“Ren.” An automatic scowl tightened his face and he lowered his body back to the bed. “What would he know of it?”
“He’s got some medical training in his background.” Elle shrugged and climbed to her feet, returning to the kitchen. “He comes out every now and then to bring food, check on you.”
“Check on you, more likely,” Michael muttered. Exhaustion pulled at him and he felt his lids drooping closed. “Five months.”
“Hmmm. Longest five months of my life.”
He heard the sound of something metallic and looked up to see her putting a lid on a huge pot. Already the smell of something delicious filled the air.
“That didn’t take long.”
She smiled. “I’ve been living on soup and stew lately. I’m just reheating the stew that I made yesterday.” She gave the pot one more stir and then returned to the bed. “It won’t take much more than a few minutes.”
He lifted his arm. “Then lie back down…for a few minutes.”
She stretched out next to him, resting her hand on his chest, just above his heart.
Michael turned his face to her hair and breathed in the soft, familiar scent. “Where are we?”
“Will’s cabin. It’s in Germany. He brought us here after… Well, after that night.”
“I don’t remember.”
“You were hovering near death, so that’s not a surprise.”
“Will.” Michael opened his eyes and squinted at Elle. “If we’re in Will’s cabin, why didn’t he—”
“Heal you?” Elle finished. A frown curled her mouth downward and she shrugged. Drawing little circles on his chest, she said, “That’s what I thought he’d shown up for. But apparently he was there to deal with the drones. He had to shield everything…we were almost discovered.”
“Shield.”
“Yes. Will can hide things from plain sight when he wants to. But he usually doesn’t have to hide an entire building and dozens of drones. He damn near drained himself like you did. He didn’t have the energy to heal you. Besides, the damage you did went deeper than physical and I think that’s out of Will’s hands.”
She snuggled close, pressed a kiss to his chest. “I can’t believe you’re awake.” Her voice broke, a shuddery sigh escaping her. “I was starting to worry you’d never wake.”
“Of course, I’m awake. We had plans…we had a date. We’re getting married.”
“Married.” A happy little grin curled her lips. “Yeah. As soon as you can stand on your feet long enough, Prince Charming.”
About the Author
To learn more about Shiloh, please visit www.shilohwalker.com. Send an email to Shiloh at [email protected] or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Shiloh. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SHI_nenigans/
Look for these titles by Shiloh Walker
Now Available:
Always Yours
Legends: Hunters and Heroes
Talking with the Dead
Malachi
Hunter’s Pride
The Huntress
For the Love of Jazz
Beautiful Girl
Hunter’s Edge
Vicious Vixen
Playing for Keeps
My Lady
The Redeeming
Grimm’s Circle
Candy Houses
So you think you know fairy tales? Guess again.
Candy Houses
© 2009 Shiloh Walker
Grimm’s Circle, Book 1
Greta didn’t get her happy ending her first time around. And now that she’s a Grimm—special kind of guardian angel and official ass-kicker in the paranormal world—romance is hard to find. Besides, there’s only ever been one man who made her heart race, and the fact that he did scared her right out of his arms. Now Rip is back. And just in time too, because Greta needs his help.
On a mission he knows is going to test all of his strengths and skills, the last person Rip expected to see is the one woman who broke his heart. Working together seems to be their only hope. But, when faced with a danger neither of them anticipated, the question is, how will they face the danger to their hearts—assuming they survive, of course.
Warning: Dark, sexy, a little bit scary—this fairy tale is only for grownups and is best saved for bedtime.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Candy Houses:
You must be joking.
Rip stood across the street in the shadows, watching as the brunette made her way down the sidewalk, staring into the bars and restaurants, like she was searching for somebody.
She was.
That what their kind did. They searched for those who needed them. That’s why the Circle existed, after all. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind seeing pretty little Greta. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind teasing her and seeing if he could get those blue eyes to blaze fire at him. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind trying to figure out how to convince her to get naked with him again.
It was a task he’d been working for close to a hundred years, ever since that first—and last—time.
She ignored him, though. All too easily. If he didn’t know women as well as he did, he might have even believed that feigned disinterest. She was good at hiding it, but she wasn’t as oblivious of him as she liked to pretend. On the odd occasion their paths crossed, he would see the heat in her eyes. Heat…hunger…and need. A need that just might match his own.
It was a hope that kept him going through many a night and yes, under normal circumstances he’d be more than happy to see her sauntering down a city street, taking in everything with those big blue eyes. More than happy to approach her and see what it would take to get those blue eyes to focus him.
But right now he wasn’t functioning under normal circumstances.
He was on a hunt and he wasn’t about to get distracted, not even by the very distractible Greta. Even though he’d much rather be distracted by Greta.
As he stared at her, brooding, she stopped on the sidewalk and cocked her head to the side. Her eyes narrowed and he saw the change come over her, watched as she went from bored to predatory. Watched as she became aware. He saw the intent interest flare in her eyes and knew without a doubt she’d caught scent of something.
“Shit, don’t let it be my something,” he muttered, reaching back and grabbing the band that held his hair secured at his nape. He shoved a hand through his hair and then gathered it back into a queue. He wasn’t sharing this quarry, not with anybody. Not even Greta. He couldn’t.
Hell.
This was even worse than being distracted by Greta.
If she picked up on his hunt, she would want to get involved, and she’d do just that. She’d get involved, and in a very big way, simply by placing herself at his side. Definitely not what he wanted to see happen. She was a pit bull. Once she got a hold of something, she didn’t let go.
Not ever.
Not until the job was done.
Of course, if he didn’t keep his attention where it belonged, he was going to become a job, of sorts, himself, when his associates had to track down his killer. He felt the warning ripple down his spine and jerked aside just in time to evade the downward stroke a wicked-sharp Kel-Tech knife. It wasn’t big enough to take his head off unless somebody was either very patient, very fast or very strong. The demon-possessed man in front of him looked to be very, very strong, even without aid of the demon that had settled inside his body. His body was no longer his own, though. It belonged to the demon. He was nothing more than a host—basically just a vehicle for the monster inside.
The demon was called a paraisei—sounds a lot like parasite and that’s exactly what this kind of demon was. A parasite. It picked out a victim, set up housekeeping and whittled away at the victim’s will until the human was no longer strong enough to fight. Once they reached that point, there was no saving the victim. They were trapped until the victim was either killed or the body gave out.
/> With the paraisei, it didn’t take long for one of those endings to come about. They were vicious and a lot of them ended up going on murderous rampages, the kind that often ended up in death.
Since the demon didn’t need food to live, those paraisei-infected humans who didn’t meet a bloody, brutal end had the pleasure of dying of thirst and starvation.
Usually, the demon vacated its host right before death. The only way to kill one of the monsters was to kill the host before the demon left it. To Rip’s eyes, the face was still human. Barely. It had probably only been a few days since the paraisei had taken complete control.
The typical person looking at the demon-possessed wouldn’t see anything but the insanity lurking inside his eyes.
The demon wasn’t insane.
It was actually very sane—functioning exactly as his kind did. Feeding on the misery of others, taking them over. It was too late for this one—the demon was in control and the only way Rip would set this poor bastard free was if he killed the paraisei inside.
“Aren’t you due a nap, Grimm?”
Rip was startled. Not at the raspy, obviously inhuman voice that came from the man’s throat, but by the words. The paraisei knew him. He pushed the surprise aside. It was something he’d worry about later.
He was curious, though. The paraisei knew him. Not many in the world did—within the Circle, among the demons, anywhere.
Curling his lips in a smile, he said, “Don’t worry…dealing with you is going to leave me so bored, I may just sleep for a week. When I’m done.”
She chose the wolf she needed and got the man of her dreams.
Her Chosen Wolf
© 2009 Renee Michaels
The Were Chronicles, Book 1
Sent to live in the city long ago for her own protection, Saffa has always longed to return to her mountain home. She is a multimorph, and women of her rare bloodline are highly prized by those who aspire to supreme power over the pack. The last thing she wants to be is anyone’s stepping stone—especially Bardo Redmaven’s. Justice Ambervane would be her first choice…if only he’d stop holding her at arm’s length.
The wolf within Justice would eagerly take Saffa as his mate, but for secret reason of his own, his human conscience has always resisted. He can’t believe Saffa risked coming out of hiding, even to warn him of the disturbing activities of the power-hungry Redmaven clan. She’s dangerously close to her first breeding cycle, and giving in to her irresistible scent makes him a marked man. And Saffa even more of a target.
What he needs is backup, and there’s only one wolf he trusts enough: Drew. As the coming fight backs all three of them into a tight corner, the heat explodes into a passion that Justice wonders if he’ll live to regret…
Warning: Quick, erotic tumble with a frisky trio.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Her Chosen Wolf:
She turned her head at the sound of footsteps approaching. Her words of welcome dried up as she caught sight of Drew following Justice into their room. Justice met her questioning eyes, but Drew avoided her gaze. She sat up and waited. Why did she have the sinking feeling she sat on the brink of some pivotal occurrence?
“What’s wrong?” she asked nervously.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’ve asked Drew to be my sec.” His voice was a mere rasp, but there was no plea in them. He stated it as a fact, one he expected her to accept.
The words echoed hollowly in her ears. This wasn’t happening.
Her lower lip pushed out fractionally. She bit into it to control the telltale sign of her temper rising.
“Is this where I thank you for choosing someone I actually like, or tell you to go to hell?” She slid off the bed and pulled on her terrycloth robe. Shoving her fists into the pockets, she stared at the men. Drew looked as uncomfortable as a chicken in a slaughter house.
“Neither. It’s an accepted practice to choose a sec to assure the safety of one’s mate.” Justice walked over to her but he didn’t touch her. “I’m a marked man, Saffa. You must have known I might choose a sec.”
She stepped back. She couldn’t bear it if he touched her now.
“It hadn’t occurred to me you’d need to. It’s too soon; we’ve barely had any time together. It’s an insult to ask me to accept another man in our bed this soon after our first mating and during my breeding cycle.” She turned her back on Justice, not wanting him to see the tears brimming in her eyes. Damn him.
He took a hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him. “My decision is irrevocable. It’s not one I made lightly. As my mate, you must welcome my sec. Show me your unquestioned belief in me as your future supreme alpha to do what’s best for all of us.”
“I didn’t take the supreme alpha to my bed. I took a man who I thought at least cared enough to consider my feelings and consult me about something this important to us as a couple.” She stared stonily up at him.
“It’s because I care that I’ve done this. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. I’ve chosen a man who will protect you as I would, with his last breath. I chose a man who has affection for you, which you reciprocate. You insult us both by your rejection. Accept his vow of commitment. I’ll have your vow of allegiance also, Drew.” Justice stepped back and waited for her decision.
Drew walked over to her and took her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. The understanding in them, tinged with the glint of bad-boy sexiness in his eyes, melted some of her anger.
“Would it be so bad, Saffa?” He hugged her comfortingly. This was Drew, her friend. Maybe she’d read one too many romance novels. There was no place for misplaced sentiment in their lives. She relaxed against him.
“I pledge my life and the strength of my pack as your mate’s sec, to keep you safe, Saffa Ambervane.” Drew turned to Justice. “With fang and claw I’ll meet your enemies in battle.”
Drew shed his clothes, shifted into a wolf and lowered his head in an act of submission. An alpha, bowing to his future supreme alpha, not by force but by choice. He bared his neck, the final show of his trust and commitment to Justice.
Justice swung his gaze over to her. She let out a shaky breath and shrugged off her robe. She’d do as he asked, but to show she was still pissed, she took the form of a cheetah, not the wolf as expected, and bowed.
Justice shed his clothes and assumed a lupine physique, his presence dominating the loft. Saffa took several steps back as a show of respect.
Lifting his head, Justice sent out his howl recognizing Drew’s pledge The varying cadence of the cry couldn’t be mistaken by anyone who heard it. Justice had taken a powerful were as his sec, adding to his influence. His pack mates inhabiting the building howled their own vows to their future leader.
Justice butted her side and she climbed up onto the bed. Saffa positioned herself with her back to him. She wasn’t ready to make nice just yet.
Of course, he ignored her and curled his body around hers. Drew took his place beside her, settled down and promptly fell asleep, or at least pretended to.
Saffa lay there for a long time listening to her men breathe. Well, hell, things were getting more and more complex by the minute. Too restless to sleep, she tried to slip from the bed but the men moved to crowd her, keeping her wedged between them.
Irritated, she wiggled but neither man budged. As always, her body began to crave Justice’s, but with Drew here with them it was hard not to be drawn to him too. She stretched out into her true form, and to her annoyance her bed mates mimicked her actions. Sandwiched between the two bodies, Saffa gulped. It was going to be a long night.
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