by Anna Hackett
***
Blinding sunlight woke Samia. Something hot and hard pressed against her front, pinning her to the sheets.
Frowning, she opened her eyes, blinking against the light flooding in through the large window. Looking down, she saw a dark head resting on her belly.
She froze. Dante was sprawled over most of the bed, and that included her. One of his hands rested possessively on her hip and she felt the tickle of his breath through her thin shirt.
He was still asleep, and she took the chance to study him. She sifted her fingers through his hair. God, it was so thick and shiny, and more chocolate colored than her own black. She liked the solid weight of him against her belly more than she wanted to admit. Liquid heat pooled between her legs and she sucked in a breath.
She stared at the half of the handsome face she could see. The lines of strain were gone and he looked relaxed, younger. And he’d found that rest by lying beside her. A woman with death running in her veins had given another being comfort. Not once had she ever been needed, other than to kill.
During the night, she’d confirmed his story. The Warrior of the South Wind was no killer. He was a man who protected humans.
Anger shot through her. The Hashshasin had been duped by the Tempest Winds. Her brotherhood had been played, their reputation tarnished.
She was going to help Dante hunt Africus. Not just for revenge, but because she knew Dante needed her help. He needed her.
She ran her fingers through the dark silk of his hair again.
His amber eyes opened and she froze. He moved his head and looked up at her. Then his gaze drifted back to her cotton-covered breasts.
“Samia.” His voice was husky from sleep.
Her skin flushed and nipples puckered…which he could hardly fail to notice.
He moved fast, rising to his knees and pulling her up with him. His face was an inch from hers. “This is a bad idea.”
“I know.” She slid her hands over his bare shoulders, feeling warm skin and hard muscles.
“I have to stop Africus.” His hands gripped the bottom of her shirt and started dragging it up.
“My assignment is in shambles.” She leaned in and licked the side of his neck. His skin tasted salty. God, it had been such a long time since she’d taken a lover. So long since she’d been close to another human being.
He pulled her shirt over her head, then his big palms cupped her breasts. He groaned. “So damn pretty.”
As he played with her nipples, she moaned. She slid her hand into his hair and yanked his mouth to hers.
Oh, God, Dante Venti knew how to kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth, and his lips moved over hers in a way that sent heat flashing through her. Needing something to hold onto, she twisted her hand in his hair.
She moaned and he deepened the kiss, pulling her close so there was nothing between them. Her breasts rubbed against his bare chest, and he explored her mouth, his tongue twining with hers.
Then he made a growling sound and lowered her down to the bed. “You taste so fucking good, Samia.” His big body quivered above her. He leaned down and closed his mouth over her breast.
Samia bucked. His tongue swirled, tugged. His teeth nipped, then he soothed again with his tongue.
“You are so beautiful, bella.” His mouth nipped at her neck, his tongue ran across her shoulder. “So perfectly formed.”
She moaned, breathless and hungry. No one had called her by an endearment, not even when she was a child. Something inside her strained for him, something wild recognized him. He groaned and switched to her other taut nipple, teeth scraping.
He moved his body fully onto hers. She felt the brush of his hard cock against her, separated by just a few layers of cotton. She wrapped her legs around his hips, scraping her nails down his back.
The ringing of a cellphone broke the spell. They both froze and when Dante lifted his head, they stared at each other.
“Sorry, bella, that’s my brother Luca’s ringtone. I need to get that.”
“Go.”
He pushed off the bed and Samia flopped back on the covers, staring at the ceiling, need vibrating through her. She tossed an arm over her face. What the hell was she doing?
Chapter Five
Dante strode across the living room, his cock throbbing and the taste of Samia still on his lips. He snapped open the phone. “Venti.”
“What took you so long?” Anger vibrated through the phone.
“Ciao, Luca. Yes, I’m fine, thanks for asking. How are you?”
His brother heaved a sigh. “Mi spiace. The anger…”
“I know.” Dante knew Luca was straining under the growing fury, heard it in his voice. “Have you found Caecius? What about Soren and Antonio?”
Another sigh. “Caecius can’t run forever, and Soren is closing in on Apeliotus.”
“Antonio?”
The silence made Dante’s nerves stretch.
“The lust is bad for Antonio. Corus has gone to ground in Florence and Antonio is barely holding onto his sanity without hurting anyone.”
Antonio was the most charming of the brothers, always ready with an easy smile. He’d always loved women—plain or pretty, slim or curved. It worried Dante that his brother had to deal with his problem alone.
“And you, Dante? How’s the pride?”
Dante glanced back toward the bedroom and the fascinating, tough woman he’d left there. One who left his body strung tight with desire. “Fine.”
Luca let out a low curse. “You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m telling the truth, mio fratello. Africus sent a Hashshasin assassin after me—”
This time the Warrior of the North Wind’s curse was long and loud. “Are you injured?”
“No. The assassin is with me. She—”
“She? Not Hassan?”
Dante’s eyes narrowed. “You know her?”
“Of her. You’re lucky to be alive. I hear she’s deadly.”
Dante laughed. “I can attest to that. But she realizes that the Hashshasin were fooled by Africus. And there’s something else—” he drew in a quick breath “—when she’s near me, she helps me control the pride.”
“What?” Luca breathed.
“The whispers fade, Luca. The pride dies.”
“Madre del Dio. She’s Aurae.”
“She didn’t know her mother, and she can’t control the wind, but she has other powers. There is a chance she has diluted Aurae blood.”
“First Riley helps Lorenzo, and now this assassin helps you. It appears we now know that even women with faint Aurae blood can help us. You have to use her.”
Use her. Dante’s gut went hard like concrete. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
“She’s been used by that damn brotherhood of hers. Born and bred simply to kill. They don’t let them do anything else, Luca.”
His brother muttered a curse.
“I will not use her like everyone else in her goddamned life,” Dante said. “I’ll stop Africus. Alone.” Samia stepped into the room.
Instantly, his cock pushed against his zipper. She was back in her black clothes, her face composed. Once again the lethal assassin.
“Luca, I have to go. Be careful.” Dante ended the call.
They looked at each other across the sunlit room. She was so beautiful—not in the classic sense, but the toned body, the sharp face, the short hair, it all worked for him. Something his body was telling him very insistently.
He shoved a hand through his hair. “This morning, I never meant for things to get so…out of hand.”
She cleared her throat. “Don’t you dare apologize.”
“I wasn’t going to.” He strode closer and stopped a foot away.
He watched her eyes flash. “Good, otherwise, I would have to hurt you.”
“I’m not going to apologize because I plan to do it again.”
A streak of color appeared on her cheeks and she cocked her head. “O
h?”
“Samia, I want you naked. I want to take my time to kiss every inch of you. I want to put my mouth between your legs and make you come. I want to slide my aching cock inside you and hear you scream my name.”
She blinked. “Wow, subtlety really isn’t your thing, is it.”
He reached and ran his thumb across her lips. “I just wanted to be clear on what I want, and how much I want you.”
She nipped the edge of his thumb and made him groan. “We might be able to negotiate on some of those things.”
“Negotiate?” He watched those lips move on his skin.
Her voice lowered. “There are some things I’d like to do to you, too.”
He groaned and then with his cock protesting the entire time, he stepped back from her. “I really, really want that, Samia. But I have to find Africus, and right now, there is no room for anything else.”
Her face went blank and she lifted her chin. “I understand.”
He gave a harsh laugh. “I doubt that.”
“You have a duty, I understand that.”
He grabbed her arms and pulled her in close. His mouth slammed down on hers. The stiffness in her melted instantly. As he yanked her closer, she slid an arm around his neck, kissing him back.
Dante lifted his head and nipped her lip. “After this is over. We’ll negotiate.” If he survived the coming fight. “For now, I want you to go. Get far away from Rome, hell, from all of Italy. Warn your brotherhood.”
She shook her head. “I’m going to help you bring down Africus.”
Dante tensed. “What?”
“He’s dangerous and has to be stopped.”
He wanted her safe. “This is my fight.”
She cocked a hip. “I’m the best of the Hashshasin. I can help you.”
Dante spun away, putting his hands on his hips. “I don’t need any help. I’m the Warrior of the South Wind!”
Samia watched him coolly. “Is that you or the pride speaking?”
Breath whistled through his teeth. Merda. “It’s dangerous, Samia. I don’t want Africus to hurt you.”
“I’m not afraid of him. I have other skills apart from camouflage. I can follow a trail no one else can track. You told me he’s confusing his scent and making it hard for you to hunt him. I can track Africus.” She smiled at Dante. “And I can help you control the pride.”
He turned to the window, staring through the glass. “I will not use you like a fucking tool. I heard what you told me last night. Your brotherhood treats you like it does its knives…and you deserve more than that.”
She moved up beside him. “Then let me be your partner in this hunt. Let me stand beside you and help. Let it be my choice for once.”
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“So subtle.” There was a smile in her voice.
He grabbed her, pulling her up on her toes. “Okay, Samia, you can help me. On one condition.”
“What?”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Don’t get hurt.”
She smiled. “I know this guy, he can control the wind. I think he’ll keep me safe.”
***
“He came this way.”
Samia crouched and pressed her fingers to the cobblestone street. She looked up, her gaze locking with Dante’s. “The trail is hours old.”
Dante cursed. She felt the frustration pumping off him.
Against her will, her gaze drifted down his body. He was in dark jeans and a white T-shirt that stretched over his muscled chest. She could easily imagine him striding across the deck of one of his ships. He didn’t look like a man content to sit in his office all day.
She could still taste him on her lips, feel his hands on her body. Not now, Samia. Evil bad guy to track down, remember?
“I’ll see if my wind can find him.” Dante lifted a hand and a warm wind rushed through the alley. It blew around them, ruffling Samia’s hair. With a jerk of his arm, he sent it out. “Find him.”
Moments later, Dante let out a string of curses.
“Nothing.”
She moved to him, pressing a hand to his arm. “We’ll find him.”
“We’ve been at this for hours with nothing to show for it.” Dante turned and slammed a fist into the brick wall behind them.
She grabbed his hand before he could do it again. “I don’t give up. Ever.” She stepped back and turned in a slow circle, letting her enhanced senses flare outward. She headed off down a narrow side street. “This way.”
As they walked together, no words passed between them, but it was an easy silence. Over the past few hours, she’d discovered that they worked well together. He was intelligent and a good sounding board for bouncing ideas off.
She sensed him watching her and looked up. She felt the hit of desire like a knock to her belly. God, would she ever be able to look at him without turning into desire-riddled mush? “What?”
“I always thought I preferred long hair on women.”
She snorted. “I don’t wear my hair to please a man.”
“Well, turns out I was wrong.”
Samia always thought she was immune to charm, but Dante’s words left a flush of pleasure. “Stop trying to distract me.”
Suddenly, she spotted something on the ground. She knelt, studying the scuff marks. They were footprints left by humans, but she saw something else. A dark taint she knew others couldn’t see. Something left by the Tempest Wind.
She pressed her palm flat to the concrete and felt the pulse of darkness and evil. Chest tightening, she jumped up and rounded a corner.
“Samia?”
She stumbled to a stop, her body going stiff. She sensed Dante come up behind her.
“We’re too late,” she whispered.
Two bodies slumped against the wall of a butter-colored building. They’d fought each other until their faces were unrecognizable.
Dante stepped forward, his hands curling. She watched him carefully check to see if either of the men were still alive. He shook his head. “Africus has tasted blood now.” Cognac eyes met hers. “Things are going to get worse.”
She felt his tension and saw guilt stamped all over his face. She knew exactly what that felt like. She grabbed his arm. “I can’t pick up any more of Africus’ trail here, can you?”
Dante shook his head, his jaw tight.
“Look, we both need something to eat, and maybe a short rest—”
“I can’t rest.” The words tore out of him. “Not while Africus is out there doing this.”
She ran a hand down Dante’s arm. “These men have been dead for several hours. I don’t think Africus is out right now. You said he’s more active at night?”
A short nod.
“Let’s just take a short break. Recharge, and then we’ll get back out there before night falls.”
“Fine.” He didn’t sound happy.
They walked in silence back to the penthouse. She knew he was lost in his thoughts and strung tighter than a wire.
The doorman was actually a doorwoman today. She let them in with a wide smile. In the elevator, Dante sagged against the wall.
“You need to switch it off for a little bit, Dante,” Samia said. “On some of my earliest jobs, I burned myself out stalking my targets.”
He looked like he wanted to hit something. The doors opened and they walked inside. He tossed his keys on a narrow side table and spun to face her. “How can I, knowing what Africus is doing? You couldn’t possibly understand.”
She stiffened. “Because I’m just a killer.”
“Yes!” he shouted.
God, that single word cut through her like a blade.
“You can’t know how it feels to have the weight of so many lives on your shoulders.” The veins in his neck strained. “You destroy, you don’t protect.”
She straightened her shoulders. What the hell did she care what Dante Venti thought. “Now I know what you really think. I’m out of here.”
“I am a warrior. A protector wi
th powers you can’t comprehend.”
She froze and looked at him. She saw the lines once again bracketing his face and an almost-empty look in his eyes.
This wasn’t the Dante she’d spent the last day with.
This was pride at its ugliest.
“Dante. Come back to me.” She held out a hand and walked toward him.
“I will save the world. I don’t need any help.”
She saw sweat beading on his forehead. He was fighting it. She pressed her palms to his chest, felt the rapid beat of his heart. “That’s not what you told me this morning. You know, when you were kissing me and had your hand up my shirt?”
He blinked, some warmth leaking back into his eyes. “Samia?”
“I’m here.”
“Merda. The pride…”
“I think it’s gone now.” She moved her hands up to his shoulders, kneading them.
His chin fell to his chest. “I can’t quite remember everything I said. I’m sure it was vile.”
“It wasn’t you, Dante.”
“Right.” He blew out a breath. “Thanks.”
She nodded. “So, you’re back now? Feeling okay?”
He nodded. “Si.”
“Good.” She lunged at him, rising up to shove one hand in his hair and press her mouth to his.
He hauled her up against him, kissing her hungrily.
Samia leaped up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He moved, staggered, then slid his hands under her ass to hold her. She rubbed against him, feeling the hard press of his cock between her legs. Pressure built inside her. “Now, Dante. I need you now.”
He made a growling sound and took two steps. He swept his arm across the hall table, his keys hitting the tiles with a clatter. She felt the hard bite of metal on her ass as he set her on the table.
Then his hands were tugging her shirt. Buttons popped off and pinged on the floor. “Yes.” She nipped at his lips, then ran her mouth down his jaw. She lowered one hand, teasing the waistband of his jeans before she cupped the large bulge in front.