by Carnes, Cara
“You’re okay, Dev. It’s over.” Rex lifted her into his arms.
“They’re all dead.” Bodies were strewn along the floor. Blood pooled around them. She shuddered in revulsion as a coppery stench filled her nostrils. Nausea threatened when she saw Mia’s lifeless body lying there. How the hell had all this happened? Devyn shivered in revulsion, outrage and shock.
“Shh. We’ve got you. Let’s get you to Dagan.”
Yes. That sounded right. Good. He’d make her feel clean again. Rider. God, the things Mia had done to him. Tears streamed down Devyn’s face, ribbons of anguish and despair permanently etched into her soul.
A sea of Shadows parted as Rex took the stairs two at a time. Devyn held on to him. “I’m not sure Dagan would be down with you carrying me. I got the impression earlier he’s a bit possessive.”
“Little rabbit, you were wearing his shirt and nothing else. Our heightened senses could smell what you’d been doing. Were you my woman, I would’ve dragged you upstairs—to hell with the meeting—tied you to my bed, and spanked your sexy ass until you figured out you were mine.”
Well, okay then. Devyn remained silent for a few moments as they trudged through the first level toward the exit.
“You did good today, little rabbit. I’m glad my man has you.”
Devyn sensed his presence and lunged toward him, a pile of limbs and anguish. His arms settled around her, cocooning her into his fiery heat as he splayed kisses along her face. A warm blanket covered her entirely. Sheathed in the comfort of his embrace, she broke.
“You’re safe, babe. I’ve got you.” He rocked her gently as she allowed the tears to flow.
“Make it go away, please. I’m not strong enough to handle knowing what she did to him. God, it was so evil. How will he recover?”
“He’ll recover because you are strong enough to know. You’ll be there for him. We all will be.” The confidence in his voice was a salve that cooled the burning wounds of betrayal. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter Ten
Devyn tugged playfully on the restraints “securing” her to the bed. She’d never imagined being tied into a doggie style position. Anticipation pulsated in her core, resonating in an aroused thrum between her legs. The more she’d thought of Rex’s statement about what he’d do, the more she’d wanted to have that with Dagan. Broaching the subject had proved…interesting.
Dagan pinched her nipple, and she gasped as bursts of sensations streamed through her. His hardened length plunged into her. A satisfied grunt of triumph fanned across her neck.
“Tell me again,” he demanded.
“I love you.” The confession rumbled from her heart easily. She didn’t give a damn if it came across as premature. Life was riddled with wrenching heartache and acidic stench they battled daily. She had no intention of screwing around when it came to what she wanted.
“Mine.” The guttural declaration made her pussy clench around him. He was such a jealous, dominant, fantastic, gentle, demanding, and complicated man. “Mine.”
The reiteration continued thundering in her ears as he fucked her hard. Pleasure shot through her, pulsating from where his fingers now rubbed and taunted the epicenter of her arousal. The tiny bud flared to life beneath Dagan’s talented fingertips.
“I’m thinking I prefer you in control,” she whispered breathlessly.
He growled and spun her, pressing her softly into the mattress. Gentle hands checked her binds, ensuring her wrists had endured the abrupt shift in position.
“Open for me.”
She spread her legs wide and moaned as he slid slowly into her. His gaze captured hers. Locked into the aroused depths of his eyes, she drifted over into the hedonistic bliss only Dagan made her feel. When she moved to wrap her legs around him, he growled that commanding, sexy, grunty sound that made her entire body tingle with delight.
Strong hands held her thighs pressed into the bed so she remained splayed open fully, settled beneath his weight as he fucked her harder, deeper than she imagined possible. Her breathing became soft, shallow grunts that matched the urgency of his pace.
She erupted in a maelstrom of desire as his name rumbled from her throat again and again. If the world ended tonight, she’d be okay with that because she’d just experienced nirvana.
He collapsed into her, his hot breath on her cheek. “We’re doing that every night.”
She whimpered at the thought and shimmied against him. “Promise?”
“Hell, yes.”
The last tendrils of pleasure mingled between them, gentle strokes along her arm, down the swell of her breast. She moaned softly and looked at him.
“Keep that up and I’m jumping you.”
He smirked. “Don’t think Kaeden would appreciate it. We’re lucky he gave us this reprieve. He takes debriefs seriously.”
“He probably sensed I couldn’t handle any more dark. I needed you, the taste of light and good you give.”
“Damn, babe, wanna fuck you all over. You give me good. You are everything I ache for.” He feathered kisses along the seam of her lips. “I can survive anything as long as you’re there with me at the end.”
“I realized something when we were heading back to this massive compound. You saved me today in so many ways. I felt you in my mind, stitching every slice she wielded, mending every gash her evil created. What’s crazier is that I already trust you more than I ever trusted her.”
“We’ve known each other longer than we realize. You’ve joked, teased, and toyed with me for months as you fed intel about things you stumbled across. We had that seamless, open start long before Mia’s bullshit surfaced.”
She hadn’t thought of that. “Dare said Rider’s vitals are good, better than they’d expected.”
“Yeah, well, Ace seems to think that has something to do with the unapproved visit he got from Patch and his crew.” Dagan ran a finger along her arm. “They’re good kids.”
“Yeah, they just needed a leg up.”
“We’ll get Indigo Order up and running. A lot of the Shadows want in. We figure we can rotate volunteers in, help out where you need. Besides, it’ll help the SEO build street cred.”
“That’d be good. Diaz has warmed toward y’all. He hasn’t said anything, but that isn’t his style. I heard Kaeden offered to train him and his direct reports.”
“Yeah. He’s got a bigger crew than we’d realized at first. Now that Mia’s out of the picture, hopefully we can get some of the smaller crews in safer quarters.”
We. She was part of a "we."
“It’ll take some time to get everything flowing good between Indigo and SEO.” Uncertainty edged his words. “The shit from today brought up some issues we’ve gotta address. Kaeden sent some Shadows over to go through Mia’s second pad.”
“I didn’t even know she had one.”
“Once word got out she was gone, Diaz picked up whispers she’d been spotted in an area several miles southeast. Ace dug and found rental contracts from one of Conver’s shadow corporations.”
“Lovely.”
“Knowing Lang and Conver have personal history widens the net for our ops. We’ve got to put more focus on Lang now, figure out what was going down with that breeding program Mia mentioned. Plus, Diaz was right. She took kids from outside Indigo’s safe zone.”
Oh, God. They’d killed Mia to keep Devyn alive, and now they couldn’t find out where the kids were.
“I wish y’all hadn’t had to—”
“Don’t ever wish that, babe. We’ll find them. There was not a single man in that op who would’ve let you suffer or get permanently gone to get some intel we can get on our own.” He kissed her hand and squeezed. “You mattered more than anything that bitch could’ve shared.”
“God, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” The whispered response settled in her heart. These were the words he hadn’t spoken yet but had shown with every fiber of his being.
She traced an invisible path in t
he shape of a heart along his chest. “You think she was telling the truth? That Nevada and Sage were part of that breeding program? Could that have been why they ran?”
“I don’t think Kaeden and Trent are ready to go down that road yet. We’ll work our way back there. Their wounds from back then are too raw to prod.”
“They couldn’t have stopped it, whatever it was. Conver was too evil. Lang was too.”
“It doesn’t matter, babe. Sage and Nevada belonged to Trent and Kaeden. Shadows do whatever it takes to keep what they love safe. No matter what.”
“Mmm. Well, I know what I want from my Shadow right now.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, let me show you.”
THE END
A Thank You from Fated Desires
Thank you so much for reading A Shadow’s Embrace! We’re so happy that you had a chance to look at our new line, On the Run. We do hope if you liked this, that you would please leave a review from where you purchased this or on another platform. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us
The On the Run Line is our romantic suspense line that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Our characters are on the run from the authorities, a presence they can't control, fate, or themselves. As they find their way through the murky waters of their own choices, they'll not only find peace, but a love that lasts.
If you’d like to know more about Fated Desires, check out our website or email us at [email protected].
You can also find out more through our MAILING LIST.
Also, join our Fated Desires Book Club to interact with our authors.
About the Author
Born in small-town Texas, Cara Carnes was a princess, a pirate, fashion model, actress, rock star and Jon Bon Jovi’s wife all before the age of 13.
In reality, her fascination for enthralling worlds took seed somewhere amidst a somewhat dull day job and a wonderful life filled with family and friends. When she’s not cemented to her chair, Cara loves travelling, photography and reading.
More information about Cara can be found at www.caracarnes.com.
Forsaken Realms
Did you enjoy this selection? Why not try another romance from Fated Desires?
Forsaken Realms by Katalina Leon
“Retrieval specialist” is just a fancy term for high-level corporate bounty hunting. Agent Gemmina Nayar is the best in her league. She’s a sense-enhanced, level-seven bounty hunter from New Mumbai who receives an exclusive invitation to track a dangerous criminal on private property. She arrives on the tropical planetoid eager to hunt and release her inner tigress, but is disappointed to discover the bounty has already been captured.
Syan is a Kironian, an off-limits alien race. He’s gorgeous, rugged and all male. Even sedated and forced to wear an electronic silence collar, he resembles a coppery skinned refugee from Mount Olympus. Worse Gemmina’s unaware Kironian saliva is loaded with pheromones that can turn even the most indifferent woman into a willing mate. A single kiss or bite is sabotage.
When the mission turns lethal, she realizes she’s not only been tricked into bringing the wrong man to justice, but the harsh jungle below is a calculated trap.
You can find more from Katalina’s Forsaken Realms HERE.
You can also find out more through our MAILING LIST.
Also, join our Fated Desires Book Club to interact with our authors.
Pinch of Me, Dash of You
Did you enjoy this selection? Why not try another romance from Fated Desires?
Pinch of Me, Dash of You by Heather Thurmeier
Kali can’t cook to save her life, but she can write. As a foodie reviewer for both a huge national paper and a successful blog, she’s well on her way to achieving her dreams. When she’s offered a cookbook deal, she thinks she’s finally made it…until her latest review comes out a little harsher than expected and the restaurateur threatens to expose all her secrets.
Mac’s whole life is spent in the kitchen, running a New York City restaurant and a culinary school for underprivileged youth. When donations stop pouring in for Mac’s culinary school after a scathing review of his restaurant, he fears he may have to shut the doors if he can’t find a way to turn things around. Then he meets Kali, the reviewer who admits she has no culinary skills. Now he’s made her an offer she can’t refuse—he’ll teach her to cook over the summer and help her with recipes for the cookbook if she’ll agree to write an insider piece highlighting the strengths of his culinary school.
But when things start heating up in Mac’s kitchen, keeping her hands on the food and off of Mac is proving harder than Kali expected.
You can find more from Heather’s Pinch of Me, Dash of You HERE.
You can also find out more through our MAILING LIST.
Also, join our Fated Desires Book Club to interact with our authors.
Bite Marks
Did you enjoy this selection? Why not try another romance from Fated Desires?
Bite Marks by Rebecca Royce
George is a mystery writer in a small town who wants nothing more than one date with the local bartender named Trudy. When he finally scores a date, he is ecstatic. But the night before he his bitten by a vampire--and accidently transformed into a member of the Undead. He assumes any chance he had with Trudy died the same night his need for food did.
But, Trudy is more than she seems. A werewolf hunter on the run she knows all about vampires and if she can keep them both alive for any length of time, she might be just what George needs to survive.
Can love survive an accidental bite?
You can find more from Rebecca Royce’s Bite Marks HERE.
You can also find out more through our MAILING LIST.
Also, join our Fated Desires Book Club to interact with our authors.