by C. D. Gorri
Hugo head-butted Ty, landing a solid hit to his nose that sent stars floating through his vision. Smart.
Hugo’s gun fired.
“Ivy!” Ty yelled.
But it was Luca who gripped his side.
Ivy kneed Hugo in the nuts and grabbed his gun hand as he grunted, even if only momentarily stunned.
More of Hugo’s guys funneled in, at least seven, through the front door. How many did this guy bring with him? An army? Luca had his hands full between steady bleeding from his side and the new hostiles. The second wave wasn’t as stupid as the first.
Hugo wrested the gun from Ivy and whacked her across the head with the muzzle of the weapon, which sent her to the floor.
Rage clawed through Ty’s mind. He threw a right hook at Hugo. The cracking blow knocked him to the ground, but not out. Ty drew his arm back and aimed his blade right for the chest—
One of Hugo’s vampires crashed into him, sending both of them to the floor. He grabbed the thick wrist to take control of the knife headed for his neck. A stab upward with his opposite hand caught the guy under the ribs. He pushed the vampire off and finished the job by separating the head from the body.
Ivy.
Hugo had found his legs and was lunging for Ivy again. Not one to go out without a fight, she scrambled for the discarded gun. Hugo caught her before she reached it. Before Ty could get to them. She sent her pointed booted toe straight into his calf.
With a curse, Hugo spun her and fisted her neck.
Ty couldn’t get to her. Two of Hugo’s heavies were so far up his ass he was seeing their eyebrows. Funny how when your female was in trouble, it gave you a burst of energy.
Not that she was his.
Not yet.
Knife swiping wildly, finally, he hit the neck of the vampire in front of him, blood spraying across Luca’s umpteen-thousand-dollar carpet. Number two vice locked around his neck as if suffocation might be the key. Ty surged upward, sending the guy backward. They slammed onto the ground with Ty on top. In a smooth move, he detached the vamp’s head with his knife. More blood. Luca might have to burn the area rug.
Quick hop and he was up and after Hugo, who had dragged Ivy toward the exit.
Ivy had managed to get herself free and did a face-palm hit that threw Hugo backward and broke his nose. With a jump, she landed with her knee against his neck. It was the most spectacular move he’d ever seen.
“You ready to back the fuck off and call off this farce of an engagement?” she asked.
“I never give up what’s mine,” Hugo rasped out.
She drew her arm back, obviously intent on killing him with a heart plucked out of the chest move. Disgusting, but effective, if she had the guts to pull it off. It was the aftermath, the memories that were the killer with the move. The nightmares. The feel of the broken ribs against your fist that never seemed to go away.
With a slap, Ty caught her wrist. “Let me finish it.”
She rolled off Hugo. Ty positioned himself between them with a knee on Hugo’s chest. “She’ll never be yours. She’s mine. Always was. Always will be.” He locked eyes with Hugo, pushed off him, and finished it with his knife.
Chapter Nine
Ivy stared at the blood bath and carnage. Weight lifted from her even though she stared at the Hugo’s decapitated body.
Luca massaged his forehead, which left bloody marks from his hands. “Jasmine is going to kill me. She loved this rug.”
“Sorry,” Ivy said.
“My people will handle this mess. You two go clean up,” Luca said with a wave as he stalked off.
Ivy and Ty silently walked back the bedroom and said nothing as they both washed off in the side-by-side vanity sinks. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a lot of blood on either of them, considering the disaster in Luca’s parlor.
With a sigh, she sat hard on the edge of the bed and waited for Ty to touch her. To tell her how much she meant to him. To explain what he meant by she was his and always would be.
Seemed pretty obvious he was intent on them being for real. And she wanted it.
Ty said nothing as he sat at the opposite edge of the bed.
She turned carefully to face him, her calf angled up on the bed. She gathered her words, trying to sort them in her head as he watched her. “You’re my best friend. I’ve been so lucky to have you in my life, but you don’t…”
“I don’t what?” His eyes locked onto hers. The post-fight wildness still stirred inside them.
“You know what.”
“No. I don’t. Honestly, I don’t.”
“It’s okay. What you said…we can still be friends.”
His face tensed and eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. You saying that you want to remain just friends?”
Panic flooded her. She shook her head.
He said, “I just staked my claim and cut off your fiancé’s head. Pretty sure that goes way beyond something friends do.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. “But before…when you bit me you stopped.”
“I didn’t want to. Believe me, I didn’t want to. I lost control and let it go a bit too far. Like an idiot, I thought I’d play gentleman and wait until your parents gave us permission. After twenty years, I figured they’d understand you and I belong together. I worried you’d fight being forced into a pronouncement with me, but I was sure I could win you over eventually. Then they chose that asshole instead of me.”
“Why would you think I’d fight it?”
“We both need this friendship. It’s scary to rock the boat.” He lifted her hand and rubbed his fingers over hers. “I want to be more than friends and you forcing me to experience life in ways I often question and sometimes regret.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Okay, I haven’t had many regrets.”
She loved this vampire for thinking he’d have to win her over as if she hadn’t already given him her whole heart ages ago.
“You done talking and ready to kiss me again?” Her lips trembled as his fingers continued to rub against hers.
His breathing picked up, and she could hear his heart race.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She traced her finger along his lips.
*.*.*.*
Heat tore through Ty at the thought of being able to explore her glorious body at leisure. He’d trace his fingers over every curve and divot. The idea of peeling off the silky top and running his mouth over her abdomen…
“Why are you doing the Ty-thinking-fest instead of acting?” she asked.
“This isn’t a one-off thing for me, Ivy. This is the most important thing in my life. The idea of you getting mated to someone else again… I don’t like it. I don’t want to be forced to move on and pretend you and I don’t have a connection. You mean too much to me.”
“You say that as if you expect me to find someone else. Seriously, after all we’ve been through?”
Uncertainty skittered through his eyes.
“You have no idea how I feel about you?” She took one of his hands between hers. Her face was so intense, goose bumps raced up his arms. “There’s no gray zone where you’re concerned. I love you. I don’t share. But I meant what I said to Hugo. I’m not cut out to be some society mate, which might be who you need to excel at your business.”
He swallowed and stared at the messy bun she’d arranged her hair into, and the clarity of her eyes. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Plain and simple. “You’re you. That’s what matters to me. That’s what I want. Anyone I work for doesn’t care who I’m with. They want my skills to handle their crisis. What’s ironic is my own personal crisis is harder to fix than any other I’ve been hired to resolve. And I almost lost the most important thing in my life.”
She said, “I was dying inside not to be able to call you.”
“I missed you. And your insane trips and crazy art. They’re all gifts I will protect until the day I die. That I promise you. I haven’t done a
single thing in my life to deserve you, but I will never give up on you. I hope you won’t give up on me.”
Ty pulled her onto his lap. His mouth dropped to hers, hoping if he did it fast enough she couldn’t focus on anything else like wrangling him into the Antarctic trip. He was still going to lobby against that one. Maybe somewhere tropical next year.
Who was he kidding? Them going to the Antarctic was a foregone conclusion, but he wasn’t about to make it easy for her to convince him.
Her mouth was warm and supple. As their kisses got deeper, rougher, she crushed him to her.
He scooped her up and moved her farther onto the bed.
He and crawled over her, resuming the deep kisses, both of their mouths greedy to the point nothing was enough. All that mattered was she was still his friend above all else, and she made his blood scorch like no other in the world. He couldn’t get enough.
He tugged impatiently at her shirt until she removed it, and he pulled away enough to look at her breasts. Sure, he’d seen them before while traveling, but he’d never had permission to touch. His breathing hitched. He swallowed against his dry throat.
She was giving him permission to touch. She was giving him her heart.
*.*.*.*
She reached between them into his briefs to run her hand up and down his length. Wow, he was bigger than she expected. She’d dreamed of this moment when he finally broke and couldn’t believe it had finally happened.
“Aww fuck, Ivy,” he said when she rubbed her finger over the head of his dick, playing with the tip.
“I want you. All of you.” She glanced up and saw so much desire in his gaze.
He pushed up on his arms to look down at her. “Let’s get one thing straight. In here, in the bedroom, we’re going to do this on my terms.” He nipped her over her neck while simultaneously pinching one of her nipples.
“Oh God, Ty.”
With his free hand, he stroked her core through her pants.
“Do you feel that, Ivy? Do you feel how wet you are for me? Do you feel how hard I am for you? Whenever you’re around, you do this to me. You make me so goddamned hard. It’s driven me insane, but right now…” He ran his thumb over her lip, pausing her move to kiss him, and lowered his forehead to hers.
“Ty?”
“Yeah,” he breathed out.
“Please…don’t stop again. If you do, I’m kicking you out of my life forever.”
He let out a grunt she took as acceptance, but he didn’t move to comply. His mouth claimed hers again, consuming and so easy to get lost in. He pulled away to kiss down her neck and pressed his teeth into the sensitive skin, but not a real bite. More of a tease.
She arched toward him, her entire body scorching with need of him to be inside her when he bit.
“I need to hear you say four magical words before we take this step,” he said.
“I’ve already said I love you.”
“I already know that. This is more.” He kissed and nipped along her collarbone and moved his mouth to one of her breasts. He sucked harder than he should have, not that she acted as if she minded as her body shot off the bed toward him. He needed her on the same page about where they stood.
“I need you, please,” she said hoarsely.
“Not the right words. Good ones, though.” His mouth covered her other breast, sucking it in as his finger grazed the material of her panties. A groan escaped him as he slipped one finger beneath her panties to stroke her with the back of his digit. Then he slid his finger out of her underwear.
Gaze on hers, he put his finger to his mouth and slowly licked. “I need those magical four words. Because if we take this all the way, I need you to understand what you’re getting into.”
He leaned in and nipped her neck again, which caused her to shake.
“Clues are good. Can’t you be specific? Nothing will ever be the same. Is that it?”
He lowered his head dragged his tongue and teeth across each breast. One little nip, and he accidentally drew blood. Stupid move, one he’d avoided. His mind hazed with need to be deep inside her and bite.
Control.
Fuck control.
He dragged her pants and panties over her legs and shimmied out of his pants. With a tug he pulled off the shirt with the image of her brother. “I need to hear you say you’ll mate me. This is a forever deal, Ivy.”
“Is this you manning up like Luca said?” Her hands ran over the muscles of his abdomen and up around his butt.
“Heard that, did you?” He aligned himself at her entrance and groaned out, “Ivy, I’m done playing games about this. The whole idea of Hugo and you almost killed me…”
“Ty, I already said I would mate you. I don’t want anyone else. Never have.”
His hips surged toward hers, rubbing his length along her entrance. She arched into him and wrapped her legs around his waist to pull at him with a strength difficult to counter.
“This, in the bedroom, goes my way,” he gritted out.
“Uh-huh. And you’re going too slow.” She arched upward and bit his neck. Fucking bit him. The erotic sting and feel of her latched pushed his restraint. He pressed into her, inch by inch a bit faster than he should’ve.
“Ivy…damn…” He groaned out loud as he worked himself into her. He glanced down to where they were connected.
She released him and licked his neck closed before whispering, “Take my neck when you come.”
His hand cupped her cheek. His hips surged against her, pounding, filling. Her small gasps were the most erotic sound in the world. Her eyes were locked onto his.
He stroked faster as tension built, sweat dampening his body. Then she was coming hard and powerful around him. She cried out so loudly, everyone in the house probably heard. White-hot tingling curled up his spine and lower body. He leaned in and bit into her neck as the orgasm rushed through him, and she continued to milk his length.
He released her neck and licked the bite marks closed, but stayed there, inside of her. Everything was perfect. She pressed her lips to his shoulders. When he pulled away, she was smiling. He didn’t know he could love her more, but he did. No more letting fears get in the way.
“You haven’t always loved me the way I have you,” she said as if reading his mind. They’d always had this weird mental connection even though neither was telepathic.
“You’re a better person than me. Smarter. I’ve needed you every day of my life since I first met you. For your honesty, your impulsiveness, your loyalty, and your understanding.” He grinned and punctuated each trait with a kiss to a different part of her face or neck. “I would do anything for you. Anything. You understand?”
She nodded. “Me too for you.”
“You’re my best friend and the one I love.”
Her smile stayed strong and the emotion in her eyes doubled. “You’re taking me to Antarctica next year.”
He snorted. “Didn’t agree to that.”
The slight narrowing of her eyes made him laugh. His chest tightened with excitement.
She whispered, “Give me a chance. Let me convince you.”
Thank you for reading!
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Want to read Luca and Jasmine’s story, For Your Bite Only? Grab your copy: click here.
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Find out about up-coming releases, contests, and chatter on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Zoe’s blog. Visit her webpage to find your favorite platform to read more: http://www.zoeforward.com.
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If you enjoyed this book you might also like these books by Zoe Forward
The Game Lords
Off Her Game
Don’t Game Me
Keepers of the Veil Series
Protecting His Witch
His Witch to Keep
Playing the Witch’s Game
Hooked on a Witch
One Night With a Witch
The Blood Wars
The Way You Bite
Nightshade’s Bite<
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About Zoe Forward
Zoe Forward might admit to you she's almost prepared for the zombie apocalypse before the fact she writes contemporary and paranormal romances. Her novels have won numerous awards including the Prism, the Maggie, Readers' Choice Heart of Excellence, Golden Quill, Carolyn Readers Choice Award, Write Touch Readers’ Award, and the Booksellers' Best Award. You can find her residing in the South with the love of her life, a menagerie of four-legged beasts, and two wild kids.
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Hidden Shifter By N Gray
Hidden Shifter Copyright @ 2021 by N Gray
Hidden Shifter
A Hardened heart, a chance encounter, and forbidden love.
I planned a weekend getaway, doing what I love, taking pictures of wildlife and being surrounded by nature. Nothing could go wrong.
Until I got lost and stumbled upon Tyler in one of the most embarrassing ways and injured myself. Now I’m unable to leave until I can stand on my own two feet, but being in close proximity to Tyler isn’t good for my health.
My body betrays me, my mind confuses me, and my hardened heart started to thaw.
But lurking in the shadows is something dangerous that could destroy us all...
Chapter One
Ava
I couldn’t explain it. This place was where I preferred to come and expel all the bad I’d gone through. I’d hike one trail at least once a week and hoped to catch an animal in its natural habitat and hopefully snap a picture. Then I’d watch the sunset, the sky painted in bright colors as the air cooled my warm skin, the tension I’d clung to dissolving. It was better than therapy, for me of course. I’d sit on the ground, surrounded by nature and absorbed the sounds, smells and everything my eyes saw.