by Rose Wynters
“I’m sorry,” he responded.
She bit her lip and nodded before continuing quietly, “She was a wonderful mom, and she loved to write horror. When I was ten, she somehow managed to get that cabin. It wasn’t long after that she submitted her stories and got published. We had a pretty good life until four days ago.”
Anna took a shuddering breath, fighting back the sobs. “If nothing else, at least we had each other. Now she’s dead because of demons, and it’s all my fault.”
Shayne gave her a sympathetic look before adjusting his weight in the seat. Then he released a long sigh. He looked uncomfortable. Anna felt embarrassed by her display of emotion.
Clearing his throat, Shayne said, “Several years ago, a man named Jesse somehow got caught up with a league of demons. It wasn’t against his will, although I don’t know the details yet. He was responsible for a lot of deaths, and he managed to escape us. Now, after all of these years, he’s suddenly back in the picture.”
Shayne glanced over at her, but she remained completely silent. “Does this ring any bells for you?” he finally asked. With a shrug of her shoulders, Anna didn’t respond. She didn’t know him well enough to share her humiliating history or what she knew of Jesse.
He didn’t volunteer any more information about Iris, either. After a moment of reflection, Anna realized she wasn’t ready for the details. Not yet. “Are you a friend or foe?” she asked carefully. Life for her had turned into a game of trying to survive another minute, and the odds didn’t seem to be in her favor.
“I thought we'd moved past this. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have gone to this trouble,” Shayne replied in a testy voice. “Alaska is not my favorite place, not any time of the year. There are much easier ways than this to get rid of you, should I be of mind to. I'm here to help you. Not hurt you.”
The miles were quickly passing by, taking her further and further from her home. Anna briefly closed her eyes. She was tired, hungry, and scared. “Where are we going?”
“It’s safer for us if we stay on the move during the night. We are going to drive down to the southern part of Alaska and catch a flight to Las Vegas. I have a protected area there.”
His previous testiness was gone. In its place was a calm, soothing voice that would have made a counselor or therapist proud. “There are several of us there who can work to protect you. We will keep you safe, Anna.”
“Will I be safe until we get there, though?” she whispered, her voice wobbling.
Shayne didn't appear to have any kind of response for her. They grew silent as they sped down the dark, desolate road.
It was too much to take in, and the events of the night were starting to catch up with Anna. Although it was freezing cold outside, the interior of the SUV was warm and cozy. Shayne was a delicious mixture of leather, cold, and cologne. It made her want to curl up to him and just breathe him in. She smiled in the dark at her ridiculous thoughts. Instinctively, at least while they were traveling, she knew she was safe with him. Leaning her head back, Anna quickly dozed off.
SHAYNE GAVE THE WOMAN another quick glance. She was obviously exhausted. For someone not of their world, a night like the one they'd had would be seriously traumatic. He needed to talk to Arch and find out what in the hell was really going on. Major parts of his story had been left out, especially the fact that Anna could see a demon's true form. How much did she really know? In a mortal word filled with demons, what role did she play in it?
He ruminated on the demons he’d killed earlier that evening. They had surrounded the small cabin, the frigid cold not slowing them down at all. Confident there would be no escape for Anna, they’d only sent in two, while the others made sure she didn’t escape through any exits. Had he been five minutes later, it would have been too late.
He grimaced as his thoughts turned to the last twenty-four hours. Shayne had been pissed when Arch transferred him to Alaska without leaving him time to prepare. Lucky for him, though, he had found himself in front of a car rental place. Arch had made arrangements, as the building was lit up and open. Within fifteen minutes, he'd had the keys to a brand new SUV, and he left the agent with a big grin on his face and a huge tip for going out of his way.
Shayne gave the sleeping beauty another quick once over. He hadn’t expected her to be so gorgeous. In Ireland, they would say she was a fine doorful of a woman, and she was. Something about her was setting his blood on fire, his lust unwanted and unwelcome.
He realized he wasn’t making it easy for her, but he couldn’t help that. His unexpected attraction toward her was a complication he hadn’t expected. Lust had hit him the moment he’d seen her face. He’d never experienced it on the job before and with good reason. Business and pleasure never mixed.
Anna was taller than the average woman and padded well. The men of his time would have fought wars over her. She was voluptuous with wide hips and thick thighs that would cushion him well. He felt his dick start to harden. Anna was the type of woman who could take everything he had to offer and leave him begging for more.
Shayne wanted to reach his hand over and run it through her reddish-blonde hair. Would it be soft or coarse? It had partially fallen out of the clip it was in. He couldn’t tell how long it was, but it was full of ringlet curls. He would love to see them spread out around her naked body.
The woman was an odd mix of sensuality and vulnerability. He reminded himself that she was completely off limits. He had no business thinking of her and sex in the same thought, although his dick was telling him something different.
Anna wasn’t the type of woman a man took to bed once, and he wasn’t a lifetime type of guy. It was pretty black and white. He was hundreds of years old and set in his ways. His teeth ground together in frustration as he faced the truth. There wouldn’t be any scratching his itch. Not with Anna. His decision left him feeling deflated.
The sooner he got his assignment over with, the better it would be for him. Women like Anna weren’t meant for men like him.
ANNA WAS LYING IN THE middle of a huge bed, complete with black satin sheets. Shayne was naked and rock hard between her legs, suckling on her breasts. Her fingers were locked behind his muscled neck while her breasts strained against the heat of his mouth, loving the attention he was lavishing on them.
She bucked against the long and heavy erection prodding between her legs. Lifting his head, Shayne gave her a sexy half smile. “Find something you like?”
She reached down and wrapped her fingers around the hard piece of flesh. “I’d like it a lot better here,” she replied in a throaty voice, guiding him to the entrance that represented paradise for both of them.
JUST AS HE WAS ABOUT to claim her, she woke up. Anna's body ached, desperately wanting to be fulfilled. She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow before releasing a long, painful groan. The dream had felt so real to her. Reality is a bummer.
The fading afternoon sunlight peeked around the edge of the drawn curtains. With a start, she realized she was in a hotel room. The other bed looked like it had been slept in, but Shayne was nowhere to be seen. Anna let out a huge sigh of relief. She would have been at a loss if she had to explain that dream or her reactions to it.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, she heard the key turn in the lock a second before the door swung open. He quickly stepped in and closed it, blocking out the light. Shayne was wearing a cap and dark sunglasses. He was trying to conceal his identity but why?
Anna watched him move towards the bed and felt lust spiking through her body. It was all she could do to not sigh. In the sun, he was even better looking than he’d been the night before. Something about Shayne affected her in a way she'd never experienced before, and she wasn't entirely comfortable with it.
He stopped at the edge of the bed and pulled off his glasses and cap. His powerful blue-eyed gaze settled on her intently before saying, “Well, well, look who’s awake. I thought I'd have to get you up myself.” He didn’t look too put out at the
idea.
She flushed. What would he say if he knew she'd just dreamed about him? And not just any dream but a sex dream. Embarrassed and uncomfortable, her hand tugged the blanket up even higher. Shayne arched his brow at the action, but he didn’t comment on it.
“I figured you might want something to eat,” he said. He looked like he was struggling not to smile.
“Thank you,” she replied, as she decided to look everywhere but at him. “I am hungry.”
The feel of his eyes upon her was almost like a physical touch moving across her body. Her blush spread from her cheeks down to her chest. She wasn't used to a gorgeous man making her the center of his attention. She didn't know how to handle it.
There was something really erotic about the way he watched her, and past experiences hadn’t prepared her for it. The last thing she needed was to get a crush on someone who took their flirtations casually. Her self-confidence had taken enough hits in the past.
Besides that, Anna knew there was a chance she was reading too much into his interest. Her judgment was flawed when it came to men. As far as she knew, he was simply watching over her and protecting her, as he'd said he was going to do. Her interest could be entirely one sided. Past experiences told her it was. She was going to be smarter and wiser than she'd been in the past, and she was going to ignore her attraction as best she could.
Shayne put the bag of food at the foot of the bed before crossing his arms and perusing her. “I need you to eat and get ready to go. We have to be on the road by nightfall.” With a glance toward the windows, Anna realized that wouldn’t be very long.
The smell of the food was tempting her, and she leaned over to grab the bag. As she did, the blanket fell down. With a gasp, Anna realized she was naked.
Yanking the blanket back up, she glared at him. “Where are my clothes?” she sputtered. “You undressed me last night?”
Anna had never been more humiliated in her life. She could only imagine what he must have thought, seeing her overweight curves uncovered. Guys like him only dated supermodels, or thin, gorgeous women without an ounce of extra flesh.
The thought of his disgust made her want to roll over and bury her head under the covers. Then again, she hadn’t asked to be undressed. If he was disgusted, it was his own damn fault.
WITHOUT TAKING HIS eyes away from her, Shayne grabbed her clothing from the table beside him with one hand. In one smooth move, he lightly tossed them in front of her. “I anticipated you might sleep more comfortable that way.” He always did.
Her virginal antics were funny. She wasn’t hiding anything from him. He was way too experienced not to feel the sexual awareness between them. It was growing by the day, the hour, the minute.
He knew his heated gaze was making her flustered, and it amused him. She was damn lucky they wouldn’t be alone together for much longer. Anything longer than that, and her virginity would be a thing of the past.
“How did I get in here anyhow?” Anna asked as she pulled her clothes to her chest.
He smiled. “How do you think?”
She was fuming. She was so mad Shayne expected to see smoke coming out of her ears at any moment. “You expect me to believe that you carried me in all by your little bitty self?” she asked sarcastically, gesturing towards her body. “Granted, you are extremely tall and muscled, but there's no way you can be that strong. Besides, I would have woke up when you did.”
His heated gaze dropped down to her breasts hidden beneath the sheet. They were swollen, her nipples hard against the material of the sheet. Just knowing she was naked was making him nuts. His eyes slowly traveled back up to her face. He was intensely aroused. He could feel the intensity of it in every part of his body. Shayne knew it was in his eyes, as Anna blushed when their eyes met. “I could carry you with one arm tied behind my back,” he replied, with a half smile. “It would take a lot more than you to make it difficult.”
“Yeah, right,” she replied, bitingly. “Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I'm well aware of my size, and it would never be considered easy to carry. I don't have time for this. I don't get what game you're playing here. But I want you to understand that whatever it is, I'm not playing.”
With her clothes gathered up in her arms, she looked up at him coldly. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” Shayne drawled, making a princely gesture with his hand as he leaned against the wall. He looked nonchalant and cool, but deep inside he was a hotbed of lust so strong he was nearly going up in flames. It was clear to him Anna was a runner. However, it only made him want her more. The thrill of the chase excited him.
If she stood up and dropped the sheet, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He’d have her flat on her back, with his dick buried deep, before she even knew what hit her. His body was alert and ready to spring at a moment’s notice. He couldn't think of anything else. It was as if his brain really was between his legs rather than on top of his shoulders, where it belonged.
Undressing her the night before had almost been his undoing. Never had he been more tempted to break his strict moral code. After getting her naked, he’d gone immediately into the bathroom and pleasured himself.
His determination to ignore his attraction wouldn’t mean anything in the face of her rounded naked body in front of him. As it was, he was having a hard enough time controlling himself. All he needed was just one encouraging word or action to pounce, thus bringing satisfaction to them both. And Shayne knew, without a shadow of any doubt, he would satisfy her. He could give Anna pleasure beyond anything she'd ever known before. Guaranteed.
However, Anna wasn’t about to give him a yes. Irritation creased her brow as she watched him, with an expectant expression on her face. When he didn’t move, her eyes narrowed. “Turn around now,” she said, enunciating each word .
Releasing a long-suffering sigh, Shayne turned, not letting her see the grin on his face. She was as prickly as the red in her hair warned she could be. Although she was testy, he also realized how embarrassed she was. Her face was the color of a ripened red tomato.
He glanced down ruefully at his dick. It was a good thing she'd ordered him to turn away. Something told him she wouldn’t have been pleased to see his massive hard on.
ANNA JUMPED UP AND backed away to the bathroom as quickly as possible, holding the sheet and her clothing in front of her. She was eager to get away from him. She needed to gather her thoughts and calm her wayward body. Shayne made her feel clumsy and awkward but lustful. She was afraid her body would give her away and turn their trip into a humiliating experience.
She walked into the bathroom and leaned against the wall to catch her bearings. What the hell had that been? The bantering between them had felt so charged. Everything he said and did seemed to turn her on. The struggle to move past her attraction was real. Somehow, she had to get past it and detach. She thought about her mother's death and how her own life was on the line. It put things in a very solemn perspective.
The bathroom was nothing fancy, and it didn’t take her long to attend to herself. A sharp rapping on the bathroom door made her jump. “We need to move now,” Shayne said impatiently, rapping on the door again. He sounded as if he'd moved past their bantering, too. “It’s almost dark, and we have to put distance between us and the ones who attacked you last night. They prefer to do their hunting at night. You're safer on the road.”
Anna could hear the urgency in his voice. She had no desire to meet up with them again, either. However, she had to wonder if he was being just a tad too paranoid. To distract herself, she decided to talk. Pulling on her bra, she pondered on their situation for a moment, then asked, “How could they find us, though? There wasn't anyone following us while we were on the road.” For hours, they hadn't passed another vehicle on the dark Alaskan highway.
“You're a wanted person,” Shayne replied. His voice was distant, so Anna knew he was no longer standing at the door. She released a quiet sigh of relief. The pressure was off. “That means there i
sn't a demon in existence who isn't looking for you. But it's not just demons we have to worry about. They control a lot of people, too. Anyone we come into contact with could be working for them: the front desk clerk, a gas station attendant, the person sitting in the booth next to us at a restaurant. And we're not on protected ground, either. Any demon could come upon us at any time, and they wouldn’t necessarily be the ones from the night before.”
Anna took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, just to make sure everything was in place. Her reddish-blonde hair was in a ponytail. Her face was make up free, but her skin was clear and unblemished. Her clothing was clean and everything matched. If nothing else, she felt she looked presentable.
Yanking the door open, she pushed past Shayne, who had moved to stand next to the sink, and hurried to her bag.
Pulling it over her shoulder, she looked back at Shayne. Her eyes met his. “I’m ready,” she said, in a very firm and decided voice, much to her relief. She sounded like someone who was back to the business at hand, which was exactly what she wanted. Anna was determined to push the personal stuff to the side and remain in control over her emotions and the attraction she felt towards Shayne. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she remembered her forgotten meal. Grabbing it, she started towards the door. With one hand on the flimsy hotel doorknob, she added, “I hope you’ve got the SUV warmed up.”
Yanking the door open, Anna stepped out in the night. It was a huge mistake. Immediately, she screamed, the sound echoing back through the doorway to Shayne, as well as into the dark night.
SHAYNE HAD ALREADY been on the move when he realized she was going out the door. He cursed himself for not warning her to let him go first. He pulled a wicked-looking dagger from underneath his coat and prepared to go to battle.