Noble Desire [Nature's Nobles 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 1
Nature's Nobles 1
Noble Desire
They call themselves Nobles, a new legion created decades ago at the hands of nature, which bestowed upon them unique abilities.
Reese Matthews, the strongest Noble of her generation, was born with the power to kill, a perfect weapon the government intends to possess. In order to capture Reese, they hire one of her own kind to hunt her down. This Rogue will go to any lengths to obtain his target, not because he was commanded by the Fray, but for personal reasons.
Her only salvation comes in the package of an ex–federal agent named Jagger Malone and fellow Noble Theo McKay. Jagger and Theo set out to convince Reese of their love while trying to protect her from their enemies. But how can Reese protect them from her powers when any emotion can set off lethal waves of energy…even desire?
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal
Length: 37,190 words
NOBLE DESIRE
Nature’s Nobles 1
Peyton Elizabeth
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
NOBLE DESIRE
Copyright © 2012 by Peyton Elizabeth
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61926-663-6
First E-book Publication: June 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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DEDICATION
To my family–I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. I love you.
NOBLE DESIRE
Nature’s Nobles 1
PEYTON ELIZABETH
Copyright © 2012
Prologue
No one could really know the force of nature, could they?
Decades ago, in a small farming community on the outskirts of Montana, a meteor crashed into a field, causing mayhem and destruction among the people. Days upon days of smolder and dust rose from the crater and circulated its way through town. The soiled air seeped into the townsfolk’s skin and descended into their lungs with each mouthful they inhaled. Foreign particles traveled through mazes of tissues, merging with cells inside their blood, uniting in a way that would change creation among descendants of this small population—change that ignited fear throughout the world.
Each generation became stronger in their newfound powers. From simply being able to see the future or read people’s thoughts, to more complicated abilities such as mind control, these mutated chromosomes shifted the makeup of a new legion and beyond.
Opinions of these altered humans varied. The unaffected who feared the transformation quickly united to see these aberrations wiped from existence. Others embraced the deviation, claiming a new revolution was taking place in order to extend human life and help those in need. A civil war started between the divided sides, causing the afflicted ones to go into hiding or blend into society to hide their true nature.
They called themselves the Nobles.
Chapter One
They were here.
Reese slowly let the curtain fall into place, shielding her presence inside the window. Dusk was falling outside the cabin, but not enough to camouflage their dark shadows darting through the thickness of the forest or stop the glints of moonlight reflecting off their weapons. One, two, three, four…
She meticulously counted the men as they grew in numbers and scoffed at the final count. Only twelve? What did they hope to accomplish besides their deaths? These amateur hunters might not know of her power, but Jagger certainly did. And she was positive Jagger was responsible for them being here, just as he would be responsible for their deaths if they tried to take her with them.
Turning from the window and knowing a confrontation with Jagger or his men was unavoidable, Reese used the time to pull her long dark hair together at the base of her neck and manipulated a black band to secure it in place. Leaning down to secure the zippers on her black boots, Reese caught sight of herself in the mirror across the room and paused. Tilting her head, she stared at her reflection. Reese knew others saw her as a stunning, tall brunette with a slender build and an exotic face, but all Reese saw was a woman with the ability to kill. She was a Noble, made by a freak accident of Mother Nature, and the atypical that humans feared and despised.
She shook her head at the label her ancestors had given themselves, thinking they would use their powers in an honorable way. How moral were they when society turned on them? When society no longer looked upon them as humans? They certainly weren’t honorable now in their fight to live, were they? Everyone, including the unaffected, did what they had to do to survive.
Little had they known their powers would be a death sentence, not only for themselves, but also for any self-sacrificing human who sought to help the Nobles. Yes, there were sympathizers out there who supported them in their right to be free and even put their lives on the line when need be. Even the government publicly stated the Nobles were to be left alone unless they used their abilities to harm or kill, in which case, they wo
uld be treated like any other criminal. But everyone knew different, that the government wanted them captured or exterminated. Which brought Reese back to the present, where again, she was placed in a situation where she would do what she had to do to live.
For a split second, Reese’s mind took her back to that almost fatal night in Jagger’s arms, and just as quickly, she tried to block it. Him above her, looking down in a satisfied, sensual half smile right before his face contorted in sheer agony as his body fought against the damage she was inflicting upon him. The lamp on the side table of the couch wobbled and then slowly steadied as she contained her reaction. There could be no emotion tonight.
Giving a quick shake of her head to try to dispel the memory, Reese dropped her eyes from the mirror and finished securing the zippers on her boots while the lamp stopped trembling. Standing tall, Reese closed her eyes and blocked out all thoughts and restricted the energy she was emitting. Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “No emotions, Reese.”
A knock at the door made her breath catch, as she realized she would set her eyes on Jagger for the first time in a year. Did he hate her? She wouldn’t blame him if he did. She hated herself. Reese closed the short distance to the door and finally, sucking in some much-needed air, opened the door to the one man who made her yearn for something she could never have. Jagger Malone.
* * * *
“We go in five minutes. Have the men ready,” Cane ordered, walking toward his Jeep and coming up short when he noticed one of the men blocking his way and gripping the butt of his rifle, making his knuckles strain from the pressure. What was his name again? Ah, yes.
“You have a problem with me, Rafuse?”
“No, sir,” John Rafuse replied, giving his superior a tight smile while lying through his teeth. Cane knew exactly what Rafuse was thinking. What made Cane Latcher, the best Tracker in the Noble species, think they could capture and contain Reese Matthews, also known as the Deity? She was, by far, the most advanced Noble alive today. No one could match her talent, and no one could suppress it long enough to get her in their clutches. He heard that the government tried once and failed. Twenty-some people died during that operation. Just because they had over fifty men surrounding the woods where her cabin was located didn’t mean she couldn’t take them out either.
Cane heard through the grapevine that once you heard the Deity’s piercing scream, the pain that radiated through your body was so unbearable, you were praying for death within seconds. Although, how would they know if no one ever survived her attacks? Cane shook his head at the lore that trailed in any Noble’s wake.
He knew personally, though, what the rare Noble could do. Yes, she could emanate energy from her body in deadly waves, but every Noble had a weakness. Fortunately for him, she had two. The first, she had no control, emotion ruling her precious gift over her mind. The second, if she sent out too much energy at once, her body shut down.
Rafuse, the fool that he was, was assisting Cane in his capture of the illustrious Deity because he was promised more riches than he ever dreamed. What a sucker.
“I can smell your lie,” Cane told him, giving a derisive smile at the fear in Rafuse’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. After all, you think the Deity’s going to kill all of us anyway, right?”
“I–I swear, sir. It’s not you I have a problem with. I just d–don’t think—”
“I didn’t ask you to think,” Cane cut in. “I didn’t come here to die, Rafuse. I have too many things I need to accomplish before I pack it all in. And I didn’t spend a year tracking the Deity for your damned government only to suffer a painful death at her hands.”
Cane leaned back against the dark-green Jeep, crossing his arms as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He wore his night goggles around his neck, a 9mm glock on his right hip, and a Boeing knife on his left. Appearances were everything to humans, he thought in disgust. They based their judgments solely on what they saw. Unfortunately, this tended to be superficial attributes such as hair, clothes, and shoes.
He, on the other hand, judged with what he was born with. The five senses. As a Tracker, his senses were enhanced. His ability to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell were a hundred times stronger than that of a regular human. The stench that permeated from the man standing before him reeked of cowardice. He was useless in Cane’s assignment, just like the other humans working beneath him.
Cane knew what this group of men assumed of him, and it was exactly as he intended. To them, Cane was lethal. Standing at six five, with black hair that hadn’t seen clippers in months, along with a five-o’clock shadow and a scar that ran diagonally from his right temple to his lower lip, he came across as menacing. It was ironic, really. He used their preconceptions against them.
“Do you have so little faith in me?” Cane questioned with a smirk, knowing this coward in front of him was quaking at the knees.
“It’s not you, sir. The men, uh, they’re just not too trusting when it comes to the Deity. You heard what happened when they held her the last time. The Fray lost a lot of good men.”
The Fray was an underground division the government created to wipe out the Nobles. They were paying him, the most infamous Tracker of their generation, to bring down one of his own. If anyone even suggested the Fray existed, the government shut down the leak within minutes. They didn’t want the sympathizers up in arms and having the situation out of control. Worse, the Nobles that weren’t killed were taken to facilities for testing. The Fray only kept those with unique talents. If their DNA could be recreated, the assumption was so could their abilities. It had yet to happen.
“What’s the old adage? Don’t believe everything you hear?” Cane lied, knowing these men were most likely going to die and not giving a rat’s ass. Cane pushed off the Jeep with his boot, tired of having this conversation. “Fall in with the rest of the men. We go in three.”
Giving Rafuse a dismissive glance, Cane walked around to the Jeep and opened the door to slip into the driver’s seat. Cane settled back into a comfortable position, knowing he would be safe one mile away when she annihilated his men. Cane wouldn’t be going in after her the way the initial plan called for.
Not a chance, Cane thought, because he heard the helicopter from here knowing no one else could. Would she kill the men he was sending in for her? Definitely. But that was the Fray’s casualty, not his. He knew Reese would be flown out before he had a chance to go in and capture her himself. But that was fine with him. Let Jagger Malone and Theo McKay rescue the Deity. The Fray might want Reese Mathews, but he didn’t. He wanted all three of them.
* * * *
Reese couldn’t stop her eyes from drinking him in. Six feet two inches of pure masculinity stood in front of her and the physical sight of him almost made her reach out and touch him. He was dressed in dark camouflage to blend in with the darkness of the night, but it could not hide the lean, hard muscles beneath the rough material. Bringing her eyes to his sun-kissed face, she took in Jagger’s prominent features, high cheekbones, and short black hair with longer bangs that hung over his flawless green eyes. Feeling desire brimming to the surface, Reese slammed it down and put on an impassive air.
“Jagger, to what do I owe this honor?” Reese asked mockingly, setting the stage of the argument sure to come. It was a quarrel she knew would make him leave.
“Pack. You’re coming with me,” Jagger ordered, taking a step across the threshold and forcing her to take a step back in the process.
“You know that won’t happen,” Reese replied, quickly turning and walking into the room, not wanting him to know that she was avoiding his touch. Jagger’s deep voice brushed over every exposed nerve in her body as she tried to keep her emotions contained. A year was a long time to go without being near a person, especially the one she desired most. “There’s no reason for me to leave.”
“They know you’re here.”
The statement gave Reese pause. That was so not what she expected to hear. She sl
owly turned around to face him and had no doubt he was telling her the truth. Jagger never lied. She, the strongest of their kind, had been found.
“How much time?”
“Ten minutes. You’re not going to ask who served you on a platter to our enemy?” Jagger asked, raising his right eyebrow.
“Our enemy? You mean mine,” Reese replied in a flat tone. “After all, you’re human.”
Jagger’s teeth grit together so hard, the muscles on either side of his jaw showed their strength, making her want to run her hands down both sides to relieve the tension. But isn’t this what she wanted? She needed to make sure the hostility remained intact so she wouldn’t do anything foolish.
“Do you really want to start this conversation now?” Jagger asked, with a warning in his voice even she should heed. “We have ten minutes to get you out of here and someplace safe.”
“Safe?” Reese asked daringly, knowing she was taking a risk in riling him. “There is no safe place. You, on the other hand, are not the one they want. So leave.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that. It’s not like they can reach me, is it? Unless they’ve come with enough sharpshooters and enough drugs to take me out. And even then, I’d be fine. So, I’m telling you to leave.”
She didn’t even count to five before his passionate temper exploded.
“You really think my ass hasn’t been on the line for the last year? That they haven’t been hunting for me? I’m the one who got you out of that facility. I’m the one who’s hid you for a year. I’m the one—”