by Mills, Julia
Making his way to where he had parked his Harley, he heard the sound of large paws hitting the fallen leaves on the forest floor. Using his enhanced sense of smell, he located the two werepanthers quickly approaching his location. Continuing his trek, he was joined by Max in human form, wearing only a pair of jeans, and a huge golden brown cat with deep hazel eyes aiming a throaty ‘tsk tsk tsk’ in his direction. He looked to Max and pointed at the cat on his other side, “I’m not sure, but I believe I’m being scolded by the fur ball.”
The cat in question hissed as Max answered while laughing, “Yes, it appears Juan Carlos does not agree with your evening flight.”
“Well, not all of us can change into something small enough to slink around in the dark and drink milk from a saucer.” He laughed at his own joke and was rewarded with a growl emanating from deep in the werepanther’s throat.
Max, still chuckling at his side, spoke up, “Alright children, let us play nice.”
“Yeah, I’ll play nice. You gotta rubber mouse I can throw for Sylvester over here.”
Juan Carlos’ growl grew until Lance could see his body vibrating, “Chill out JC. I’m just messing with ya.”
“Juan Carlos does not ‘chill out’ very well,” Max answered for the still growling and hissing cat. “Finish patrolling this area and I’ll be right with you,” the King instructed his lieutenant.
Lance figured he was about to get a lecture he really wasn’t in the mood for, so he decided to head it off at the pass, “Anything out of the ordinary?”
“Nothing since we found those latent traces of black magic. After thinking about it, I believe they were from the first time she was kidnapped. I am sure they had originally planned to take her from here, but were unable to find the chance and opted to abduct her from the hospital parking lot.”
“You’re probably right,” he answered while still considering what the Leo had said and almost missed the next revelation.
“I believe your mate may have seen me earlier this evening when…”
“Samantha… Her name is Samantha, and how the hell did she see you?” Lance rounded on him, unable to control his emotions when it came to his mate.
He saw the amusement in Max’s eyes; he knew…Busted! Standing still, he waited for the Leo to answer. “Had you not been so quick to correct my use of the word mate, you would have known that I am sure she only saw my eyes shining in the dark as she retrieved her pizza from the delivery man.” Max shook his head and chuckled at his expense. “She only looked for a split second. I am sure she explained it away in her own mind. I simply wanted you to be aware in case the subject presented itself.”
Instead of apologizing, Lance opted to ignore the whole damn mess and moved on. “I’m sure you’re right. Thanks for keeping watch while I try to track down Andrew and his merry band of losers.”
He could see that Max wanted to say more, but in true regal fashion, took the high road. “You are most welcome. It will benefit all of us when this mess is brought to an end.”
“Damn straight. Well, I’m sure I’m due an ass chewing from Rayne. I’ll be back in the morning. Thanks again.”
“No need for thanks. Just make sure I am invited to the mating party.” Max laughed and winked, making Lance’s hand itch with the need to punch the King right in the jaw.
Before he could draw a breath to correct his friend and major pain in the ass, Max changed back into a large black panther and sauntered off through the woods. “Damn cats just cannot mind their own business,” he mumbled to himself as he walked towards his bike.
He knew damn good and well that Max had been talking to Rayne, who was getting all his information from Royce and Devon. They were the elite Dragon Guard and the powerful Werepanther Pride, but at this moment, they were acting like a bunch of gossipy girls. Usually he enjoyed talking shit and causing trouble, but this was the first time he was on the receiving end, and that shit sucked.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sound of her alarm blaring across the room roused Sam from the hottest dream she’d ever had. It had started so innocently, all smiles and crystal blue eyes, but had quickly evolved into hot, sweaty passion that left her with the urge to run naked through the woods. Well, running was so not happening. God knows she only did that when there was an emergency at the hospital and before that, when Miss Sizemore, her high school PE teacher, had demanded it. Tired of listening to the alarm, she decided it was time to get the day started. Charlie would be picking her up in a little over an hour, and she definitely needed a shower followed by a very strong cup of coffee to clear the erotic cobwebs.
Walking past the windows that almost covered one entire wall of her bedroom, she stopped to admire the sun as it started its ascent. The oranges, reds, and yellows against the deep blue of the early morning sky reminded her of all the beauty in the world that she was often too busy to appreciate. As the golden glow grew, she suddenly had a flash of déjà vu. She felt herself looking through the windows, in the not so distant past, watching a huge glistening figure fly through the sky. The creature’s impressive wings exuded power as they propelled him gracefully across the skyline. She was absolutely captivated by the picture that continued to unfurl in her mind. It was as though this beast performed an intricate ballet with tricky body rolls and fanciful dips for her alone. As what she now knew to be a dragon came within a breath of her window, she saw a large crystal blue orb gazing directly at her. The emotions she saw reflected within seemed to settle inside her very soul, filling the little dark places that had been forged by all the loss. There was a familiarity, a sense of like recognizing like, on a core level that begged to be explored.
The sounds of her phone vibrating against the wood of her bedside table shook her from her daydream. Making her way across the room, the reflection in the mirror over her dresser caught her attention, and she was forced to take a closer look. There, looking back was the same face she remembered from every day for almost twenty-nine years, with one huge difference. She looked happy. The corners of her mouth were upturned, her dark, brown eyes were sparkling, and the warmth she felt inside was emanating outward, making her almost glow. She chuckled, thinking she may have actually gotten too much sleep. Her phone sounded again, and she resumed her trek across the room. A quick look at the clock as she grabbed her phone told her she’d spent may too much time inside her own head. If she didn’t get a move on, Charlie was going to be in her driveway honking her horn before she had her scrubs on.
Flipping open the phone as she headed to the bathroom, she almost tripped over her own big feet when the nine little words displayed on the screen made her pulse jump. “Have a great day, Doc. See you soon.” She smiled and continued to the shower. While drying off, she could not shake the feeling of strong, muscular arms wrapped around her body while soft, full lips kissed and tasted her neck and shoulders. Laughing at her own silliness with the hopes of bringing her temperature down a few degrees, she finished getting ready and headed down the stairs, following the mouth-watering aroma of fresh brewed coffee. Thank God for coffee makers with timers.
Supersize travel mug in hand and messenger bag over her shoulder, she was stepping out the door when she heard the telltale sounds of gravel crunching in her driveway, signaling Charlie’s arrival. She locked the door with the key she had found on the floor inside her door, hurried to the car, and got ready for what she hoped was an uneventful day.
Almost ten hours later and she knew the true meaning of ‘dumb luck’. To say her day had been a total disaster was an understatement. Patients that should have been easy had required extra meds or procedures. Two surgeries were cancelled because patients’ vitals were unstable. Hell, even technology was against them. The computers crashed not once but twice, and to top it off, the cafeteria was out of Diet Coke. She’d just been paged for what she was sure was the hundredth time when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Running for the elevator as she heard “Dr. Malone to Orthopedics” over the PA, she wondered how s
he was going to be on two different floors at the same time. “Rough day, Dr. Malone?” asked a tall, scruffy looking man with sunglasses covering his eyes. He was perched against the railing at the very back of the elevator, and she hadn’t realized he was there until he’d spoken. Her phone shook the coins in her pockets just as she was about to answer the stranger’s question. The message that appeared relieved some of the pressure tightening the muscles in her neck. “Hey, Doc. Bonnie Blue is good as new. Where can I bring the keys?” She didn’t stop the smile that crossed her lips and chuckled as she returned the message, “Come to the fourth floor nurses’ station. See you there.” As the elevator doors opened, a cold chill swept down her spine as the jacket of the man that had spoken to her brushed past her elbow as he made his way into the hall. Something about him was off. The air around him seemed heavier than anywhere else. The words dark and creepy floated through her mind.
Shaking off the negative feelings the stranger had stirred, she made her way towards the room they continued to page her about. It dawned on her that he had called her by name and her badge was well hidden under her lab coat. Once again chills skated down her back, but before she could think about it any further, Charlie yelled from the room down the hall, and she was on her way to the next emergency with all thoughts of weird men in elevators and sexy blue-eyed rescuers forgotten for the moment.
Almost an hour later, Mrs. Robinson’s stitches were replaced and her arm immobilized to avoid them being ripped out again. Sam was throwing away her gloves when a low rumbling voice drifted from the hallway, causing her skin to tingle and her nipples to harden. She’d never been so glad to have a lab coat on in her life. Even knowing Lance waited for her in the hallway didn’t prepare her for the jolt of pure adrenaline that shot through her at the sight of the man. With his back to her, leaning against the wall with a cell phone to his ear and his right ankle thrown haphazardly over the left, her eyes hungrily traced the line his faded jeans made from his cocked hip to his incredibly well-proportioned behind, and ate up the powerful muscles that simply refused to be contained by the well-worn denim. She worked her way back up the other leg, helpless to doing anything but admire his incredible ass once again. Her mouth went dry as he moved his shoulder, and his faded baby blue T-shirt pulled even tighter across his incredibly impressive back that needed to be explored. Hundreds of hours spent studying musculature hadn’t ever come close to the education her eyes were receiving with this man. He was a study in dichotomy, all hard muscles and lines of a well-honed body against the tenderness and willingness to help others that she had already witnessed.
A throat clearing behind her caused her to stumble as she spun around, only to be confronted with a man that looked like he’d walked right off the pages of GQ. Good Lord, he was incredibly attractive, nothing like the man she could still hear talking on the phone behind her, but a damn fine specimen of manliness in his own right. Where Lance was rough and raw, this man was suave and refined. He was at least six foot two, with striking green eyes set in light olive skin surrounded by thick, dark lashes, and his super dark, wavy hair that parted on the side in that devil may care way that the male stars in old movies seemed to favor, was done by a ‘stylist’, not a barber. His thick full lips that at the moment were curled in a one-sided grin had, without a doubt, made many women swoon. The suit he wore had obviously been tailored for him because nothing off the rack fit that well. Not that she knew from personal experience of anything but Wal-Mart and thrift stores, but her years of being surrounded by male doctors had taught her a thing or two about the designer things in life. She knew if she looked down at his feet there would be a pair of designer loafers. Unlike others that she associated with this type of attire, this man seemed friendly, almost approachable. Almost? Yes, she would definitely say, almost. There was a contained aggression just under the surface that she hoped she never witnessed.
His grin morphed into a full blown smile, and then he spoke. She wasn’t surprised to hear a slight South American accent. “Dr. Malone, I presume,” he asked with an outstretched hand.
“I am, and you would be?” she asked while shaking his hand, surprised to feel calluses across his palm and the tips of each finger.
“Max Prentice, a friend of Lance,” he motioned behind her as he spoke.
“Oh, I see,” she answered, not sure what to say next, and was thankfully saved from further thought when a very large, warm hand engulfed her shoulder, sending electric shocks through her system and making rational thought damn near impossible. Immediate recognition allowed her to relax into his touch while trying to hide her reaction from the man facing her.
“Are you bothering the good doctor, Max, my man?” His voice was even deeper and more powerful when spoken so closely to her ear.
Max’s smile grew mischievous, “Not at all. I was merely keeping her company while you were otherwise engaged.”
Lance began massaging her shoulder as they spoke around her, and she worked hard not to sigh. “I’ll take it from here. Why don’t you grab a cup of coffee? I’ll meet ya in the cafeteria in a few. Cool?”
With a wink she figured was for Lance’s benefit, Max turned on his heels and headed towards the bank of elevators at the end of the hall. The heat at her back increased as she felt Lance so close their bodies should have been touching. “So Doc, how’s your day been so far?”
It was barely a whisper, but right against her ear, the low rumble of every syllable stirred her need and want for this man. She felt the slightest touch of his lips on the curve of her ear as he inhaled deeply. The next thing she knew, she was spun around, and what she saw was a look the exact opposite of what she had expected from his actions mere seconds before. brows furrowed, lips in a firm thin line, eyes darkening to a stormy gray, and the grip he had on her upper arms tightening, he looked around and began moving them towards a room she knew was empty just a few doors down the hall. He kicked the door shut and sat them both on the edge of the bed housekeeping had yet to make. “What the hell are you doing, Lance?” She jumped up and faced him, hands on hips, eyes narrowed, and waiting for his answer.
The staring contest lasted all of ten seconds before he exhaled long and deep and let his head slump forward. She waited as he composed himself, not moving a muscle, just watching. His head came up slowly, and she was speared with a stern, dark look rimmed with worry and a touch of fear. Fear? What did this big hulk that had literally rescued her from a blown up, smoldering building have to be afraid of? She thought. Still waiting for him to answer, she began slowly letting out the breath she only just realized she was holding. She was about to give up and break the silence when he spoke. “Dammit, Doc, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. And my explanation is probably going to make you think I need a one way ticket to the Psych Ward, but here goes any way. I have to ask…Have you seen or talked to anyone other than a patient or colleague today?”
She could tell he thought what he was asking her was important so, instead of fighting, she decided to go with it and see where they ended up. “Yeah, I did. But how did you know?”
“I promise I’ll answer that, but first, what did he look like?”
“I don’t really know. He was in the back of the elevator I ran into after being paged. I remember thinking it was weird he had sunglasses on indoors, but then I got distracted by your text, and then the elevator doors were opening. He rushed past and was gone before I got out.”
She watched as Lance leaned forward from his perch on the bed, absorbing all she had said. She noticed his hands, and the serious grip he had on the bed; his knuckles were white, and the muscles in his forearms were bulging. She replayed the incident in the elevator in her mind and then continued while he looked at her with such intensity she had to concentrate not to fidget. “I didn’t know he was there until he spoke. Then I realized after he was already gone that he knew my name, but my badge was under my lab coat, so there was no way he could’ve seen it. For a second, I thought maybe he was a form
er patient, but I would’ve remembered someone as creepy as him.” She shuddered as she remembered how eerie he’d made her feel.
If possible, Lance’s stare became more intense, and his grip on the mattress increased until she waited to hear the tearing of fabric. His intense glare was incredibly unnerving, but there was no way she was backing down. She had to know how he knew what had happened earlier and what the hell that had to do with him literally dragging her into an empty room. Rushing on before he could think of a way to distract her, she asked, “Now it’s your turn. What the hell happened back there?” she motioned over her shoulder with her thumb.
“When we were standing together in the hall, and here’s where you’re gonna think I’ve lost my mind, I smelled him on you.”
“You mean you smelled his cologne on me or something like that? And wait…you know him? Well enough to know what cologne he wears?” She narrowed her gaze. “Who is this guy, Lance?”
“He used to be one of my bre…brothers, and he’s very dangerous.” And with that proclamation he stood up and took the two steps that brought them so close together she could see that damn dimple in his cheek, winking at her up close and personal. As her eyes took in every detail of his almost perfectly chiseled face, he spoke more softly, making his low, gravelly voice roll through her, raising goose bumps on her arms. “So I guess that means I’m gonna have to stay real close, Doc, and make sure nothing bad happens.”
He wound his arm around her waist, bringing her tight against his warm, hard body and her immediately hard nipples rubbed against the lace of her bra. Unconsciously, she arched into his touch. The look in his eyes stole her breath and made her body weep. Thoughts of what his naked body would feel like against hers were all she could see in her lust-soaked mind. He wiggled his eyebrows, and just that quick, he had gone from the big, bad protector to the grinning jokester. Lost to the powerful man that held her close, her eyes closed, effectively cutting off his hypnotic gaze while she tried to regain at least some of her equilibrium. When she opened her eyes, he was studying her. Too many emotions to identify drifted across his expressive face. There was something he wasn’t telling her, she could see it. Hell, she could feel it in his touch. His smile was brilliant, but the lines of tension bracketing his eyes told her the revelation that his prodigal brother was in the hospital had bothered him more than he was willing to admit. Well, damn, that was not what she’d expected when she had first seen his text. More things to contemplate was not what she needed. But she knew with all certainty that no matter what else was happening, there was no way to deny the pull of the man that held her tight.