Hearts Unleashed: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by C. D. Gorri

  He moved to stand next to Nyla and whispered, “Can we talk?”

  She met his gaze then let out a deep sigh before carrying the baby to Luna. “I’ll be back.”

  Luna took the baby and cuddled her close, “You two will stay for dinner, and you can go out in the sunroom to talk.”

  Kasen nodded and followed Nyla through a set of French doors to the glass-enclosed sunroom. “You looked comfortable with a baby in your arms.”

  Nyla folded her arms and leaned against the back of a small sofa. “Why are you here?”

  To bring you home where you belong. He kept that to himself because if he said that to her, she’d get pissed. He needed the stubborn female on his side. “I need your help tracking someone down.”

  She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes but didn’t comment. Nor did she give a hint of what she was feeling. That was Nyla, though. She had more walls and shields than he did.

  Kasen knew coming to her wouldn’t be easy. She’d make sure of it. “A rebel family was found murdered. Slaughtered.”

  “When do you make it your duty to avenge the deaths of non-packmates?” Her tone was matter of fact.

  He also noted how she wasn’t surprised at the news. Then again, she was tough to read most of the time. “Everyone who lives and works in my territory is under my protection. I failed to keep this family safe.”

  She closed the space between them, her features softening. “You didn’t fail them. I spoke to Serenity and already told her I would start looking for the killer, so your trip here was a waste.”

  Amusement lit up inside him. The only time he felt true calm and joy was when he was around Nyla. Even with all her brassiness and headstrong alpha female personality. Behind all that was a caring, protective woman. She was a perfect mate for him.

  “I have some enforcers looking for clues and seeing if they can find leads on who killed that family.” Kasen closed his eyes and regrated it. The bodies of the children flashed in his mind, fueling his rage.

  Nyla put her palm on his forearm, drawing his tension to her. They locked eyes, and she said, “I’ll find him.”

  Kasen grabbed her hand before she could pull it away. “We will find him. I said I needed your help, which meant we’ll hunt him down together. I want to be there when you gut the bastard.”

  Jerking her hand from his, she smirked then wrinkled her nose. “Fine, we’ll hunt together, but this is no way the start of the mating dance.”

  He chuckled and stepped forward, evading her space. “The mating dance started the day I met you.”

  She snatched her arm from his grasp and stormed back inside. He was happy to watch her go. The swing of hips as she crossed the room to be near the babies.

  Kasen’s phone chimed. Frowning, he pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was Dalton. Slipping out the front door of Luna’s home, Kasen walked a few feet from the house, then answered. “What is it?”

  Dalton wouldn’t be calling unless it was important. There was a growl in Dalt’s tone as he said, “We found trail cameras all over the place.”

  “Where?”

  “The pack circle, the road leading to it, and your house.”

  Kasen gripped his phone so tight that he would be surprised the thing didn’t crumble in his palm. “I’m head back home.”

  He ended the call and turned toward the house. When he entered, Blaine, the Ashwood Falls Leopard Alpha, stepped in his path. Kasen frowned, not realizing the Alpha male had arrived. Then again, he was a teleporter, so there was that.

  “What’s up? You look like someone shit in your underwear.”

  Blaine’s statement gave Kasen pause. It also forced him to think of where he was and his own fury. Taking a deep calming breath and pushing his wolf back, Kasen relaxed. “An issue has come up at home. Nyla and I will be leaving.”

  When Kasen walked past Blaine, the Alpha said, “If you need anything, let Luna or I know.”

  “Thanks.” Kasen looked over his shoulder at him and nodded before went in search of his mate.

  Chapter Six

  She couldn’t get enough of the babies. That was not a good thing because she would want one.

  Not happening.

  Kasen’s scent filled her senses a moment before he placed a hand on her lower back. “We have to go.”

  She was about to tell him to fuck off but something in his tone stopped her. Turning, she met his stare. He tittered on the edge of control. Nyla could sense his wolf within, and the beast was ready to rip someone’s face off. “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you when we get there.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and turned to Luna beside her. The Alpha female just smiled at her and took little Paige from her. “Go, but don’t be a stranger.”

  Nyla gave Luna a quick hug and kissed Paige on the head before sending Kirk a telepathic thought. “Something came up. Wilde and I are heading back.”

  “You need backup?”

  “Nah. We should be able to handle it, but if I do, I’ll let you know.”

  “Be careful.”

  Her chest tightened. She hadn’t had anyone tell her that. Father and she had each other’s backs. Dad’s way of showing he cared was, “Don’t die.”

  Meeting Kasen’s stare, she held out her hand. “Teleporting?”

  He nodded and placed his hand in hers. “How do you think I got here?”

  She didn’t think he had the ability of teleportation, but that didn’t mean a packmate or a rebel didn’t. Kasen was the type of man that got what he wanted. Not many people told him no and lived to tell the tale. That was one of the main reasons she wouldn’t cave when it came to the mating thing. She was going to make him work for it.

  She would never give him the satisfaction that he could bend her to his will. The fact that she was a soul demon born and raised in Hell didn’t help matters. The Wilde wolves were among the last pure-bred shifters. That family didn’t need her demon genes to tant the future bloodline.

  Linking her fingers with his, she focused on his home in the northwest section of the Wilde Wolves territory.

  When they materialized in Kasen’s front yard, Dalton stood a few feet from them. One of his hands was partly shifted in his wolf-like he was readying himself for an attack. After a few moments, he relaxed, and his hand went back to normal.

  “Someone is a little jumpy,” Nyla patted him on the shoulder as she walked by on her way to the pack circle. Her intuition told her to head that way.

  Kasen fell in step with her. “There are cameras in the trees. Someone has been spying on the pack.”

  “What would anyone gain from spying on the pack?” She didn’t ask anyone in particular, just thinking out loud.

  Dalton spoke up before Kasen did. “I have two theories. One is he, she, they could be a shifter. Other shifters can tell a lot about a pack from their pack rituals. Two, the cameras could have been put up by humans who claimed the area as their hunting ground.”

  “I don’t like either situation,” Kasen added.

  Nyla didn’t either. Nosey humans could be just as bad as a rogue shifter. She found one of the cameras in a nearby tree. It was too high for her to reach from where she stood on the ground. But she noted that it had a wire, so she followed it along the trees.

  All cameras were linked together. After finding all the cameras in the general area, she spotted a black metal box. That had to be the recording device.

  However, when she reached out for it, a bolt of magical energy shot through her arm, knocking her on her ass.

  Shit. That fucking hurt.

  Kasen was at her side instantly. “Are you okay?”

  Nyla nodded and pushed herself to her feet while waving Kasen to back away. It was hard to think with his sexy ass hovering. “I’m fine. Someone warded the box.”

  “There goes the human theory,” Dalton mumbled.

  “I can break the ward, but I’ll need some things to create the spell to do so.” She pulled out her cell a
nd called Serenity. “Ello! I’m working on the case sooner than planned. I need some things brought to Kasen’s mansion-sized cabin in the woods.”

  Nyla rattled off the ingredients and Serenity, said, “I have all of those here. Why are you breaking a ward?”

  Glancing at Kasen, she debated on whether this was pack business or not. Then again, it was a rebel family killed. Kasen nodded as if giving his permission to tell Serenity about what was going on. Nyla held in her laugh because she had already made up her mind to tell her friend anyway.

  “We found cameras around the area the family was killed. There is a recording box that is warded. I need in there so I can track the IP address to see if I can find the SOB.” Nyla scanned the area again, listening and sending out her senses to see if she could call up a vision. But there was no luck.

  She hadn’t had a true vision since she and Luna escaped Faelin’s captivity. At least not one she conjured up. So, it was no surprise she couldn’t call on that gift at the moment. Damn.

  “I’ll send Colt up with the stuff,” Serenity said.

  “Thanks.” Nyla hung up and pocketed her phone. She didn’t need to repeat what was said to Kasen or Dalton because their supernatural hearing picked up the entire conversation. “We can’t do much until I get into that box.”

  She turned, and Kasen grabbed her arm. When she met his gaze, he said, “Stay here.”

  “I am. I’m waiting for Colt, then mixing up the potion, then breaking in that box.”

  She broke his grip on her and headed to the cabin.

  The cabin came into view, and she smiled a little while keeping her back to Kasen. No way would let him know how much she loved his home. That would only give him more ammo for the mating dance.

  The two-story structure was a cross between a fairytale cottage and a mini-mansion made out of the trees surrounding it. She didn’t see the point of having a house so big, but it understood that Alpha’s home was often overrun with packmates a lot.

  Once inside, she inhaled. Kasen’s scent was everywhere, and it overwhelmed her, making her ache all over. Desires flared to life, not wanting to be dismissed any longer. Damn mating urges. There was no way she was staying the night with him.

  She truly meant that.

  “I meant for you to stay the night,” Kasen said after shutting the front door.

  “I can’t.”

  He was standing in front of her in an instant. “You will stay here tonight.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him he wasn’t the boss of her but never got that far. He claimed her mouth in a raw, hard kiss. Every part of her body heated to the point she thought her skin would ignite into flames.

  He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “No more running, Nyla. You are my mate.”

  Damn him. Damn the Fates.

  “I’m too broken to be anyone’s mate.” She side-stepped him, but he hooked an arm around her waist.

  “We are all broken. We learn to cope with our mates at our side.” His lips brushed her ear, and she fought off a whimper.

  As long as she kept her distance from him, she could fight off the desire to claim him. Her body demanded to be touched and pleasured by him. That would be her downfall.

  She closed her eyes. He believed his words. Nyla wasn’t so trusting that the Fates didn’t have other plans. So far, her life had been one battle after another. There was too much blood on her hands, and she would not bring anyone else into her madness.

  Hell, she didn’t want to be in her madness.

  Kasen deserved better. A female who could support the pack and feed it with love and goodness. That female was not her.

  Admitting that hurt a lot more than she wanted to admit.

  Chapter Seven

  Kasen knew one thing.

  Nyla was holding back not only her feelings but her past and giving herself the okay to love. To trust.

  He was right there with her on the trust issues department. He didn’t trust easily either. And he fully understood why she didn’t. From what he gathered about her, she was held captive by Faelin for a couple of years. It might have been longer. No one was for sure since Faelin only recently made his existence known. Right before Ashwood Falls took him down.

  Before Kasen could push her any further into facing her fears, Colt showed with the items Nyla requested.

  Colt was a mutant who helped Nyla and Luna escape Faelin’s captive serval months ago. His human family lived in the rebel camp in the old subway tunnels under Willow Glen.

  “Thank you so much for bringing these.” Nyla gave him a quick hug and moved to the kitchen to set the supplies on the island counter.

  Colt followed. “I want to help.”

  Nyla locked gazes with the mutant. “Right now, there’s not much to do. We’re in a hurry up and wait phase. And you know I hate waiting.”

  Colt chuckled and glanced at Kasen before returning his attention to Nyla. “You will call me if you need backup?”

  Nyla patted his arm, which drew a growl from Kasen. “I promise. For now, you can help Serenity protect the camp and your family.”

  Colt gave them each a nod and left. Nyla went to work on her potion.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Kasen moved to the kitchen island that Nyla turned into a witch’s ritual table.

  “Nope, almost done.” She added the final ingredient, then sat the pot on the burner to start boiling. “Now we wait.”

  He watched her turn the temperature down to low. “How long?”

  She frowned. “A few hours.”

  He walked around the island straight at her. She stiffened and watched him, not moving. Leaning into her, he opened the cabinet above her head and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “I have wine if you prefer.”

  She glanced at the bottle then made eye contact again. “Whiskey is good.”

  He nodded to the living room. “Join me.”

  It wasn’t a question, but he left the demand out of his tone. At least he tried to. However, Nyla didn’t react to his tone. She just turned and went into the living room.

  They sat in silence for a long while, and it was driving him insane. “I never wanted to be Alpha.”

  His admission snapped her out of the ignore Kasen state. She scanned his face with creases on her forehead. “But it’s who you are. You were born to be Alpha.”

  “That didn’t mean I wanted the job. I definitely didn’t want fifty generations of Alpha power.” He poured his second glass of whiskey and sat back on the couch. “I guess I was afraid of what that power would do to me.”

  She stared at him for a long while before saying, “I’m afraid of not being powerful enough. My time in captivity showed me just how weak I am.”

  Warning bells went off in his head. He was noticed that she was stronger. He assumed that she was healing from her time of being locked up and forced to do magic for a sadist bastard. Maybe that was part of it. But he also knew a little something about soul demons. They don’t only feed on the soul of the prey. They could feed on the magic of other paranormal beings.

  “You were tracking down supernatural bed guys to take their power.”

  She shrugged. “I was picky at who I took powers from.”

  He didn’t press the issue or tell her it wasn’t safe to continue doing it. Nyla knew the risks. Plus, if she did get addicted to the power feeding, he would be there to bring her out of the darkness.

  “You are not weak.”

  There was another stretch of silence between them, but the earlier tension had lessened. He picked up the remote to his TV and turned it on. After flipping through a few movies on his streaming service, Nyla said, “Let’s watch that.”

  He smirked but didn’t comment on her movie choice. “Practical Magic is my sister’s favorite.”

  Nyla smiled. “I know I watch it with her when I’m in town. It’s a great movie.”

  By the end of the movie, Nyla had curled up on her side at the other end of the co
uch. Her eyes were half-closed. She looked so peaceful and perfect. “Is the potion ready?”

  She nodded and sat up. “I turned the stove off about thirty minutes ago.”

  He stared at her. He hadn’t seen her get up or move from the couch. She stood, rolling her eyes. “Telekinesis. A little gift from my last mark.”

  A second later, she darted off into the kitchen area. He followed and watched her fill amber-colored bottles with the potion. When she was done, she slipped one into her pocket and placed the others in the cabinet. “If you have to move them, make sure they are stored in a dark, dry place.”

  Okay. Did that mean she was staying there? His wolf perked up at the thought. Yes, she is, and we’re going to make sure of it.

  Kasen agreed with the wolf.

  Following her out the door, he watched her walk with grace and lethal strides as she made her way to the recording box linked to the cameras. Once they stopped in front of it, Nyla took out the potion bottle, poured it over the lock, and then chanted softly. A black cloud formed around the box and changed to blue and then white before it disappeared completely.

  “We’re in,” Nyla said with a grin and pulled out her phone. After opening an app, she held it next to the recording device in the box. “Got it. I need a computer to trace the IP from this device.”

  She reached inside and touched one of the wires and gasped, jerking her hand away.

  Kasen’s body tensed and fear flooded him. “Are you hurt?”

  “No.” She rubbed her forehead and stepped back away from him and the box. “I had a vision.”

  “Why do you sound surprised?”

  At first, he thought she wouldn’t answer him, then she sighed. “My gift of foresight hasn’t worked right since escaping Faelin.”

  He wanted to ask more about her confession, but it wasn’t the right time. Plus, she would deflect his questions anyway. She would also reject his comforting words, so instead, he asked, “What did you see?”

  “A man’s face. My intuition tells me that he is the one that put up the cameras and most likely killed the family.” She held out her hand.

  He shook his head. “We can drive down to the Willow Glen.”