“Why wouldn’t I be safe with you? Why would he think otherwise?”
“I don’t know him well. I don’t know why he questioned my motives for seeing you to your room.”
Realizing that he was lying, she started to panic. “This is my room.” He lowered her to her feet slowly, gently. “Thank you.” She backed away from him and took her keycard from her pocket.
“Get some rest while I take care of a few things.”
“You’re coming back?” she asked.
He nodded. “In a few hours. You can reach out to me at any time. Call to me if you need or want anything.”
“I don’t have your phone number.”
He frowned. “Phone number?” He looked genuinely confused as he stared at her for several seconds. He shook his head. “I’ll sort it out.”
****
Caspian stood by Anne’s door for several seconds and used his most powerful spell to place protection over her, and over her room. He didn’t want to leave her for any amount of time. He wanted to take her away. Far away from anyone, from any possible danger. But he knew better than to run off with her. He needed knowledge. He needed to know as much about the world as possible to properly protect and care for her and their unborn child. And, after catching glimpses of a man abusing her, he needed to find and kill the man.
As he made his way through the hotel to Joseph’s office, he fought a powerful urge to return to her. It was more powerful than his dark hunger for blood. In fact, without any fear of losing control, he took the elevator packed full of humans rather than use the stairs.
He walked into Joseph’s office. “She was abused. Where is he?”
Joseph stood up. “He’s dead.”
“You’re sure?”
“Gabe Serafin killed him after he…”
“I do not know Gabe Serafin,” he interrupted.
“He’s a firedragon. He killed the man in my parking garage.”
“Parking garage?”
“It’s below us. He’s dead.” Joseph called the memory up and shared it with Caspian.
“You’ll never see Anne again.”
“Shut the fuck up you mother fucker. I told you to fuck off. I’m going to kill the whore the first chance I get. And then I’m going to kill that skanky bitch helping her.”
“Are you talking about Larissa?”
“That’s right. I’m going to fuck her and then I’m going to slice the bitch to fucking pieces.”
“You just threatened to rape and kill the wrong demon’s mate. When you are alone in your cell tonight, you’re going to bleed out. You’re going to suffer horrible pain, choking to death on your own blood.” He used his most powerful compulsion to ensure it. “Tell me what you’re going to do tonight, Eric.”
“I am going to bleed out; I am going to die in my cell.”
Caspian looked forward to meeting and thanking Gabe. “He’s a young firedragon, but he’s extremely powerful.”
Joseph nodded. “He’s very young. I believe he’s around five hundred years old. He’s as honorable as he is powerful. Adam Vlacic raised him.”
“I’m in Gabe’s debt. I want to thank him.”
“He’s away with his mate. I expect him to return in a week or two.”
“I look forward to meeting him. At the moment, I need to ask for a favor from you. I need a number.”
“A number for what?”
“One that will enable Anne to contact me until I teach her to communicate with me telepathically.”
“Sure.” Joseph nodded. “You need a cell phone.” He walked over to his desk, pulled a small box from a drawer, took a small rectangle device from the box, and then sent a burst of energy into it
“What are you doing to it?”
“Charging it. It runs on a battery.”
“What is a battery?”
“It’s energy.” He handed the small device to Caspian, and then he handed a small book to him. “Read this. It’s a manual. It explains how it works.”
“Will Anne be able to call out to me through it?”
“Yes.” Joseph picked up a pad of paper and a pen. He wrote a ten-digit number down, ripped the paper from the pad, and then he handed it to him. “Just give this number to her.”
“You’re absolutely certain it works?”
“I’ll show you.” Joseph pulled a similar device from his jacket pocket. Within a few seconds of entering the ten-digit sequence of numbers into it, Caspian’s device vibrated in his hand. He looked down at it. “That’s your device connecting to mine?”
“Yes.” Joseph pointed. “Swipe the screen to the right.”
Caspian swiped it to the right.
“Hold it up to your ear.”
He lifted it.
“Flip it around the other way.”
Caspian flipped it
“Can you hear me through it.”
“Yes.” He lowered the device and studied it. “I like this.” He sat on the sofa and started to read the manual.
“You need to give the number to Anne for it to work.”
“I understand.” Caspian reached for Anne to check on her. “I’ll wait. I don’t want to disturb her. She’s resting.”
“I’ll leave you alone for a bit to let you study the manual. I need to take care of a few things.”
“Wait. How am I to purchase things?”
“Like?”
“She hasn’t been eating properly. I want to take her something to eat when I return to her.”
Joseph held his hand out and conjured up a piece of plastic. “This is a bank card. It will allow you to buy whatever you need. Demetri has transferred your wealth into various accounts. When we get together again, I will show you how to access everything.”
Caspian took the card. “I will be able to exchange this card for a meal.”
“No. The card accesses an electronic record of currency. Make sure you keep the card.” He showed Caspian an image of handing the card to a servant and then waiting for it to be given back to him. “We have a restaurant in the hotel.”
“I’ll take her to the restaurant. The card seems easy to use.”
“Very easy. Later, I’ll show you how to access all the information you need to get caught up. Until then, come to me if you run into any problems or if you need something.”
“I will. Thank you for your help and your patience, Joseph.”
“Your welcome. I am happy to help you. I can’t imagine what it’s like to miss a thousand years of progress.”
“It’s a different world.”
“We’ll get you all caught up in no time.”
Epilogue
Electrifying sensations chased the movement of Zack’s mouth from Emily’s neck to her ear. “I love the soft feel of your skin against mine.”
She trailed her fingernails down his back, savoring the rousing heat of his hard body against hers. “That’s good,” she gripped his ass, “because I plan to spend as much quality time naked with you as possible.” She paused. “How long do you think we need to stick around and keep an eye on Caspian?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I really want to return to Maine and help Demetri.”
“We’re helping him by looking out for Caspian.”
“I know.”
He captured her mouth with his. He kissed her long and thoroughly. His teeth nipped. His lips teased. His tongue delved deep and tangled with hers. He merged his mind with hers and shared his hunger with her, the savage intensity of it. Then, through clenched teeth, he made a sound of something between a growl and a groan as he entered her body.
“You’re going to fucking kill me. You’re so fucking tight, Emily.” He bit her lip as if to punish her.
“We’ve had this discussion before.” She bit his lip hard in retaliation. “The snugness you’re experiencing is your fault for being so fucking big.”
A deep growl vibrated in his chest. The sound caused lightning to whip through her body, and thunder to rumble
in her ears. He gasped her name as he pushed deeper, stretching her body. Digging her fingernails into his shoulders, she arched her body to meet his.
Moving slowly, keeping a steady rhythm, creating delicious friction, he made love to her gently. “You are so fucking beautiful, Emily.” And tight. She was so fucking hot and tight, wrapped around him, strangling the hell out of him, destroying his fucking control.
He felt his body quickly losing all control, his erection swelling, growing impossibly hard. He wanted more. He needed more. He began to pump his hips harder. She moved with him, arching her body, meeting his every move, driving him absolutely fucking insane with pleasure. Her body gripped his cock, squeezing the hell out of it. He moved faster, deeper, harder. She held onto him and moved with him.
Feeding the hunger and stoking the flames of their desire was all that mattered. She met each thrust of his hips, holding onto him, her nails biting into his shoulders until he caused her to shatter into millions of tiny pieces with an explosive climax.
With her cry of ecstasy muted against his chest, her body tighten and released in powerful spasms around his cock. He threw his head back and released a triumphant roar as her hot sheath savagely ripped his orgasm from his body. After several seconds, he wrapped her arm around her and rolled over onto his back.
With her body sprawled over his body, her head resting on his chest, she sighed. “That was wonderful.”
“Absolutely wonderful.”
“The fucking best.”
“I agree.”
Coming soon
EVERLASTING FLAME
BREATH OF DARKNESS
The instant Larissa turned the corner and spotted four men standing next to an old jeep parked beside her car, she knew she was in trouble.
One of the men pointed at her car. “It looks like you encountered a rough patch of road.”
She looked at her car. Yep. She was in trouble. Her tires were flat. Alone with no means of protection, she was at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere with four scary looking guys who’d obviously slashed her tires.
You’re never alone without protection. She heard Gabe’s voice in her mind, but she felt the warmth of his breath on her ear.
I sure hope you’re not my imagination.
I am with you always . The heat of his body wrapped around her from behind. She also sensed his presence in front of her, shielding her.
“I am not alone,” she said,
One of the men took a step toward her. “You called for help?”
“Yes.”
“From here?” he asked.
“Yes.”
They started to walk toward her, fanning out to surround her. “No,” one pointed at her cellphone in her hand, “you didn’t call anyone.”
Another guy laughed. “There is no cell service out here.”
“I have help coming.” Realizing that they were getting closer to her, she started to panic. She took a few steps back.
They cannot touch you.
I sure hope you never get tired of rescuing me.
Never.
You feel…different, Gabe.
I am in my dragon form.
You’re close, aren’t you?
I’m coming from the north.
She turned her head and looked up at the sky. Her heart raced with excitement and anticipation at the sight of blue and white flames lighting up the northern horizon. She relaxed. Knowing Gabe wouldn’t allow the guys to touch her, they became entirely insignificant.
“What the fuck are you looking for?”
“Not what. Who.” She pointed up at a huge ball of bluish-white flames with a long tail trailing behind it. “I told you that I called for help.”
A loud roar echoed all around. The ground moved so violently that the men stumbled. The closer the flames got she was able to make out the image of a dragon in the flames.
The men looked at each other. “It’s a trick. It’s not possible.”
“Not possible?” she asked.
“Firedragons no longer exist.” He looked at the man to his right. “Grab her.”
She smiled. “You’ll regret trying.”
When he reached for her, his hand and arm burst into flames. He screamed in agony and went to his knees. Another man, obviously a slow learner, lunged for her. He burst into flames. She never realized how much she loved danger. She’d never wanted to be rescued by anyone. But she loved the idea of Gabe coming to her rescue.
When Gabe was only a few hundred feet away from them, a powerful burst of hot wind wrapped around her and slammed into the men. He shifted to his human form and dropped from the sky and landed in a crouch. Flames slowly receding from his body, he stood up and made his way toward her.
He took her in his arms and kissed her. A real kiss. Hard. Demanding. A kiss that brought heaven to her.
“You are so damn hot, Gabe.”
“I am a firedragon,” he laughed.
“They don’t believe you’re real.”
“Really?”
“They think you’re a legend.”
“I am legendary.”
She stared up at him for a few seconds. “I shouldn’t have left. I should’ve talked to you.”
“I hurt you.” He rested his forehead against hers. “You had every right to be upset. I just want a chance to make it up to you.”
“You did show up just in time to save me again.”
His lips lifted in a slow and sexy smile that caused her pulse to race. “I have been known to have good timing.”
Here’s an excerpt of the first book in this series:
Eternal Breath of Darkness
~ One ~
TAKING A DEEP breath, savoring the sweetness of her lingering scent, Haden Drake watched Caylee Adams walk toward Mia’s Clothing Boutique. He shifted, repositioning the seam of his pants, attempting to lessen the terrible ache that was becoming his most loyal, frustrating as hell companion. There was a small chance his attempt to get a little more comfortable would’ve worked if she hadn’t dropped her phone and bent over to pick it up. Shuddering, he uttered a curse, his cock swelling until it was impossibly hard, nearly bursting out of his pants. She was sexy in anything, but nothing compared to the way the worn fabric of those tight, low-rise jeans hugged her ass at that moment.
He, a demon, was the furthest thing from a saint, and pretending to be one was no longer an option. For a year he’d battled against his powerful, volatile sex drive, but day after day the torment of wanting her and not having her had been building into a fierce, unstoppable storm of raw lust. Every night he dreamed of her writhing beneath him, calling out his name in sheer ecstasy as he plunged deep inside the tight, silky heat of her body. She wasn’t ready for him to stake his claim on her, but the season for moving slowly, seducing her gently, was long gone. Despite his great power, he was utterly powerless to deny his insatiable hunger for her any longer.
Just before entering the boutique, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. It was a naughty, wickedly sexy smile. If he didn’t know her better, he would’ve thought she’d purposely bent over to torment him. Had she? Rejecting the thought, he shook his head. “Nah.” Teasing wasn’t her style. Once she was out of sight, he was unable shake the feeling something wasn’t quite right. Every second that went by the feeling of uneasiness increased in him so much that his centuries-learned ability to remain absolutely calm under pressure failed. It was her smile. Something about it was raising a red flag. He would never admit it, but the moment she turned to smile at him, chasing after her was inevitable.
While getting out of the car he tried to merge his mind with hers, but she was blocking him. He could easily use more force to penetrate the barrier, but he wouldn’t do it. Not yet anyways. He would if it proved necessary, but for now, knowing it would cause her pain, he decided to wait.
A terrible, should’ve known better feeling churning in his gut, he approached the boutique, hoping she was inside. He really wished she wasn’t so skilled
at blocking him. She was uncomfortable with his ability to touch her mind at will so he permitted her to build a wall to keep him out. Hindsight was a particularly brutal thorn in his ass. He was an idiot for allowing her wall to become so solid the only way to get through it was to cause her pain.
Taking a deep breath, he released it with a frustrated groan as he entered the building.
“Well, Mr. Slick, it definitely took you long enough to figure it out.” Mia approached from behind.
Her sharp voice slicing deep gouges into Haden’s skull, he cringed as he slowly turned toward her. His eyes brows drawn together, he flashed her an uneasy smile. “Hello, Mia.” The instant he saw the wicked look in her eyes, his heart stopped. “Where’s Caylee?”
“Oh, I get it.” Hands on her hips, Mia narrowed her gaze on him. “It’s a man thing. You couldn’t possibly comprehend what has just happened without further explanation. Oh my, you poor, miserable boy. There’s no reason to pout. It’s your lucky day. I just happen to be feeling quite charitable.”
He suppressed the urge to growl. She was smiling too sweetly, showing way too much teeth for any demon’s liking. The woman was a wolf. Literally. She was lycan, though she didn’t know it. She had been orphaned at young age and raised in foster homes and eventually group homes. He wasn’t sure why, but the true essence of her wolf remained dormant. However, when she was riled, the temperament of the wolf was always present. She never hesitated to follow through with a bite after baring her teeth.
“She ditched your pathetic ass,” she whispered.
“What?” Things like this didn’t happen to him. “No.” He was a powerful, immortal warrior. “No.” He was a demon, a master of deception. “No.” He’d live too many lifetimes, acquired too much knowledge to be so easily duped. “Where’s Caylee?” It was joke. She was hiding somewhere, having a good laugh at his expense. Laughing was good. It was great. But enough was enough. Feeling uncharacteristically bewildered, he glanced around. Spotting the dressing room area, deciding it was a perfect hiding place, he walked toward it.
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