Passion Ignites

by Donna Grant

  “Give me a sec. I can’t find the headband I bought. Ah, ha!” she cried as she found it and hurried to the mirror.

  She placed the band across her forehead, the turquoise matching the dress to perfection. Her gaze met Con’s in the mirror before she turned to face him.

  “I’m here to give you this,” he said and held out the box.

  Grace eyed it before she hesitantly took it. “I heard you do this for all the mates.”

  “And yet you thought I wouldna with you?”

  “It did cross my mind.”

  Con stood there while she opened the box and merely stared without saying a word or giving any emotion away on her face.

  He was normally good at picking out the right pieces for the mates, but he must have gotten it wrong this time.

  “I would ask that you wear it now, but after the ceremony, you can pick out whatever you’d like.”

  She lifted her dark blue eyes to him. “Why would I want to do that?”

  “You doona like it.”

  “I love it,” she said.

  That’s when he saw how her eyes were filled with tears.

  “It’s perfect.” Grace sniffed as she took the anklet and sat to put it on.

  After it was clasped on her right ankle, she ran her hands over the rose gold links to the heart in pure turquoise.

  Grace looked up at him, smiling widely. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. I’ll see you downstairs shortly,” he said before he left.

  Con paused outside of the room of his last visit. He hadn’t wanted to like Lexi, but he hadn’t been able to help it from the first time they met. She had spunk and spirit—all the mates did—but there was something about Lexi that he recognized immediately.

  Perhaps it was because she reminded him of someone from his past.

  Con knocked. A few seconds later Lexi opened the door, her brow knotted in a frown. “What’s the matter?” he asked worriedly.

  Surely he hadn’t been wrong about her. She couldn’t back out now. Thorn would be devastated.

  She rolled her eyes and walked away. “I should’ve chosen a more traditional dress. He’s going to hate it.”

  Con walked into the room and closed the door behind him. Then he took Lexi by the shoulders and turned her so that she faced the floor-length mirror.

  They looked at her dress together. The claret velvet skimmed her body enticingly on the bodice. The neckline had scalloped edging that dipped to her breasts. The sleeves were long and narrow with black lace inserts from her shoulders down to upper thighs.

  The dress was belted with black leather. Adding to the look was a six-inch drop of leather studded with silver above her right leg before the gown fell open in a slit to show the lining of black in the flowing skirts.

  Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, and she had on black velvet booties.

  “I think you look like you. In other words, you look perfect. There is no right or wrong way to dress for this. Each mate chooses the gown that best fits them.”

  Her shoulders sagged in relief as she briefly closed her eyes. “I love the dress, but as soon as I saw Iona, I began to question my choice.”

  “Doona,” Con urged. “Thorn is going to love it.”

  Lexi smiled at him through the mirror. “I needed to hear all of that. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” He stepped to the side and held out the black velvet box.

  She accepted it with curiosity. Her gasp was loud when she opened the lid then covered her mouth with her hand. Tears misted her eyes when she looked up at him.

  “It’s my duty to give a gift. I hope you like them.”

  “I’ve always loved garnets,” she said as she took one of the earrings out and put it in.

  The curving French wire made it appear as if the five-carat multifaceted rectangle garnet was floating beneath her ear.

  Once she had both in, he nodded. “The others are waiting for us below. Shall we go?”

  Lexi set aside the velvet box and took his arm. They walked down the stairs and out the back entrance of the manor into the mountain.

  Con paused to leave Lexi with the other three. “Count to twenty, then follow me,” he told them.

  He walked deeper into the mountain and spotted Laith, Warrick, Arian, and Thorn standing together as they waited for the mating ceremony to begin and their women to walk into the cavern.

  He exhaled a long breath as the Kings took their places and Iona came into view first. Laith went to meet her and bring her to the front. Warrick followed suit with Darcy, and Arian did the same with Grace.

  When Lexi appeared, Thorn simply stood there looking at her.

  “Thorn,” Con said, when the King didn’t go to get her.

  “I’m just taking the moment in,” Thorn said with a smile, never moving his gaze from Lexi.

  Her smile was wide when Thorn finally approached and whistled in approval. Con winked at her when Lexi gave him a thumbs-up.

  In a few moments, there would be four more humans mated to his Kings.

  Did that make them stronger—or weaker? Only time would tell. But for the moment, Con approved of each mortal binding themselves to his Kings.

  * * *

  Daire left Dreagan and teleported to Edinburgh. There he found Cael standing outside a pub looking through the window at a Dark who had targeted two humans.

  “Well?” Cael asked.

  Daire shrugged and looked at the mortals on the street. “Rhi is just as we thought. I’ve been tracking her for weeks, and she’s unpredictable to be sure. She goes from Dreagan to Balladyn to Ulrik with no rhyme or reason.”

  “What of her meeting with Usaeil?”

  Daire leaned back against the window and crossed his arms over his chest. “Rhi is a wild card. Usaeil made a mistake that others have yet to see. Rhi, however, knows it. I’m still unsure of what Rhi’s plans are regarding the queen.”

  “Where is Rhi now?”

  “At Dreagan. The battle with the Dark left her wounded.”

  Cael’s head snapped to him. “Should we be worried?”

  “Con healed her, but she’s still not woken.”

  “I want you there when she does. We need every detail.”

  Daire pushed away from the glass. “And if she doesn’t wake?”

  “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. We have our orders. The others will be here shortly. We’ll begin to exact justice on the Dark, starting in Edinburgh. I need you to remain with Rhi. She is—”

  Daire nodded and interrupted him to say, “Important. I know. Balladyn could win her over.”

  Cael drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. “We’ve been too long away from this realm. We’ve turned into legend. The Fae are about to learn they must answer for their crimes. Including Balladyn.”

  “I think we should wait before dealing with him,” Daire cautioned. “You don’t know what it might do to Rhi.”

  Cael cut his silver eyes to Daire. “You may be right.”

  “She knows I’m following her.”

  “I would expect nothing less from Rhiannon.”

  * * *

  V used the thick fog as cover and landed atop the mountain. It felt good to let the wind slide over his wings, to take the current up high and then dive through the clouds.

  He shifted into his human form and stood looking down at the village below. A gasp behind him had him turning around. He saw the young woman and smiled. Her windblown blond hair fell half on her face, but it couldn’t hide her bright blue eyes.

  “You’re naked,” she said in Italian. When he didn’t answer, she said in English with an Italian accent, “You’re naked.”

  “So I am.”

  He faced her when her eyes drifted down his body. She smiled when she saw his arousal. Her blue eyes lifted to his. “My home is just there,” she said, pointing behind her.

  V walked to her and wrapped one arm around her waist, bringing her against his cock. “Do you really need a bed
?”

  “No,” she said breathlessly, her arms coming around his neck.

  He kissed her while hurriedly removing her clothes. He needed inside her—immediately.

  * * *

  Darius stood at the back during the mating ceremonies. He hadn’t been able to endure listening to the words, but he had to be there.

  As soon as the ceremonies were over, he told Con he was going back to Edinburgh to check on the Dark—and kill more if needed. Darius had gotten into the Lotus Evora in a stunning Nightfall Blue and driven to the city.

  He parked near Darcy’s destroyed building and began to make his way around the city. Several times he saw Dark drop dead as they were walking.

  Darius didn’t see the reason for the deaths until a Light Fae appeared before a group of Dark gathered outside a pub and killed all seven of them with a single word.

  The Light Fae looked his way and vanished. Darius certainly wasn’t upset to find that the Light were helping them clean the streets, but he had a suspicion that the man wasn’t just any Fae.

  To Darius’s surprise, he found himself outside the Royal Victoria Hospital. He intended to walk out, but something held him back.

  He waited for an hour before he saw the tall, willowy form of Sophie Martin twenty feet in front of him. Her red hair was down, falling about her shoulders in a thick wave.

  She walked past him without looking in his direction. Two steps later she halted. Then she slowly turned to him. There were no words, no exchange of pleasantries.

  Darius pushed away from the building and strode to her. He slid one hand around the back of her neck and the other around her waist as he kissed her.

  She responded immediately with a fire that he had sensed within her. Their kiss turned frantic, scorching. He backed her into an alley and pushed her against a building. She dropped her purse and black bag and wound her arms around his neck.

  Darius told himself to be worried about a woman who brought that much need and hunger to his surface, but he was too busy kissing her.

  She reached between them and unbuckled his pants while he yanked up her dress and tore her panties. Then he lifted her and thrust into her tight, wet sheath.

  Darius closed his eyes as her ankles locked around his waist. Just this once. He would give in to his body with Sophie just this once.

  Read on for an excerpt from the next book by

  Donna Grant

  SMOLDERING HUNGER

  Coming soon from

  St. Martin’s Paperbacks!

  It was his eyes.

  Yes, his eyes. Those deep orbs the color of rich, dark chocolate. He hadn’t tried to be glib or charming. He simply was.

  Was that what drew her? Was it because he told her the truth, uncaring what she thought of him? She hadn’t known men were capable of such things.

  He hadn’t flirted with her or tried to be charismatic. In fact, he had said very little the first time and nothing at all the second.

  Instead, his large hand had cupped the back of her head and held it while he kissed her mindless. Her senses had been assaulted with his taste, his heat, his desire, and his smell. Even now she had only to think of sandalwood and chills raced over her skin.

  Sophie blinked and found herself staring at her reflection through the small mirror in her locker. Her eyes were dilated, her lips parted, and her chest heaved.

  Her sex ached to feel Darius’s length slide inside her once more, to have him thrust hard and fast. Her breasts swelled and moisture soaked her panties.

  My God. What was wrong with her?

  He rode you good.

  Sophie slammed her locker shut and turned on her heel. It was past midnight, and she wanted a few hours of sleep before she was back at the hospital for her next shift.

  On her way out, she stopped by to check on the woman whose husband had beat her. The woman refused to press charges or to realize that if she didn’t take some kind of action, she could end up dead.

  Sophie paused by the door when she heard voices within. She peered around the corner to see a man with her. He was crying, swearing he would never do it again.

  How many times had he said those same words? By the woman’s medical records and all her broken bones, it had been many, many times.

  Sophie had done her part. She gave the woman the same advice they gave every victim of domestic violence. The ball was in the woman’s court. Sophie could only pray that she took a stand and got her life back.

  As she walked out of the hospital, Sophie felt the wind hit her face with a blast of cold air. A light snow had fallen two days ago, and more was on the way. Even after seven years, she still wasn’t accustomed to the harsh Scotland winters.

  Still flushed from her thinking of Darius, she didn’t bother to button her coat. Her heels clicked on the cobblestones as she made her way to the street.

  Unable to help herself, she glanced to the spot where she and Darius had given in to their passion. The shadows hid the location, but she didn’t need lights to know where it was.

  For a short time, Sophie had forgotten her past and the betrayals that had shaped her into who she was. For a brief space she had just been Sophie. A woman who craved Darius’s touch like she needed air.

  And it had felt so good to give in to that.

  She looked at the ground and swallowed. Damn Darius for showing up again. And damn her own mind for not being able to forget about him.

  When she raised her head, her eyes clashed with chocolate ones. Sophie halted inches from running into Darius. She gripped her purse in one hand and her bag in the other while she wondered what to do.

  “Walk around me,” Darius said.

  She frowned, anger cutting through her. Hadn’t he been the one to come to the hospital, her place of work? Wasn’t he the one in front of her now?

  “Keep walking, Sophie. I’ll find you later and explain,” he said in a low voice.

  She rolled her eyes and walked past him, making sure she ran into him hard enough to throw him off balance. Why had she romanticized their dalliance? Why had she once more found herself making a man into something he wasn’t?

  Darius had told her he wasn’t a good man. Yet she had gone and made him out that way in her mind. All those nights dreaming of him, of the passion and desire, had created a man in her head who couldn’t possibly exist.

  After this run-in with Darius, Sophie was sure he would be well and truly out of her mind for good. She didn’t have the time or inclination for men like him.

  She opted to walk home instead of taking her usual cab. The air was brisk, and with the snow coming, it might be her last chance for a while. The walk felt good despite her feet hurting from two back-to-back shifts.

  Sophie was beyond exhausted by the time she entered her flat. She tossed down her keys, purse, and bag at the entryway table. Then she hung up her coat and kicked off her shoes on the way to the bathroom.

  She was unbuttoning her shirt when she paused to turn on the water for the bathtub. After her clothes were in the hamper, she walked naked to the tub and poured a large portion of bubble bath in before lighting the candles set all around the claw-foot tub.

  While the water filled, she turned on some music and shut off the lights. Her newest favorite was the soundtrack to Outlander. She climbed into the tub with the haunting melody playing in the background.

  Sophie sighed as she leaned back and let the water and bubbles surround her. When the water was high enough, she turned it off with her foot.

  Her eyes were closed as she relaxed. Slowly the tension and stress began to ease from her muscles. Her head lolled to the side. She was so tired she could fall asleep right there. The only thing that would’ve made everything perfect was wine.

  And Darius.

  With the music playing, Sophie couldn’t help but think of Darius. She had come across a few Highlanders while in Edinburgh, but none of them compared to Darius. She hadn’t even had to ask him if he was a Highlander.

  It was in th
e way he held himself, the way he spoke. It was a look upon them that couldn’t be faked or copied. Whatever made a man a Highlander was in his blood, in his very soul.

  Movies and romance books loved to have Highlanders as heroes. Truth be told, Sophie had always found herself drawn to such men. Highlanders valued loyalty, honesty, and family. The alphas who would give their very lives for those they loved.

  At one time she had dreamed of finding such a man for herself. She hadn’t actually thought it would be a Highlander, however. She had been content with finding her man closer to home.

  That’s what she got for thinking men were like those portrayed in film and books. Those were characters written by those who crafted them. They weren’t real people.

  Darius was the closest she had ever come to finding those heroes she used to read about. Then he proved he was as flawed as she was. Which was a good thing. She needed that so she didn’t find herself wanting him in her life.

  She didn’t need anyone. Hadn’t needed anyone in seven years, and that wasn’t going to change. She lived her life the way she wanted without having to answer to anyone or take their bullshit.

  It was just the way she wanted it.

  Liar.

  Sophie silenced her subconscious with a vicious kick. She knew exactly what she wanted, and though a quick tumble with Darius had done wonders for her mentally and physically, she knew better than to think of more.

  She shifted in the tub and saw the candles flicker through her closed eyelids. Sophie opened her eyes, her mouth falling open when she saw Darius leaning against her sink watching her.

  “What…? How…? There’s no…” she began, only to find her brain had shut off.

  His gaze blazed with unreserved longing while his hands gripped the sink tightly. Despite his lounging, his body was strung as tight as a bow.

  How long had he been in her bathroom? How had she not heard him come in? And what did he want?

  Regardless of the questions running through her head, none made it past her lips. Sophie fought against the tide of desire that swept over her. It didn’t help, by the way, Darius looked at her as if he were about to throw her over his shoulder and take her to the bed to make love to her.