by Jessica Lee
“It’s been a while since I last fed, and I’ll endure the sun better if I shift.”
“Oh…right.” Eve whipped back around and bit back a groan. Pull it together, woman. Shifting wasn’t a talent Eve had inherited, and she hadn’t considered the option. She needed her head on straight if they were both to make it out of there. “On three.” She yanked the door wide. “One, two, three.”
Eve darted into the bright sunlight, then hung a left toward the secondary vehicle she kept fueled and ready—just in case. She squinted against the intense rays, but behind her, Eve could hear the soft thumps of Guerin’s four paws on the grass. He wouldn’t last long out there, but her half-human DNA gave Eve a longer window of tolerance. Which was exactly why Seth’s men were flushing her out at this time of day. They knew if she truly were the rumored hybrid, the sun wouldn’t cook her like an overdone Pop-Tart.
A flash of movement out of the corner of her eye had Eve swerving to her right at the same moment a broad silver-laced net fell to the ground, missing her. Small doses of silver didn’t bother Eve. The shit stung, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Yet a large net would feel like a thousand wasps burrowing their stingers into her skin, immobilizing her.
A loud snarl unleashed behind her, followed by a shout for help, halted Eve in her tracks. Guerin, in wolf form, had a large bald man down, his canines pinning the human’s neck to the ground. Dark mahogany-colored fur shone in the sun’s rays. Powerful muscles flexed underneath the thick coat with the incredible strength it took to hold the hulk of a man in place.
For her.
Guerin was protecting her.
And it was provocative as hell.
Her heart pounded and her chest heaved. From exertion, fear, or the sight of the fierce beast in front of her? She wasn’t sure.
“Looks as if Seth will be very pleased.”
Eve spun in the direction of the voice. Then another human emerged from her right—then another opposite him. Until six men came at her from all angles.
Slowly, they closed in, forcing Eve to pivot on her heels, keeping each one in sight. The man on the ground was no longer a threat, judging by the limp state of his body. The wolf backed away and stalked toward the gathering posse with his crimson-stained muzzle drawn back, exposing his long canines. A wicked growl rumbled from his throat.
What was he doing?
They were here for her, not him.
He swung his head in her direction, anger and resolve shimmering in his eyes. Her gaze met his, then caught something else. Smoke—but this time it wasn’t coming from the wood and shingles of the home burning before them.
Oh shit. Guerin. White tendrils trailed upward from his fur.
“Get out of here!” Eve’s fangs dropped into place, and she bared them at the wolf.
Guerin’s large muzzle lifted in defiance a half second before he lunged at another one of the men. He was insane. The crazy beast was going to fry himself. One of Seth’s henchmen launched himself toward the scattered net as the others tightened the circle around her. Damn, it would be so easy to just phase out of there.
Except…
Her gaze darted to the animal ripping into one assassin’s leg. If she disappeared while Guerin was in his current state, Eve would end up leaving him behind. Phasing wasn’t an option for the shifted vampire.
“Come on, Eve,” a large, dark-haired man wearing torn jeans and a black turtleneck piped up as he crept forward. “We know it’s you.” He nodded. “Why not make this easy on everyone? No pain. No blood.” His dark eyes narrowed to thin slits. “Let us take you to Seth.”
“Fuck you,” she spat.
Turtleneck guy’s mellow expression morphed into a lethal frown.
Adrenaline ran thick in Eve’s blood. Her arms and legs trembled from the hormone’s effects. Eve eased one foot back, her gaze swinging among Guerin, turtleneck, netting guy…she pivoted and faced the three men behind her. Surrounded. And Guerin was less than five minutes from going up in flames—just like her house.
There was only one way out.
If she failed, they were both dead. But if she didn’t try, the outcome would be no different.
Eve stretched her arms out at her sides, tossed her head back, closed her eyes, and sucked in a deep breath. She’d never attempted to take out so many at once and had no idea what state the effort would leave her in. But she was out of options. This had to work.
One by one, she curled her fingers into tight fists as if she were gathering the energy around her and concentrating it into the palms of her hands. Hundreds of small lightning bolts of energy zinged along her arms, up her legs, coalescing in the center of her chest. She squeezed her fists, nails biting into her flesh. The ball of heat grew into a raging inferno behind her sternum. Eve gasped for air. More. She rocked on her heels. Her head fell forward and she opened her eyes. The men were on her now, but a hazy wave of energy encompassed her, keeping them on the other side. Puzzled looks that said What the hell is she up to? tossed among them. Seth’s minions had to be thinking, “Do we run and risk death by Seth’s hands, or stay and see if we can outlast whatever she’s doing?” Oh, she was about to give them the answer they were waiting for.
The blaze behind her sternum licked at her spine with its fiery tongue.
One more second.
Eve dug her fangs into her lip, and the metallic taste of her own blood washed over her taste buds. Sweat dripped off her forehead, stinging her eyes. Her vision blurred. Images warped.
It was as if the world around her pulsed at a different beat…and pain was its metronome.
Now.
With a rapid spreading of her fingers, Eve released her store of energy. It erupted from her chest, taking out the men in front of her. She spun, sending the wave out like a fan, knocking the others from their feet. The blast would disrupt their brain waves and temporarily—if they were lucky—turn off their lights.
It was over.
She slumped to the ground. Or had the ground reached up to her? Who knew? God, her brain was short-circuited. The earth tilted beneath her palms, and her stomach lurched. Pull yourself together, Eve. You’re the only chance you and Guerin have.
Guerin!
Hidden beneath the smell of the last four years of her life going up in flames, the musky scent of singed fur invaded her nostrils, jolting her limbs into action. Eve pushed to her feet and staggered toward the limp, smoldering body that was Guerin’s wolf form. Thank God, in his unconscious state he hadn’t reverted back to his human state yet, or he would have been in even worse shape as he lay in the afternoon sun.
Eve yanked her shirt over her head and draped it over what she could of his head and flank. She had to find him shelter. Her arms trembled as she slid her hands under his front legs. Eve half dragged, half carried his dead weight toward her car. Air sawed in and out of her lungs, partly out of fear, the other part—exhaustion. She was stronger than any human woman, thanks to her hybrid DNA, but damn…he was huge, and she’d overexerted herself knocking out six men.
At the car, Eve pulled her keys from her pocket and popped the trunk of the Mercedes. They were in the country with no other dwellings for at least ten miles, so this was their best immediate solution besides digging a hole and burying themselves. She hoisted his upper body up over the lip of the trunk, then gripped his lower half and repeated the process. He tumbled into the dark pit with a dull thump. As if his flesh somehow recognized the safety of the darkness, he reverted back to his human appearance.
The cramped interior didn’t allow for his long limbs to extend and relax, so he remained on his side, nude and in somewhat of a fetal position. Eve grabbed the wool blanket she kept stored for emergencies from behind him and spread it over his large, curved frame. His dark hair, singed on the ends, lay matted against his damp cheek. She had no idea why he’d risked his life for her. He could have run and saved his own neck. What had possessed him to stay behind in an attempt to protect her?
Who was he
…really? And why the hell had he sought her out?
She leaned in, and with a trembling hand, smoothed the strands away from his face. The shadowed interior swayed, and she staggered into the bumper. Eve gripped the rim, steadying herself. Shit. She had to get them out of there before she passed out and fell in the trunk along with him.
Thanks to her mother’s paranoia she was always prepared for the worst-case scenario, so Eve had a backup plan. The vampire in her trunk would have to deal with his cramped quarters for a few hours.
Chapter Six
Arran’s jaw tightened, his molars grinding under the pressure as he watched the Enclave’s master force-feed their reluctant ex-warrior prisoner. Markus released Kenric’s wrist with a gasp and fell backward onto his cot. Kenric swiped a hand over his face. The sheen of perspiration was visible even from the distance Arran stood from the silver-lined cage. The drain of forcing Markus to feed every forty-eight hours had to be exhausting, not only from the mental strain, but physically as well. Markus rolled onto his side, coughing.
“Get the hell out, you son of a bitch,” the prisoner managed to wheeze after catching his breath.
Kenric didn’t flinch; instead, he closed the wound at his wrist, then unrolled the sleeve of his black sweater. “I’m not letting you die. Whether you fucking like it or not,” the master growled.
Markus slowly lifted his head. Dark eyes filled with resentment narrowed on Kenric and chilled the air. “Someone needs to find you a new toy…Master,” he spat. “Because while you’re in here giving me all this love and attention, your precious Enclave warriors are screwing with your life.” A deep laugh erupted from his chest. “You don’t see what’s right under your nose, do you?” Markus flopped onto his back, chuckling like a child who’d just cheated at a game and won.
The master of the Enclave stared at the former warrior in silence, then shook his head in what appeared to be pure frustration and turned on his heel. Arran stepped from the exterior doorway and headed toward the cage entrance. With a gloved hand to shield him from the silver’s caustic effect, he swung the door open for Kenric to pass through. Arran’s gaze shifted to the frail-looking warrior moving into a sitting position on the side of his cot. Markus’s cold stare locked with Arran’s. One side of the former warrior’s lips lifted in a sly, knowing grin.
“How is sweet Gabrielle?” Markus cocked his head. “Is my newest fledgling treating you well, Warrior?” Arran’s grip tightened on the bar of the cage door. “What?” Markus shrugged. “You seem pissed. I would think you’d appreciate my turning her into a vampire for you. Because now”—Markus reached between his legs and slid a palm over his crotch—“you get to fuck her for an eternity.”
“You have truly morphed into an insane bastard.” Arran slammed the door and twisted the key, securing the bolt. “And to think, I once thought of you not only as my partner, but my friend.” He could have sworn a flicker of something other than malice surfaced in Markus’s expression. But before it could take hold, the look was gone. Wishful thinking.
“Awww… Now be nice, Arran, or I might have to spill our little secret.”
Arran jammed the palm of his gloved hand into the bars, rattling the hinges before whirling away from the enclosure. A wicked burst of laughter rolled from the cage as Arran exited the holding area. Sick SOB. This had to end soon—all the subtle omission of details to Kenric, lies about where exactly Guerin had gone and what his second-in-command planned to do while there—or he was going to end up killing Markus.
He should have never agreed to be a co-conspirator in Guerin’s plan. He was lying not only to Kenric, but to Gabrielle as well. And he hated it.
Keeping this secret from his mate was slowly eating away at him from the inside out. But Guerin didn’t want the information about Kenric’s possible daughter going any further than the two of them. According to Guerin, if Gabrielle knew, there would be no way she’d keep this from Emily, Kenric’s mate.
Hell, he was probably right.
Hiding this from Kenric was hard enough on Arran, but he could only imagine how the covert knowledge would have plagued Gabrielle.
The fact that Markus loomed in the center of this fucked-up ménage only made matters worse. But they needed Markus. The former warrior had been with Marguerite for the past two years and held the intelligence they needed to locate Eve. Before she came looking for her father—and the Enclave. Arran had to completely agree with Guerin on one point. If she turned out to be as vindictive as her mother claimed, Eve would have to be stopped.
Arran took the stairs two at a time to the first floor, following Kenric’s path. At the top, he exited into the open expanse of the hallway that led to a kitchen on his left and the den farther down on his right. Arran’s boots thumped against the hard maple floors as he marched forward.
“So what do you think Markus meant when he said the Enclave’s warriors are screwing with my life?”
Kenric’s deep voice ricocheted off the walls and froze Arran in his path. Arran glanced over his shoulder and found the Enclave’s master standing with his back against the wall off to the side of the basement door. A dagger twirled in one gloved palm, the pearl handle shimmering as it whirled end over end.
Damn, he was good.
When Arran came from below, he hadn’t sensed even the smallest trace of the vampire’s presence waiting for him there. Arran turned and faced Kenric.
“He’s insane.” Arran shrugged. “That’s what I think. Marguerite broke him, and he wants to get inside your head and take you down with him. Finish the job Marguerite was never able to.”
Kenric nodded and pushed away from the wall. “Maybe,” he said as he drew closer to Arran. “You know, it’s not the first time Markus has insinuated he knew something about my team that I didn’t.” He halted, leaving less than a foot of distance between them. “Why do think he wants me to believe such a thing?”
“Like I said, he’s mad. Crazy mad.”
“I agree. He is.” Kenric reached down and slid the blade back into his thigh sheath, then glanced back at Arran. “But the way Guerin walked away from the Enclave without a word about where he was going or when he would return? Leaving you to tell me he needed some time away, because he couldn’t tolerate watching me rehabilitate Markus after what he’d done to our mates and the Enclave…” Kenric shook his head. “This isn’t like Guerin.” He nailed Arran with a glare. “And it’s starting to reek. Has Guerin been in contact with you?”
“I haven’t heard from him.” At least that part was the truth. The bastard hadn’t returned any of his messages since they’d spoken last night.
“I see.” Kenric nodded once more but never released his gaze. “Two days, Arran.” Kenric’s eyelids narrowed. “Out of respect for your loyalty and service to the Enclave, I’ll give you a little more time. But by the time my ass has to return to Markus…I want answers.” Kenric brushed past him.
Arran released the air that had become trapped in his lungs. “Dammit,” he mumbled under his breath. This had gone to shit faster than he’d anticipated. Whatever Guerin had planned, he’d better move fast. Because in two days, there was about to be one large, pissed-off master vampire crawling all over his ass.
Chapter Seven
Anticipation hummed hrough Seth’s veins like a snake that had licked the air and detected its prey mere inches away. On the stairway’s landing, he gripped the polished brass knob of the corner banister and breathed deep. Tonight he hovered one step closer to having it all. Yes. He could almost taste the victory.
It was decadent, sweet, and all his. Well…it would be soon.
He reached low and repositioned his swollen cock before continuing down the steps. The flavor of a conquest always made him want to fuck. That was something else he’d have to take care of before much longer.
On the main level, Seth made his way to the basement door and headed below. His calyx had informed him earlier that the expedition posse sent to verify Eve’s identity and
retrieve her had returned. He crossed the expanse of the room, his boot heels releasing a distinct click off the lower level’s concrete floor.
Near his receiving area, Seth spotted only three of the six men who’d comprised the group waiting.
And no female.
What the hell was this all about? He sucked in a breath and his gut rebelled. The stench of failure permeated the air.
Seth eased onto the seat of his royal-blue velvet armchair, his in-house security flanking him, and met the lowered gazes of the trembling trio. His jaw ached from the effort it took not to kill them before hearing their sob story. Because he knew that was exactly what they were about to spill. It required every ounce of his control not to rip their throats open and allow their incompetent blood to fill the sewers.
“Out with it,” Seth snarled. “What have you learned and where are the others?” He steepled his fingers and braced himself for the play-by-play. The apparent spokesman of the group painted a shaky and pathetic tale of how one female and a vampire in wolf form took out six men and escaped. They were the only ones to have regained consciousness after her attack and had disposed of the others before reporting in.
But it was her.
There was no doubt.
She’d fought them in daylight and her power… His pulse leaped, and the muscles in his forearms twitched in restraint. So fucking close. Seth didn’t know whether to roar with rage at their feeble attempt to snare her, or feast on their hearts in celebration.
He had to know what made the female tick. Sample her DNA. How did she balance the power of a vampire along with her sensitivity as a human? So many unanswered questions about her existence. How did the vampire antigen live in balance with her human cells without consuming them? Could her tolerance to sunlight be replicated? Was it possible to vaccinate a vampire with her particular human genetic traits and acquire her abilities? He had to find out. Seth swallowed back the growl of frustration clawing its way up his throat. One thing was for sure—they would die tonight for losing her.