some of the choices I made during my youth."
For some reason, choosing to hunt and kill vampires to protect humanity didn't sit well with my parents. I wonder why?
Nikolai looked down at the table for a moment. "It is tough when the past continues to haunt us, no?"
Lyra attempted to decipher all the meaning behind her date's statement. "I couldn't agree with you more."
After the waiter came by to take their orders, Lyra and Nikolai engaged in some polite small talk. When nothing related to her mission had come up for several minutes, she heard a faint buzz in her earpiece.
"Stick to the script, Casanova."
Lyra's lips curled into a smile.
Mace sounds a little bit jealous. I guess some vampires just can't stand humans having a good time.
"Sorry, what did you say Nikolai?" Lyra tapped the comm device in her ear. "My hearing aid was on the fritz for a second."
Nikolai smiled. "I was just asking why you chose me over many eligible bachelors on dating website."
Lyra let her fingernails slide down the glass. "Who's to say I didn't pick five men to date on the same night? In fact, we should probably hurry things up a little."
Nikolai didn't seem like he was sure that he should smile. "This is a joke, yes? I have yet to master American sarcasm."
"Don't worry. I don't have any other dates." She let her arm extend as she laid her palm on the table. "Tonight I only have eyes for you."
Lyra kept her laugh internal as she heard a cough on the other side of the comm device. Nikolai laid one hand on top of hers. There was something about the man that seemed both strong and weary.
He gripped her hand gently. "Good. I only have two other dates, so it's okay if this one runs longer."
Lyra snorted. "You're better at this American sarcasm than you let on." She w
ithdrew her hand and took another sip of wine. She wished for a second that her superhuman metabolism allowed her to get at least a little bit tipsy. "So why are you in town?"
Nikolai laced his own fingers together. "More of this family business. My father and brother are planning a big event. It's something they've looked forward to, so I will try my best to help."
As Lyra nodded her assent, she could sense an out-of-place movement in her peripheral vision. She'd been practicing distinguishing vampires from regular humans since the age of 10, which made it all too easy for her to spy the three vampires walking in together through the front door. Her heartbeat quickened. While it was now common for vampires and other unhumans to mix openly with the population, there was something out of place about this trio.
Business or pleasure?
The answer came to her quickly when all three of the restaurant's newest patrons looked right in her direction.
Chapter 2
Mace Conner shifted uncomfortably in the small, musty van. He hadn't felt quite right about this covert operation ever since Rhea, the group's godlike leader, had suggested it. Despite her protestations, Mace had insisted on being inside the surveillance vehicle when Lyra and the Russian mobster made contact. He tried to find the best position for his spine in a way-too-small chair beside their trusty technology expert, Doug. To his left, their criminologist and morgue specialist, Heidi, took up very little space beside him.
Doug shifted his shoulders from side to side. "You know, this whole surveillance thing is a lot more comfortable when we don't stuff three people into a two-person van."
Heidi's high-pitched voice echoed inside the van. "You're just mad that you aren't here alone and can't catch up on old Ghost Hunters episodes."
"That's just a rumor that's never been proven. Although, I do love the show, and every so often, they do spy a real ghost." He glanced over at his petite coworker. "Anyway, why are you even here? Don't you have some dead or undead flesh to cut into?"
Heidi sighed. "Nobody's brought in any dead bodies in a while. I got bored down there."
Doug grunted. "And what's your excuse, Mace?"
Mace wondered if there was any way he could share the truth. While he trusted Lyra out in the field, he was in no way on board with having her go out on dangerous dates with the mafia. Ever since he had drunk some of her blood to revive himself, his already intense feelings for the former vampire hunter had grown. Even Lyra's requirement that their relationship stay professional as long as she was on the team couldn't stop him from thinking about her. It couldn't stop him from dreaming about her at night. He hoped that deep down Lyra felt the same way.
Mace tightened his headphones. "Honestly, I wanted to watch a few episodes of that ghost hunter show."
Heidi and Doug chuckled while Mace listened more intently.
Hearing her flirt with another man boiled his blood. But he'd spent his entire life hiding his true emotions from the people around, so the fake, faint smile remained plastered upon his face.
He wrinkled his nose. "She doesn't have to act so... interested."
Heidi leaned over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You sound a little jealous, Mace. Are you threatened by his sexy Russian accent?"
"No. Of course not."
Doug licked his lips. "I know what you should do. You should try to adopt a Transylvanian accent. Then Lyra would be all over you."
Mace grumbled and listened more intently to Lyra and the Russian.
"After we finish our pasta, I could really go for a late-night sandwich."
Mace's body stiffened. "That was the safe word."
Doug groaned. "A man drops one sandwich, and she'll never let me hear the end of it. Couldn't you have just chosen some kind of innocuous safe word. Like yogurt? Or giraffe?"
Mace ignored the computer genius and looked into the camera screens they had set up around the perimeter of the restaurant. At the exact moment his heightened sense of smell caught wind of fellow vampires, he could see an increase in activity in the screens both in front of and behind the bar. Whatever the dozen darkly-attired unhumans wanted with the restaurant, Mace guessed it had nothing to do with pasta.
Chapter 3
Lyra placed her napkin on the table and stood up as if there weren't a group of vampires waiting outside the restaurant to kill her.
She faked a smile. "I need to use the ladies' room. You'll still be here when I come back though, right?"
Nikolai raised an eyebrow. "Okay, as long as you don't take too long. My other date starts in half an hour."
Lyra chuckled softly and walked toward the back of the restaurant. When she reached the hidden hallway of the restrooms, she knelt down to unstrap her heels. She quickly kicked them off into the corner and walked over toward the swinging kitchen door.
Let's see what we're dealing with here.
Lyra gently pressed open the door. She spied half a dozen vampires in formfitting dark clothes having an escalating conversation with the kitchen staff. She had a feeling that the head chef would not come out the victor in this scenario. She let the door slide shut as she tiptoed back into the main dining area. She looked back over at her table and was surprised to see the three vampires standing around Nikolai.
Wow, I haven't had a date interrupted by a vampire since high school.
Nikolai seemed calmer than she anticipated. Her date placed his napkin on the table beside his plate and stood up to face the unwelcome guests. As the Russian took a step back, all three vampires stepped forward in sync.
Lyra didn't hesitate, stumbling over toward the table and in to Nikolai's arms.
She affected an intoxicated giggle. "Nikolai. I told you not to take any clients this late. You need to get me home and into bed."
As the Russian's muscular arms worked around her midsection, she nuzzled her head against his neck. She had to admit, the mobster smelled pretty good.
Nikolai seemed unfazed. "You are right, Dear. If you gentlemen will excuse us."
The three darkly clad visitors stood steadfast in their way. They didn't seem to be buying the drunk act at all.
Lyra threw herself to the ground and made it look like an accident. "Oh my God. I really should have stopped after the fourth martini."
When one of the vampires folded his arms and looked down at her disapprovingly, she brought her fist straight up into his groin.
The unfortunate recipient of her punch doubled over with a scream as Lyra pressed her hands into the ground and pushed herself off. Her powerful bare feet slammed right into the center of the vampires' chests. The kicks caught both unhumans off guard as they sailed through the restaurant and onto a large table of breadsticks and appetizers. As they cracked the plates and scattered silverware, the patrons of the restaurant shrieked and scattered.
As Lyra stood back up, she took her date's hand. "You need to come with me."
Nikolai shook his head. "I can handle myself. You are the one who should run."
Lyra yanked the Russian's arm, and he reluctantly followed as they sprinted toward the back of the restaurant. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw the half-dozen additional attackers coming out through the kitchen.
Nikolai yanked at the handle to the back door. "It is locked."
Lyra turned around without speaking and slammed her superhuman foot into the door. It gave way with ease, ripping apart from the doorjamb and landing with a thud in the alleyway.
Nikolai let out a sharp laugh. "You do the CrossFit, no?"
Lyra grinned. "Come on."
As they reached the alley, Lyra quickly sensed danger closing in on them from the only way out. She could see additional attackers coming toward them through the dimly lit gap between buildings. When she turned back toward the restaurant, she could see the other unhumans streaming into the back patio. Behind her was a brick wall that she could scale, but she doubted her Russian friend would be able to do the same.
They were completely surrounded.
Lyra smile
d and put up her hands. "You've got us. You're welcome to have our leftovers and the second half of a $200 bottle of wine. But only if you let us go."
The vampire who she'd struck where the sun definitely doesn't shine adjusted himself before her. "We don't want you, little girl. We're here for him. Give him up or we'll turn you into leftovers."
Nikolai whispered in her ear. "Run, Lyra. This is not your fight."
Lyra smiled. "I wouldn't be a good blind date if I just left you here to be killed. I have a feeling my star rating would go down on all those dating apps."
"Do you never stop with the joking?"
She looked back at the 12 very strong-looking vampires before her. "Haven't had to yet. But I'll let you know tomorrow." Lyra cracked her knuckles. "If I live that long."
Chapter 4
It didn't take long for Lyra to absorb her surroundings completely. Her former handler, Piers, had trained her to fight her way out of almost every possible scenario. He'd even once dropped her into a well to fight some kind of sea creature. She left the fight with a broken ankle, but she lived to tell the tale.
Lyra smiled during her moment of absorption when she saw a half broken chair sitting beside a green metal dumpster.
It almost feels like my birthday.
Before any of the vampires could make a move, Lyra sprinted and dove for the chair. She grabbed the wooden weapon with one hand and smashed it into the ringleader's face. As two more unhumans reached for her, she rolled underneath their grasp and took the now-broken chair legs in her hands. With incredible speed, she whipped the makeshift stakes directly into two attacker's chests. The creatures exploded in a puff of dust. All that remained was the two chair legs clattering to the alley ground. She glanced over to her side and saw Nikolai backing away from four of the vampires. The rest of them closed in on the greater threat, which of course, was her. She swung her leg with a roundhouse kick to keep the attackers at bay. But with six of them surrounding her and just one little former vampire hunter to fight them off, she knew it was only a matter of time.
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