The Seven: Four tales of passion, danger and love

by Ciana Stone

  "Don't worry. They'll be attended to."

  Conner looked at Jazz. "Our - my people need to question Mindleton. He's a Vampire, Jazz and not one we knew about and that means—"

  "Call Severin."

  "Why?"

  "I've already talked with him."

  Conner pulled out his phone and made the call. "He said to speak with the secretary."

  "Say what?"

  "Come on."

  They went into the reception area. The secretary was standing beside her desk. "I'm supposed to—"

  "Yeah, I'm on it." She gave him a smile, displaying elegant fangs.

  Conner chuckled and Jazz looked from him to the woman in confusion. "Someone want to tell me what's so amusing?"

  "Your boys are about to forget the deal you made."

  "Excuse me?"

  "She's going to charm them. Change their memories."

  He looked at the female vampire. "They can't remember Jazz either, and we'll need to know who they made the deal with and have someone make contact."

  "Understood."

  "Then we're done here." He turned his attention to at Jazz. "Do you trust me?"

  She nodded. "Yep."

  "Then how do you feel about taking a little trip. I'd like to take you home."

  "To Florida?"

  "No, home. Where my people are."

  She grinned and gave his hand a squeeze. "I say let's get it on, stud. New adventures await."

  Chapter Eleven

  Jazz leaned on the rail and took in a deep breath, savoring the cool crisp air. Conner's home in Colorado was magnificent. Perched on the side of a mountain, the view was spectacular.

  It was interesting seeing him in this environment. When they'd arrived he was met by more than two dozen people, all of whom were clearly devoted to him. He'd introduced each one with a fondness in his voice that told her the devotion ran both ways.

  They were his family, so to speak. Shifters who lived in the territory he commanded. Conner was smart enough that he'd covered his tracks. The thousands of acres he owned could not be linked back to him directly.

  No one had felt that it would be smart for him to stay in Florida. Mindleton might be sweating in a Federal prison, being questioned about all manner of illegal dealings, but Asha Iltani was still out there and she was bound to be unhappy at her plans being foiled.

  The Seven leadership had been meeting here, at Conner's compound for the last three days. In that time, Jazz had seen little of Conner, but had gotten to known Layla, Augustus' wife.

  "Penny for your thoughts."

  Jazz turned at the sound of Conner's voice. "You done?"

  He shook his head. "Just taking a break."

  "Making progress?"

  He shrugged. "Some. Your advice was well-founded, by the way. Giving my research to the government of this country earned us a lot of good will. There's a team of scientists going over it now and quite a bit of excitement. Seems the incumbent president would love to be able to use this as part of his re-election campaign. Free yourself from the evils of big oil and make the planet a cleaner and healthier place for you and all your descendants."

  Jazz smiled. "Well, you gotta expect someone to capitalize on it but if it moves the project forward then it's a good thing."

  "Yeah, it is."

  "And it frees you up to work on your portal project."

  "Which is more urgent than we realized."

  "Oh?"

  "You remember being told about Gabriel and the people who crossed over with him?"

  "Yeah, at ... wait, I have it ... Ellie and Eldric Whitestone's place in Florida. There's a portal there."

  "Yes. Well, Severin established a link with Nevaeh and while the link is not always stable, he is able to get information on what is happening there."

  "And I take it things are not too good back on the homestead?"

  "Not at all. The Dark and Light refuse to come to détente, each wanting superiority over the other. Gabriel claimed his rightful place as leader of his people and is doing all he can to sue for peace but it is not easy.

  "To make matters worse, there is instability in the star system. Specifically, the sun."

  "What's wrong with it?"

  "It is dying."

  "Okay, but it takes a really long time for a sun to die, right?"

  "Normally, but in this case no. For lack of a better term, it has been poisoned."

  "Poisoned? Is that possible?"

  "By current technology and understanding, no. But according to Severin, the threat is from a race of beings from another galaxy. They are known as the Nyx."

  "The Nicks? Sounds like a sports team."

  "Far from it. They've sent envoys to the home world. Surrender and the sun will be saved. Refuse and die."

  Jazz leaned back against the railing. "Well it just gets better and better doesn't it?"

  "Seems that way."

  "So?"

  "So what?"

  "So what are you going to do?"

  "What am I going to do?"

  "Yeah. If anyone can fix it, it's you."

  Conner shook his head. "I'm afraid this one is too big for me, Jazz."

  "Then what are you going to do?"

  "Right now I'm going to shift and run."

  "Shift?"

  "Yep."

  "Into what?"

  "A lion."

  "A lion?"

  "A mountain lion."

  "Because?"

  "Because I like to run the mountains as a lion, to climb and jump and look out over the valley and hear what we can't hear in human form."

  She looked at him for a few moments. She'd never seen him shift and was curious about how it worked. "Can I watch?"

  He shrugged. "Sure, why not."

  "Okay, but before you do, one more question. What are you going to do after you run?"

  Conner took her in his arms. "Come home and make love to you until the sun rises then sleep in your arms, my fierce warrioress."

  "Hmmm, I like the sound of that."

  "The fierce part?"

  "No, the make love and sleep in my arms."

  "Then maybe while I'm gone you'd think about making it permanent. I've made a truly groundbreaking discovery, Jazz."

  "Oh?"

  "Oh yeah."

  "And what might that be?"

  "I've developed a real taste for Jazz. I think it might even be an addiction."

  She chuckled. "I already told you that I won't leave you Conner."

  "You told Stanzia."

  "And you. It's not about what Stanzia asked me to do. It's about me wanting to be with you. I love you Conner."

  "And I love you." The kiss he gave her was tender but filled with the promise of passion. When it ended, he stepped back and smiled.

  She watched in amazement as he changed. Only second passed and where there was a man, was now a glorious mountain lion. It approached, gave her hand a lick and then turn and bounded across the deck and over the rail.

  Jazz followed to the rail and watched as the lion raced over the land, sure of foot and at one with the land. She smiled and watched until he disappeared from sight.

  It wasn't so long ago she thought she knew the path of her life. Now everything had changed. She'd found real purpose and more than that, she'd found love.

  She didn't have a clue what the future would bring, but that didn't matter. She had Conner and he was, and always would be, her Rock.

  Book Four

  Kissed by Fire

  Dedication:

  For my honeyman – I do.

  Forever and Always.

  Prologue

  Tongues of light lapped at smooth skin like the touch of a lover, while shadows danced in an errant breeze from the opened window, threatening the flame of the candle.

  The smell of beeswax and herbs mixed with the scent of countless braziers of incense long since burned, intruded upon by the odor of night blooming flowers from beyond the confines of the small dwelling.r />
  A wisp of sensation brought heat to skin too long denied the flame of passion. Across her shoulder, then down over the curve of one breast. The touch brought memories of longing, of mingled breath and sweat-slicked skin. Of whispered promises and sublime release.

  Her gaze moved to the reflection in the mirror. How long since she’d looked upon her true visage? How long since she’d acknowledged the loss and longing?

  Silvery eyes followed the path of one hand as it lifted and lightly tracedthe trail of sensation. Always the journey ended the same. Upon the marking on her breast.

  With a sigh, she turned from the mirror, securing the frog closures of her tunic. It was no surprise to find her solitude interrupted.

  “Even in this age of incivility, it is considered good manners to knock.” She spoke softly without bothering to look upon her uninvited guest.

  The remark was ignored with a level of imperturbability that would have seemed arrogant in a lesser being. “Have you doubts about the path you’ve chosen?”

  “A path that was chosen for me.”

  “A choice that you remain hostage to by choice.”

  “I will not debate that with you again. I stand as firm now as when the decision was made. Yet even creatures such as we are allowed moments of self-indulgence. Times to remember what was and what might have been.”

  “Ah, love.” Those two wistfully spoken words acknowledged understanding with eloquence and empathy that volumes could not have conveyed.

  She turned to face him and smiled sadly. “Is it not interesting, my love, that of the myriad contradictions that exist in the world, the starkest contrast is that between love and hate?”

  “Like all opposites, in each there lies a seed of the other. Am I to infer that the Light within the Darkness is gaining in strength and weakening your resolve?”

  She turned so that he could not see her face. “Not at all. It is simply a matter I ponder. Understanding that contradiction helps one to value true love while understanding the ramifications of hatred. And without understanding, we are all truly lost.”

  It was no surprise to be denied a response, or to find herself alone once more. Forcing aside thoughts of love and hate and the delicate fine line between the two, she turned her attention to the task at hand.

  It was time to prepare.

  Chapter One

  Grace Jennings slammed the car door hard enough to rock the old Toyota.

  Life sucked. Eight hours of schlepping drinks and smiling at men she’d rather toss off a cliff than play the flirting game with, and the result of her effort was a measly eighty dollars.

  Eighty dollars more than you had yesterday, the annoying voice in her head reminded her.

  Still, not much to show for a night’s work. Truth be told, she didn’t have much to show for twenty-five years of living. A ten year old Toyota that was refusing to start at the moment, an apartment in one of the less-desirable parts of town and a job at a bar that required her to wear crop-tops, mini shirts and knee-high leather boots six nights a week.

  Yep, she was officially a loser.

  The car started with a sputter and a shudder and she put it into gear. Once on the street, she rolled down the window, despite the rumbling thunder that signaled the onset of yet another summer storm.

  The humid night quickly turned her mass of curls into a tangled gnarl. Grace paid that no more attention than she did the rattle from the exhaust pipe that was threatening to fall off the car or the sparse traffic on the road in the wee hours of the morning. Her mind shifted to thoughts of life.

  When she had been small, her dreams had been grandiose. She’d wanted to be a superhero, a performer, an award winning photojournalist, or the first woman president. By the time she’d graduated high school, those dreams had faded in the light of harsh reality. With her mother dead, her father in and out of alcohol treatment and no other living relatives, survival superseded dreams of grandeur.

  She’d taken the first job she was offered, working in the photo-developing department of the local Walmart. That had lasted six months. From that point on, it had been a succession of jobs. Waiting tables, working as a belly dancer for an Arabian Nights dinner show, buckling kids into roller coaster seats at a theme park, waiting tables, bartending.

  She’d lost count of how many times she changed jobs, all the while wondering why something couldn’t happen to change the cycle she’d become trapped in.

  Change had come, but not the way she’d hoped.

  A week before her twenty-second birthday, her father had died. Their meager home had to be sold to satisfy the mountain of debt he’d amassed, and her salary just hadn’t been enough to afford an apartment and still be able to eat. She’d needed a job that paid more.

  That was when she’d started working at bars and nightclubs. She’d waited tables, danced, tended bar and even cleaned up after closing to earn what she needed to survive, always hoping that one day, something miraculous would happen that would give her a chance at something better. It’d become clear that miracles were in scarce supply.

  Her mind snapped to the present at the sudden flash of lightning that turned the night into a brief flare of white. The almost instantaneous boom of thunder made her jump. The storm was right on top of her.

  She leaned closer to the steering wheel, scanning the sky. One second she was looking at rolling dark clouds and the next, her heart was hammering in her chest as she gaped at the impossible.

  Two figures, from all appearances locked in battle, tumbled across the sky. This wasn’t possible. Was she hallucinating? Having a stroke? This couldn’t be real.

  Yet she was seeing it with her own eyes.

  Two winged figures. Men as far as she could tell. Human but not. Rolling across the sky, fists hammering rapid blows even as they held fast to one another.

  Suddenly they plunged, headed straight for the ground.

  A scream tore out of her throat at the impact when they crashed into her car. The hood crumpled, the sound of bending metal an accompaniment to the booming thunder and pounding of her own heart. She contracted her abdominal muscles against the threat of her bladder trying to empty.

  A face slammed into the windshield with enough force to send a web of cracks radiating out from the point of impact. Grace threw herself back against the seat, fear robbing her of the ability to do more than issue a small squeak.

  Rage was stamped on the stranger’s face and blazed in his eyes.

  Oh my god, his eyes.

  Those weren’t the eyes of a man. Nor was that the hand of a man pressing against the windshield as the creature tried to push itself up. His hands were talons, his eyes golden, and the wings that were flattened beneath the weight of his opponent looked amazingly like that of a giant golden eagle.

  Grace couldn’t move, couldn’t take her eyes off the creature or the nightmare that clung to his back, raining blows on him. Scaled skin with the face of something that belonged on a cathedral with the gargoyle brigade, it was big and grotesque. Leathery wings sprouted from its back.

  Another searing bolt of lightning blinded her for the space of a heartbeat. In that instant, the balance of power shifted. When she could see again, the birdman was on his feet, one powerful talon wrapped around the gargoyle’s neck, his mighty wings beating at the air.

  In seconds, they were gone, swallowed by the clouds.

  Stunned, Grace slumped back in her seat. Her mind was struggling to make sense of what she’d seen. When her car suddenly jolted forward, she didn’t even have time to scream before she was being smothered by the airbag.

  As she fought to free herself, she was aware of the door opening. Moments later, strong hands pulled her from the car.

  “Are you all right?”

  It was all Grace could do to just breathe, bent over with her hands on her thighs, trying not to vomit from fear and shock.

  “Should I call an ambulance?”

  “No.” She shook her head, sucking in air and pushing hers
elf upright. She didn’t have medical insurance and couldn’t afford a trip to the emergency room. “I’ll be okay. Just need to catch my—”

  Her voice failed her as she got a look at the man. The blue eyes regarding her were set in a face that could have been carved by an old master. One look sent her into temporary paralysis. The power and strength blazing from those eyes was enough to have her already-overloaded mind turning to mush.

  “Miss?” he asked, reaching out to steady her.

  His touch sent bolts of heat sizzling through nerves straight to her brain. Lights burst before her eyes and suddenly she was in another place.

  She stood before a window, looking out into the night. A tall oak, heavily laden with new growth, swayed in the wind just beyond the window. The moon played a game of hide and seek in the moisture-laden clouds that drifted across the night sky.

  Where was she? How had she gotten here? Was this another hallucination?

  Grace turned to get a look at her surroundings. Shadows swayed in a slow melody over the dark paneled walls. Furnishing she could only describe as elegant decorated a room that bespoke of wealth.

  Her breath caught as her eyes lighted on the figure of a man standing just inside the dark doorway, watching.

  Long dark hair swept back from a face that could be exemplified as perfect masculine beauty. Thick, elegant eyebrows, an aristocratic nose, and full lips were housed in a face that was angular but strong, as if chiseled from living stone.

  His eyes captured hers and abruptly, there was sound in her quiet universe. The steady rapid pulse of her heart hammered suddenly in her ears and her breath quickened. Every nerve ending in her body ignited and a flood of longing washed through her with such strength it forced a low moan from her throat. The air crackled with the energy that passed between them.

  He stretched out his hand in invitation. Grace felt her heart pound. As if of its own accord, her body moved toward him, the magnetic connection of their eyes pulling her forward. She stopped in front of him and hesitantly placed her hand in his.

  A surge of energy swept through her that was so erotic it took her breath. Her fingers tightened in his, her heart rate quickened and heat flooded her body. He pulled her to him, his eyes holding her hostage.