by Clare Murray
“But I feel fine now,” Russ said.
“Uh-huh, but it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. There’s a week remaining on your bed-rest time. So we have lots of time to spend together. And when I’m finally done thanking you for saving my granddaughter, you’ll be heartily tired of me.” She paused, eyeing them all. “So—are you together?”
“Grammie!” Abby said in a shocked tone.
“Well, you have my blessing. Not that blessings matter much these days, because people ought to be able to do what they want. And more power to ’em.” Patrice tugged at her glasses and gave everyone a Mona Lisa smile. Then she sat back, letting go of Abby’s hand to steeple her fingers.
“Well, bedrest is ticking on down. Why don’t you start at the beginning and tell me everything?”
* * * * *
Three days later…
Russ stole another caress down Abby’s thigh, relishing the little shiver that vibrated the tips of his fingers. He occupied the couch in their shared quarters, stretched out across its length with Abby snuggled at his side. A glass of water was at hand, because nurses always panicked about proper hydration.
Excruciating as it was to lie still, things were getting back to normal. Cam was back on form with his usual jokes, and Abby…Abby was no longer tense, looking over her shoulder for the next threat. Right now, she was looking over her shoulder at him, fond exasperation in her gaze. “Thought I left you sated an hour ago.”
“That was an hour ago.”
“Grammie is due any minute, and so are those other people,” she protested, looking back toward the door as if they might be there already, eavesdropping.
“And the rumor is, they’re bringing pizza,” Cam said, strolling in from the bedroom.
“Real pizza?” Abby sprang up as a knock sounded. “No way. My stomach’s already died and gone to heaven.”
Five minutes later—after a whole bunch of introductions were made—Russ’s own stomach was on its way to Cloud Nine. Nobody had let him move a muscle, although he’d drawn the line at being fed. This was Chicago deep-dish pizza, cooked by a chef who’d survived the Invasion. He was going to savor every bite and lick his fingers too.
Furthermore, he was going to savor every second this little dinner party lasted, because the company was damn good. Twins Finn and Gareth sat on either side of their woman, Marisol, who seemed just as besotted with them as they were with her.
Patrice occupied the armchair with her Rottweiler, Tank, lying patiently at her feet. Occasionally, she slipped the dog a piece of cheese. Otherwise, she beamed around the room in satisfaction.
“Glad you’re all enjoyin’ this pizza. You know how many lemon drizzle cakes I had to bake to score me one of these? Don’t worry, Abby, I saved one of the cakes and brought it along.”
Abby’s exaggerated sigh of relief made everyone laugh. Russ squeezed her hand just because he could, his heart swelling with love. This was what he’d been unconsciously seeking, what he’d been longing for. A family. Love.
As long as he had that, he could survive anything.
Epilogue
“The last of my group is out and safe. What’s your status?”
Slater stared down the barrel of a gun, controlling his breathing as he sought to stay as still as possible. The hallway was too narrow to risk rushing the gunman, who aimed the weapon at his head with a smirk. Slater watched the bastard’s finger tighten on the trigger, an implicit warning.
“Gotcha,” Senator Green said.
By now, the last vehicle containing escaped servants would be on its way to the gates. There’d been more people than could fit in one truck. The Shadow Feds had imprisoned people from all walks of life, all the way down to a little redheaded kid who couldn’t have been more than twelve.
Remembering the kid’s fear, Slater narrowed his eyes at the gun. “I’m compromised. Get out of here, Arden.”
“Who’s got you?” His brother’s thoughts remained calm on the surface, lending him an anchor he desperately needed. He could sense movement, knew his brother was on his way. That wasn’t good. He’d be caught too.
“Green has me. Get the fuck out of here, Arden. Seriously.”
The senator glared daggers, his plump jowls red with strain. As Slater measured distances and probabilities, he flinched sideways as Green discharged his weapon. The bullet grazed past his shoulder, leaving behind a short burst of pain and a trickle of blood.
Decent shot, then. Slater put his hands in the air, knowing the man was pissed enough to kill him.
“Spies,” the senator spat. “Goddamn spies.”
Oh—this put a whole different spin on things. So this wasn’t about them staging a mass jailbreak by helping the so-called indentured servants escape Headquarters. Green had come to confront them about a different matter altogether.
Great. That complicated matters.
“How’d you know?” Slater kept his voice conversational, engaging. It wasn’t untrue, and the more time he bought for the escaped indentured servants, the better.
“Who else would feed the Complex information? Abby Brooks wasn’t the only person monitoring internal emails. You planted information in there. Thought you were subtle? Think again.” The senator gestured with the gun. “Turn around and walk toward my chambers. Keep your hands in the air.”
“Yeah, they rumbled us.” Arden sounded rueful. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Seriously. Get lost.” Slater strode down the hallway. The glory of Headquarters—formerly the White House—was fading rapidly. Its carpets were battered and stained, even in the upper echelons where these so-called politicians lived.
“Why would I leave now? They’d torture you to draw me out. I’d rather skip that step, wouldn’t you?”
Christ on a crutch, his brother had a point. Subdued, Slater entered the senator’s personal quarters, noting with disgust its lavish furnishing, complete with fruit bowl on the ornate table in the center of the room. Its luxury was in direct contrast to the austere servant quarters.
A flicker on the screen set into the wall caught his attention. He did a brief double-take as a hooded figure appeared. Its face was hidden by a thin layer of gauzy material that came across as a bizarre kind of wedding veil. A thick cloak extended from the shoulders to the hands, covering everything save a hand.
Or what should have been a hand.
He had a scant few seconds to take in the sight before the senator placed the gun against his cheek. “Turn away from the screen.”
Slater complied. A jolt at the corner of his mind prompted him to mentally reach for his brother.
“Caught. Be with you in a minute, I guess,” Arden sent.
“Senator Jacobs. You got the other one?” Green said, satisfaction thickening his voice as he picked up his commtab. “Good. Bring the Experiment into my chambers, and we’ll begin their interrogation.”
About the Author
Clare Murray was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, living aboard a boat in her early childhood. She has a degree in Journalism and has worked in libraries in both California and London. In 2006 she moved to England, where she now lives happily with her husband and two children.
Find her online:
Website: www.claremurray.net
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kvlmurray
Facebook: www.facebook.com/claremurrayauthor
Look for these titles by Clare Murray
Now Available:
Matched Desire
Paired Pursuit
Don’t miss the other titles in Clare Murray’s Matched Desire Series!
Danger rises in the night…and so does desire.
Matched Desire, Book 1
Her last living relative dead, Mari is evicted from her shipping container and leaves Flagstaff for the first time in seven years. Boarding a tra
in for Scar City (formerly Reno), she keeps a white-knuckle grip on her debilitating panic attacks.
When the train lurches, she loses that grip—and is picked up, calmed down, and turned on by the only other passengers in the car.
Finn and Gareth are under orders from their superiors to follow a slim lead on a stolen alien device. At first Mari is only a pleasant distraction, but through their telepathic Twin link, the brothers discover they both sense a powerful attraction to her that goes far beyond pheromones.
With dawning horror, Mari learns the Twins are after the same device she’s seeking, her only hope to get money for a better life. Once they reach Scar City, the three realize they’re living on borrowed time—unless they can discover the device’s secrets before attacking aliens bring the city walls tumbling down.
Warning: Contains two genetically modified warrior heroes, a woman whose worst nightmare is wide open spaces, and distractions of a sensual nature.
If you loved this book, then you’re sure to love this Samhain favorite as well!
To lift a curse, she must survive an orgy of pleasure.
Delaney Jones dedicates her life to the Peace Corps—up at dawn, work past dusk. On a mountain overlooking the Sacred Valley in Peru, she’s thousands of miles away from the real reason she fled her home. Her stepbrother, rock god Jaden Seavers.
But half a world isn’t far enough to outrun the strange, erotic visions of him that disturb her dreams. When she unexpectedly encounters Jaden on a desolate Peruvian road, their mutual hunger is stronger than ever.
In the uncontrollable rush of desire, Jaden can no longer hide the truth. He is a vampire—and he’s not alone. Many of his kind have come to Peru to take part in a ritual that will make them mortal.
All they need is a vessel strong enough to withstand the power of five vampires gone wild with an unholy craving. And when the eruption of lust is over, survive to fill the emptiness of the one man who loves her more than life itself…
Warning: Contains the ultimate battle between sex and death. An orgy of pleasure so sinful, so forbidden, readers might need a week to recover. If you get lightheaded, remember to put your head between your knees.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Cincinnati OH 45249
Paired Objective
Copyright © 2016 by Clare Murray
ISBN: 978-1-61923-456-7
Edited by Linda Ingmanson
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: May 2016
www.samhainpublishing.com