Alec let his breath out in a rush. “Not a damned clue.”
“She’s a liability.” Strike made a growling sound. “Max needs his head rotated to get it on straight.”
Alec shook his head. “Why don’t you share that little observation with him?”
“I just might,” Strike said.
“I’ll let you get your ass back on the job,” Alec said.
“And you make sure and enjoy your babysitting detail,” Strike said with a laugh.
“Screw you.”
“I’m taken.”
Alec snorted and disconnected the call. He spent the next hour contacting the other members of his team and to a one they were having an unusually quiet night.
When he finished, he turned out the lights and headed up the stairs planning to go to his study.
He reached the top of the stairs and couldn’t help but look toward the guestroom where Loni was probably in bed. The door was ajar and he found himself moving toward it. The latch didn’t always close properly and she probably didn’t even realize it was open.
The room was dark but he could see easily enough with his enhanced sight. He had expected to see her form beneath the blankets but instead she was sitting on the edge of the bed.
She looked up at him but didn’t say anything.
“This door doesn’t always close right.” Alec cleared his throat. “Just wanted to shut it for you.”
“Please don’t close it. Please don’t go.” Her throat worked. “After today I don’t want to be alone. At least not tonight.” Moisture glistened in her eyes and she looked down.
He nearly groaned aloud. It wasn’t one damned bit fair when a woman cried.
“Hey.” He strode across the floor and crouched in front of her. He took her hands in his. They were warm and so soft. “It’s going to be all right.” What was going to be all right he didn’t know, it just seemed like the right thing to say.
“Is it?” A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at him. “Am I going to get to go back to my life? Will I be able to forget what happened with that—man?”
“I don’t know.” All he could do was be honest. He didn’t know what plans the Powers That Be had for her so he couldn’t promise her anything. “I can never tell what the plan is.”
“Then stay with me.” Another tear trickled from her eye.
He took a deep breath. “Get under the covers and scoot over.” He kicked off his shoes but left his jeans and T-shirt on. He wasn’t going to take advantage of a woman who was in the state that Loni was.
When she was over far enough, he slid under the covers with her. “Turn over with your back to me.” She obeyed and he put his arm around her waist. She moved back against him, as if needing the closeness.
His cock hardened at the feel of her soft bottom against him. She smelled so good, felt so good. He held his breath and tried not to move.
“Thank you,” she murmured and he felt her relax. Eventually her breathing grew deep and even, and tension gradually left his body.
He buried his nose in her hair, drawing in her scent and feeling it flow through his body. The realization came to him then that he was in one hell of a lot of trouble.
Chapter 6
Loni woke to bright sunlight. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling and frowned. It wasn’t her ceiling.
Disoriented, she sat up in bed and glanced around her at furniture she didn’t recognize. Her heart beat faster as she looked at the simple, masculine furnishings and tried to place where she was.
Her brow wrinkled and her breathing came a little faster, a little shallow. She almost felt like she was going to hyperventilate as images of two men who could hold fire in their hands flickered through her mind. And passing out then waking up to see a bunch of people in black leather who had the same names as a group of people did in a book.
If she hadn’t found herself in a strange room this morning, she would have thought it all a dream. She looked at the pillow on the right. There was an indentation as if someone had been sleeping there. Had Alec really held her last night?
Nothing made sense. She squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe someone had slipped her some kind of drug and that caused hallucinations. Although that didn’t explain the room she slept in last night.
She opened her eyes and slipped out of bed, the carpet soft beneath her bare feet. She looked down and saw that she was wearing one of the long T-shirts and Capri pajama pants that she liked to wear to bed. Her bright pink suitcase was on a chair and it was filled with her clothes and toiletries, and other odds and ends she would need on a trip. Jeans and T-shirts comprised most of the clothing along with her athletic shoes as if whoever packed her suitcase knew she was going to need something other than her skirts and flats.
A bathroom was connected to the bedroom and she went into it. After she relieved herself and returned to the bedroom, she tugged on jeans and a T-shirt, socks and athletic shoes, then pulled her hair back in a ponytail. She needed a shower, but more importantly she needed to figure out exactly what she was facing.
The house was silent as she left the guestroom and stepped onto polished wood flooring. Her heart beat a little faster as she went down the stairs. She had woken in a strange house after having a crazy dream that had been so real that she almost believed it had all really happened.
She headed down stairs, the middle step squeaking before she made it to the hallway. To her left she could see a living room that looked familiar—just like the one she had dreamed about. To her right was the entrance to a kitchen and she heard the sound of something sizzling and caught the delicious scent of sausages and pancakes.
When she entered the kitchen, she saw him. Alec. Her heart rose into her throat and blood rushed in her ears. Either she was having a never-ending dream or this was real. He was real. His dark brown hair fell over his brow as he concentrated on fixing breakfast. He wore a pair of Levis with a royal blue T-shirt, and he had on a pair of white and blue athletic shoes.
“Good morning.” He flipped a pancake on a griddle on the stove. “Hungry?”
To her surprise she was. She nodded and he gestured to the kitchen nook table and she saw two tall glasses of orange juice in front of two place settings.
She glanced at the kitchen window. It looked like it was a bright and sunny day, normal for Phoenix. “What time is it?”
He was holding the pancake spatula as he spoke. “A little after noon.”
With surprise she said, “I never sleep that late.”
“You needed it.” He spooned scrambled eggs onto a platter that had a tower of pancakes then placed the sausages on the same platter. He took the last pancake off the griddle, turned off the heat, and picked up the platter. “Have a seat.”
She sat at the table and watched him as he set the platter between them and then took his own chair.
He picked up her plate and heaped generous portions of everything onto it, more than she thought she could eat and then he filled his own plate.
She bit the inside of her lip as she poured syrup from a pitcher onto her stack of three medium-sized pancakes. Did she just go along with this? “Are you really over a century old?”
He looked at her as he set the platter down. “Where did you hear that?”
She shrugged and picked up her fork. “I read it.”
“In the book you mentioned?” he asked as he took the pitcher of syrup and poured over his own pancakes.
The metal fork bit into her skin as she squeezed her hand around it just to see if it felt real. It did. “Yes, in the book.”
He set the syrup down, picked up his fork, and speared a sausage. “If you believe everything that you read about me,” he said, “then you believe you know all about me.”
“Not really.” She cut into her pancake as he bit his sausage. “I think you’re probably far more complex than the writer showed you to be. I don’t think he could truly get inside your head.”
For a moment their gazes met and held and she
felt an arc of electricity between them that had the effect of rendering her speechless. When she gathered her composure she said, “The least you can do is tell me about yourself.”
“All right,” he said before digging into more of his breakfast.
“So tell me, how old are you?” she asked. “Where do you come from? The book isn’t clear about your origins.”
He drank from his orange juice then looked at her as she took a bite of her pancakes. “I’m a hundred eighty-three and I was born in Ireland shortly before my parents immigrated to America.”
“Almost two centuries?” Loni raised her brows. “You were born in the early 1800’s? You look like you’re in your mid-thirties.”
He stopped chewing and wiped his mouth with his napkin as he swallowed. “My people don’t age physically past thirty,” he said as he set down his napkin.
“Wow.” She considered what he had said as she ate her breakfast. It was delicious, especially after not having eaten much yesterday. “Were you born a sorcerer?”
He shook his head. “My father was a shifter and a Dark Enforcer. My mother is a witch.”
“Your mother is still alive?” Loni asked. “She would be over two hundred.”
“By marrying a shifter and carrying his child,” Alec said, “her life was extended beyond most witches’ natural lives. Something about bearing a shifter child and the symbiotic relationship, as the younger paranorm doctors put it. She won’t live as long as most shifters, but she’ll probably live another twenty years.”
“If you weren’t born a sorcerer…” She frowned. “I don’t understand. I saw you with fire like that Dawson guy had.”
“I’m a mimic,” Alec said. “Whatever type of being I touch, I’m able to take on their abilities until I touch another being and then my abilities mimic theirs. That was why I tackled the sorcerer after I threw the dagger at him. I needed his sorcerer powers to fight him.”
It was all hard to believe but she went along with it. “I noticed that you talked about your father in the past tense.”
She wondered if she had crossed a line as his features darkened and he didn’t say anything for a long time and ate instead.
He finished off his pancakes and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I’m surprised you didn’t read about my father in your book.” He dragged his hand down his face then met her gaze. “Dawson murdered him several years ago.”
“The book didn’t mention your parents.” She bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry about your father.”
“His life was cut short far too young,” Alec said. “He should have lived another century, at least.”
It didn’t take Alec long to put away the rest of the food on his plate before he served himself more. “Your turn.”
“I’m thirty-two, human, and I won’t live forever or even two hundred plus years.” She gave a smile as she pushed her hair behind her ear. “My parents passed away. You already know what I do in for a living.”
“Do you have any brothers and sisters?” He looked genuinely interested. “Any children?”
“No to both.” Loni shook her head. “And you?”
“I have two sisters and three brothers.” He studied her intently, his eyes drawing her in. “Married? Boyfriend?”
Again she warmed as she felt the electric connection between them. She cleared her throat. “I had a long-time relationship with a man that just ended. What about you?” she added before she could stop herself.
Alec scowled. “It ended.”
“Marie,” Loni said quietly. “She betrayed and murdered your friends.”
His gaze shot up to meet hers. “Why did you ask if you already knew?”
Loni paused. “I suppose I want to check what I read in the book.”
“It happened three years ago.” He stood abruptly and pushed in his chair as he took the now empty plates and set them in the sink. The electricity between them dissipated.
She threw away the paper napkins then took the dishcloth from the sink and wiped down the table. When they were finished, he strode from the kitchen and halted before the set of stairs that led to the floor above them.
“Anything I can get you?” he asked.
She glanced toward the stairs. “I just need to take a shower.”
“One floor above is my study.” He said as they started up the stairs, him following her. “When you’re finished you can find me there.”
“Okay.” They reached the top of the stairs and she looked at him one more time before going back into the guestroom. She carefully shut the door behind her, making sure the latch caught so that it would stay closed.
Selena had been very thorough in sending over what Loni would need. She wondered how the woman managed to get into her apartment, past the alarm system, and pick out everything that would be needed. But then considering what was happening to her, Loni figured that she shouldn’t be surprised at all.
It didn’t take long to shower and dress. She left her hair wet and put it up into a ponytail then opened the guestroom door and headed out into the hallway.
She glanced at the stairs leading up to the third level, then to the staircase leading down. If Alec was occupied, now might be her chance to get out of here and go home. She’d forgotten about the middle step and it squeaked as she went down and she winced, hoping Alec hadn’t heard it.
When she reached the hall, she went straight to the front door. She tried the door handle. Locked. Damn. She frowned and searched for some way to unlock the door but found nothing.
“It won’t open for you.” Alec’s voice came from behind her. “So there’s no point in trying.”
Her heart had jumped when he spoke and she turned to see him with his shoulder hitched up against the wall, watching her with his intent brown eyes.
“Let me out.” Anger rose in her. “You have no right to keep me here.” She nearly shouted the words.
The look in his gaze told her he understood her anger, but he said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
Tears that had been hovering at the backs of her eyes started running down her cheeks and she covered her face with her hands. In the next moment Alec was holding her to his chest and she breathed in the clean smell of his T-shirt and his masculine scent as she felt the hardness of his body close to hers.
“This is real, isn’t it.” She stated the words, finally facing that this was her new reality. Apparently there were things in this world that she hadn’t known about that were real. Somehow she knew that she had to accept that now.
“Yes, it’s real.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Loni. But at the same time I find myself glad you’re here.”
She raised her head and met his gaze. “Why?”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he lowered his head. His mouth hovered over hers a moment and she felt crazy feelings in her abdomen as her lips parted.
His mouth took hers and he kissed her, a long and passionate kiss. He held her tightly to him as if she might run away. But at that moment she didn’t want to be anywhere else but in his arms.
When he drew away her eyes were wide as she stared up at him, feeling so many conflicting emotions that she almost couldn’t process them. Fear and sadness for losing what had been her life, anger at being taken away, and passion for the man who had just given her the most amazing kiss.
“You told Selena that you wanted adventure.” He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. “And adventure is what you’re going to get.”
Chapter 7
In his basement control room, William watched as Samuel took one of the small glass bottles of Propara and inserted a needle into the bottle. The blue label indicated it was from a shifter donor. The small syringe filled with the potent drug as Samuel drew it out.
The human, a first time user whose name was Rick, watched with nervousness in his eyes as he waited with his arm strapped down, the veins on the inside of his elbow standing out nicely. Rick was naked, giving William the ability to eas
ily see any changes in the human’s body after the drug was administered. It also made humans feel more vulnerable when they had no clothing on, making it even easier for William to control them.
The witch, Richmond, and his apprentice, Carter, stood by to keep the human in line once he’d been injected and any changes took place. The control room was large and nearly bare, with enough space for a first glimpse at the human’s newfound powers.
“Is it going to hurt?” Rick asked in a tight voice. The room began to smell of the human’s fear. “What’s going to happen next?”
“It will burn.” Samuel eyed the syringe to make sure it held the right dose. “But that won’t last long. And then we shall see what happens next.”
“Maybe this is a bad idea.” Rick’s knee bounced as his agitation increased. His entire body was strapped into the chair so that there would be no danger to himself or anyone in the room. Perspiration had broken out on the human’s forehead.
“There is no going back, Rick.” Samuel removed the tourniquet and blood started flowing in Rick’s arm again. The human held his breath as Samuel slid the needle into a vein and emptied the clear fluid into the male’s blood system.
A mere fraction of a moment later and Rick struggled in the chair and cried out. “It burns like a sonofabitch,” he whined.
“Give it a couple of minutes,” Samuel said as he tossed the syringe. “You will feel like a new man.”
“Shit.” The human writhed in the chair, the tendons in his neck standing out, his face contorted with pain. “It hurts. Shit, it hurts.”
Almost every human male who had been injected uttered the same words. William was starting to find it tedious.
When Rick finally sat limp and exhausted, his entire body covered in sweat, William gave a nod to Harper, one of his men, who released the human’s bonds. Harper assisted Rick out of the chair with his customary rough handling and the human dropped onto all fours.
Rick remained on the floor and Harper slammed his boot into the human’s ribs. Sometimes the change needed a catalyst and any one of several emotions—fear, pain, and anger—made especially fine catalysts.
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