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

by C. D. Gorri

  “You found her, though,” I muttered sullenly. “You practically handed her over to him, sent Viktor and his pack of guards and revenants to hunt her down, so I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

  “She has powerful friends.” Renard’s inscrutable gaze gave nothing away, but after a pause, he added, “My money’s on her getting away tonight and leading Viktor on a wild goose chase. The good news? The king won’t have time to check into your demise. He’ll sense the trace of your blood in his creatures, and forget this entire affair.”

  One last glance at the horrible pile and we were moving, Silas’s arm my anchor as we made our way to the ward, slipped through the gap Renard created, then headed for our vehicles, my knees wobbling more and more with every step.

  “Are you sure I can’t take the bike?” Silas grumbled. “I mean, who’s going to miss it?”

  “Dead men don’t ride,” Caden said with a twisted smile. “We mess up one small detail, we lead Viktor straight to us. Being smart is how we get free.”

  “Understood, but damn, I love this bike.” With a sigh, Silas ran his hand over the seat.

  “I was so looking forward to taking you on another ride, Tess.”

  Finally, the scared, numb part of me came alive. Silas’s heart thumped beneath my ear, his chest expanding with every breath.

  We were all alive. We weren’t going to die.

  “Yes, that’s it. You’re safe, love,” Silas murmured in my ear. “Safe and soon to be free of all this.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Contessa

  Rafael snored softly on his favorite pillow—a.k.a. my lap—while birdsong and the sound of afternoon rain soothed my still-frayed nerves. Caden and Markus were off establishing ties with the Castro vampire clan, and making inroads on drumming up support for our crusade against Viktor.

  Silas stayed behind in the States to “run down some leads,” whatever that meant.

  This time, I watched him drive off, not the other way around.

  After our narrow escape, we’d flown down here, where everyone had a job, except me and Rafe. He’d sacrificed his education, coming with me instead of returning to Cambridge, putting his life on hold. While I was grateful for his company, it also broke my heart.

  I hated I stood in the way of his dreams. Hated that he had to choose.

  But this place… Brazil was as close to heaven as I’d imagined. South America was almost as hot as Louisiana, but in every other way, this place was a different world.

  Colorful birds sang from the tops of palm trees, and the strong ocean breeze brought in the smell of salt air and exotic islands. We’d only been here a week, but the sense of calm I felt was indescribable.

  No death sentence hanging over my head.

  No expectations of obedience. Well, except for Caden, but I quite liked his particular brand of domination.

  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been staring at the archway leading outside, but when I blinked, Silas was stepping through, his clothing travel-worn, his eyes lighting up when he saw me. I carefully slid out from under Rafael, easing him down.

  Then my feet were moving all by themselves as I threw myself at him.

  I buried myself in Silas, drawing in his musky scent—he had been traveling for days—burrowing in until I couldn’t get any closer. “I was getting worried,” I mock-scolded him, though he surely smelled my utter relief. “It’s been seven days with no word.”

  “Took me longer than I thought to chase down my leads,” he whispered into my hair. “Believe me, I wanted to be here sooner. But I had to get answers.”

  Something about his voice made me tense up. When I pulled back to check, his eyes were bright with excitement, despite the fact he looked exhausted.

  “It’s all true, everything Renard said,” he said, clasping my arms tightly. “There is a queen, and she’s from House Marvelle.”

  “But I thought…”

  “So did everyone.” His voice grew stronger. “Especially Viktor, who’s been hunting her all week. From what I’ve heard, he came up empty.” Silas barked out a short, derisive laugh. “He must be losing his mind, knowing she exists and not able to find her.”

  “But will this change anything?” I asked. “I mean, if she’s a queen, she’s powerful, right? But is she powerful enough to defeat Viktor and take over the throne?”

  “Not at first, no. There’s a ritual…”

  “The Sacrifice,” I said, my mind spinning at the implications of having a queen.

  “If she survives that, if she can stay alive long enough for her magic to develop, then maybe…” Silas laughed, caught me around the waist, and spun me in a circle. “But if she manages all those things, then yes, she could challenge Viktor. Maybe kill him.”

  God, a world without Viktor Carpathian in it… My mind spun at what that might mean.

  We could go home. My sisters would be safe.

  Then my rational side wrested back control. We’d had little glimpses of freedom before and none of them panned out. Once, two Bouderaux males tried to poison Viktor, and got his advisor instead. They’d ended up rotting on Viktor’s wall for the next five banquets until they were nothing but bones.

  “If your information is correct, you mean?”

  “It’s true, Tessa,” Silas assured me. “I got my information from the highest source in New Orleans.”

  “Well… I suppose we’ll see.” I laid my head on his chest, savoring the fact he was here.

  We were all finally all together, and Viktor had lost this round.

  I sucked in a breath, then wrinkled my nose. “You really do stink, you know. You could use a bath, Silas.”

  “I definitely could,” he agreed, twining his fingers with mine. “Care to show me where I can clean up?”

  I led him to the back of the house, where an outdoor shower was draped with vines and flowers. “There should be hot water.” I turned on the spigot. “But you have to let it run for a few minutes to get to temperature.”

  This was probably my favorite part of the entire house, feeling the hot water run down my body, surrounded by exotic scents and birdsong. Every shower made me feel decadently sexy.

  “I’ll wait for you on the lanai.” I waved to the stack of towels. “I think Caden may have something that will fit you, until we can get you some clothes.”

  I was turning to go.

  I meant to go, but when his hand brushed against mine… I stopped.

  I still loved Silas.

  Loved him with all of my sixteen-year-old heart, plus my broken heart from the four years he’d been gone.

  “Tessa.” My name was little more than a rumble, and something infinitesimal changed in his face. A deep, raw longing that punched me in the stomach, threatened to drive me to my knees, and then I was moving backward, propelled by his hands on my shoulders, seeing nothing but Silas until my back hit the wall.

  “Four years.” He braced his arms on either side of my head, his muscles tight with coiled strength. With a groan, Silas flattened himself against me, a hard, powerful stretch of muscle. A spike of need went through me, nearly making me whimper. “Four fucking years I’ve waited for you.”

  His beautiful eyes swirled with shadows, the kind he’d used to hide himself in the palace, and my breath shallowed. My skin was too tight, and too loose at the same time. My heart was pounding, fear and desire and anger twisting together to form something wholly new.

  Slightly uncontrollable.

  “I’m still not fucking good enough for you.” His voice grew softer, more insistent, as if he was trying to make me see reason. “Viktor called me a half-breed. He wasn’t wrong.”

  “I don’t want to talk about Viktor.” My voice sounded like it was a mile away, my core aching for him. “I don’t want to talk at all.”

  My hands went to his face, and then I devoured him, swallowing his answering groan, my body moving against his, friction burning between us as we vied for dominance. Finally, I locked my ankles a
round his back and pulled him tighter to me.

  This was no fanciful, girlish fantasy.

  This was finally—finally—having the man I’d wanted my entire life, the one who matched me in temperament, in stubbornness.

  Me, taking what had been denied to me.

  This was me, giving in to every dark fantasy, every sexually frustrated dream I’d ever had about Silas Augustine.

  Giving in and making them real was my last coherent thought as I twisted my hands in his hair and kissed him harder, my body pulsing with every brush of my sex against his cock.

  *.*.*.*

  Good fucking God.

  Tessa felt like heaven wrapped around me, her tongue delving into my mouth, her pussy molded around my throbbing cock, the fabric of my pants the only thing keeping me from thrusting into her.

  When she opened her mouth to breathe, I twisted a hand in her hair, pulled her head back, and ran my fangs up her throat. She was salty, tinged with jasmine and citrus. I pressed my fangs over her artery and bit down, just hard enough to leave indentations.

  “Such a tease.”

  She growled, wiggling enough that I braced a hand beneath her ass, and found her completely bare. Thoroughly soaked. This time I couldn’t help my fangs from sinking through her skin, into her vein, deep enough that blood flooded my mouth and rushed down my throat.

  She was the first I’d ever fed from, and her blood tasted even richer now, if that was possible.

  I trapped her between my body and the wall while I drank like a starved beast, my lips locked on her skin, my hand still firmly twisted in her hair. Shadows danced around us, but I didn’t care—I was going to have her.

  Hard. Deep.

  I would mark Tessa for my own, and then—worthy or not—we’d belong to each other.

  Her blood turned into a roar in my head, power racing through me, my magic growing stronger. Darker. Between Tessa’s rich, exotic flavor, and her body bucking against mine, I was dimly aware we’d moved back to the shower.

  I set her on her feet before spinning her, bending her over the half-wall separating the still-running shower and the dressing area.

  I ripped her dress in half, baring all that creamy flesh, my cock throbbing painfully as I undid my pants and wedged my knee between her legs.

  I spread her wide, one hand pinning her between her shoulder blades, the other…

  I thrust two fingers into her, deep and hard, her sex pulsing around them, contracting tightly as I finger-fucked her, raising my dripping digits to my mouth and licking her off, tasting more salt.

  More citrus.

  More Tessa.

  I drove myself into her, deep, like I wanted, my knees going weak at the wet, tight, pulsing channel that gripped my cock, echoing through me like some kind of homing beacon. Then I was moving, pinning her down, my hips slapping against her backside with every stroke.

  “More, Silas,” she said breathlessly. “Give me more.”

  I was happy to oblige, fucking her as wildly as every one of my wicked fantasies, the head of my cock squeezing tighter with every long, deep stroke. This was not how I’d meant this to go, but goddamn if I could stop. With a muffled scream, she came, clenching hard around me, her body tensing, then relaxing as a long sigh went out of her.

  Fuck, I’m inside Tessa.

  I pumped into her slowly, savoring the feel of her, the idea that after so long, we’re finally been together.

  She felt delicious, her body trembling with small aftershocks, and I smoothed a hand down her spine, her skin velvet-soft beneath my calloused fingertips.

  She’s still too good for me.

  Another long, slow stroke and my balls tightened, pressure gathering in my lower back. One more and I came, filling her up with hot bursts, her swollen folds caressing every inch of me.

  She was too good for me, but she was mine.

  I lifted her, set her on the wall, and brushed tangled hair back from her face, her lips swollen, eyes dazed. Our kiss was sweet, lingering, in total opposition to the firestorm that came before.

  But it was the love in her eyes, the absolute acceptance that melted my heart when she said, “I’d say that was worth the wait, wouldn’t you, Silas?”

  Thanks for reading!

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  Continue the Darkfell Vampire Clan series with book one, Night Marked.

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  About L.A. McGinnis

  Fueled by black coffee, ice cream and bad nineties music, L.A. McGinnis spends her days writing steamy fantasies filled with damaged heroes who long to be whole and smart, bold heroines. A life-long fascination with storytelling inspired her to weave these contemporary tales of legendary fated mates where the princess never needs rescuing, but sometimes the hero does.

  Captured By Wolves By Fiona Starr

  Captured by Wolves: Shifter Moon One © 2021 Fiona Starr

  Captured By Wolves

  A hacker witch with a price on her head, three wolf princes without a throne, and a destiny none of them expected.

  Tonight’s the night. One last job and I am out of here. After years of being an indentured witch, hacking and stealing for the mob, I am done. But I won’t be leaving empty handed… I’ll be taking a large portion of my boss’ cash while also relieving him of my magical marker that he’s held over me for years.

  And I won’t be leaving alone, apparently, because when I break into his secret dungeon, I discover a man in chains. He’s tall, dark, and tragically wounded, and based on the security around him, he’s pretty valuable, so I take him too.

  Imagine my surprise when he opens his eyes and shouts, but not in fear—he’s carrying on about how he’s found the one. I think he might be crazy because I think he might mean me. I’d leave him behind if not for his eyes… they are full of deep pain and raise a longing within me like I’ve never known.

  I should be long gone but abandoning him is not an option. Then his brothers arrive, and I find that I am leaving, only now I’m in the back of a van with my wrists and ankles tied. Not exactly what I had planned.

  I’m not supposed to be here, but when I look at them, I feel like they are exactly what I ordered—my appetizer, dinner, and dessert. All I wanted was my freedom. But there’s something about the three of them that holds me here. Something I can’t ignore. Something I can’t deny.

  I never expected this. I never expected them.

  Captured by Wolves is the first book in a new Reverse Harem urban fantasy series from bestselling author Fiona Starr. Fall into the world of Shifter Moon where magic reigns, wolves run wild, and prophecies foretell the destiny of all.

  Chapter One

  DANA

  I watch on the monitors as the six men dressed in black sneak up under the cameras at the location across town. The closed-circuit security system is state-of-the-art as far as tech goes, but it’s still no match for a magic user with hacking skills like mine.

  “Ok, Witch. We’re at the first door.” Dmitri’s voice is thick with his Russian accent, his slow manner, and his contempt for my kind. Contempt I’ve grown used to hearing from him and so many people all of my life. None of these wolves likes working with me, and the feeling is mutual.

  But I’m their best kept secret—a prisoner with magical security-busting skills, a woman-in-the-chair who cracks firewalls, steals data, and opens secure doors for these wolf thieves without tripping alarms.

 
; They complain to their boss that I talk too much and that I won’t sleep with them, but Malovich takes care with me. He can’t afford for me to lose my edge to risk making me that unhappy.

  I close my eyes and push my awareness forward, reaching through and feeling around inside the bank’s security network until I locate the wire I need. With a flick of my wrist, I send the magical spark through the internet. I can feel it traveling along cable and air, over wireless and wired connections. My spark soars up into the atmosphere where it is bounced along the satellites with so much other digital noise. It dives back down and into the bank, following my guidance to a certain wire where it blocks the signal, effectively killing the sensors and the alarm on the door.

  I open my eyes because I have to see them to keep track of where they are, but it makes it so hard to concentrate on the hack when I have to keep up with all of this visual input.

  “First door is clear,” I whisper into the mic on my headset.

  The team scurries like a bunch of black ants through the door and across the screen where they stop and wait.

  “Second door, Witch.” Dmitri’s breath is slow and steady—the man doesn’t get nervous. He isn’t concerned about getting caught—that’s my job. A job I take seriously, because if anything happens to him or his men, then it’s my life that’s over.

  It’s a slow process breaking them into the vault, because each section of the bank’s security network is separate from the others. The system works like dominoes, one alarm tripped will trigger the rest, so I can only hack one node of the complicated web at a time.