I swallowed nervously. The pleasant, masculine scent that surrounded him caught me off guard. Pull away! My brain shouted as Damien stepped into my personal space, but my body refused to obey. His eyes were alight with curiosity as he smooths a stray lock of hair behind my ear. There was something…nice about having his hand cupped around my face, his fingers curled along my ear. I swallowed, feeling uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze. "Um…Actually—" "Funny right," Damien commented, regarding me shrewdly with those intense, bright amber eyes of his. "All this time you wanted to talk to me and now you've got my undivided attention, you've suddenly gone mute. Are you going to stare at me all day or what?" "How long are you planning on keeping me here for?" I asked him, my voice tighter than I wanted it to be. I didn't think I could take any more drama. After years of living quietly, of going to work any returning to the convent, of going to church and return
An hour later, and I had already run out of ideas for entertaining myself. Being stuck in a house wasn't fun, especially for someone like me who was always busy. Either at school, or at the orphanage. At the church choir or at the convent with the sisters. Unfortunately aside from a visit from the rude lady, I had been confined to the room. I needed to get outside, get a little fresh air, try to move beyond the circumstances I were in. Not easy to do when the circumstances never seemed to change. After nearly a week of being distanced from everyone, people were no closer to finding me. Which meant, of course, that they were no closer to finding father Reed's murderer. Things had been so quiet for the past few days, I was beginning to wonder if I'd actually been abducted. If not for the constant nightmares as a reminder and the fading bruises on my neck, I could almost believe there wasn't one. I sighed, shoving my hands into the black shirt I'd found in the closet and pulling
I stumbled back, avoiding his gaze. Three other men joined him as they moved towards the house. My pulse jumped at the look in his eyes. "Speaking of which," Ryan continued, "I do believe I hear cars driving it's way up the driveway. I think our time is up. Come on, Lana. Open the door while I watch the girl." "Suit yourself," Lana responded. The very next moment, the doors to the house push open, and Damien eclipses the sunlight coming in. He was wearing a high-necked, deep crimson shirt that looked outstanding against his skin. Lord help me. The shaggy black hair on his head had been tamed to a certain extent although it was still long. The shirt was made of some heavily silky material that draped across the broad expanse of his chest, clinging with loving detail to each chiseled muscled group. It was tucked into a pair of black pants tight enough to prove that he did hit the gym on daily basis. I swallowed hard and tried not to think about that. High, shiny black boots
"Would you rather I make you?" I held my breath as her feminine scent was too much to take in. My eyes travelled down her slender neck to the gaping shirt, the swell of her breasts had me itching with the crazy need to mark her and make her mine. I turned my head before I lost all control. She was something else. Something off limits. "No, please." Her voice had a husky tone to it, like a siren to it called to my erection. "Why not?" I frowned, feeling quite frustrated with my reaction to her. "Are you scared? Of me?" To my surprise, Lydia nodded with vigor as she moved back again. But my resolve was already hardened. "Good. You should be." I walked farther towards her. She had unknowingly fuelled the beast in me; sparked the desire I'd never felt in a long time and I'd be damned if I let her go now. I slowly stood far too close behind her. Close enough that my shirt brushed her back and the scent of her wafted around me. She smelled like flowers, the scent feminine
I stepped into the living room, following the sound of voices into the living room. Lana sat in a couch there, exhaustion etching fine lines near the corners of her eyes. The man everyone had called Jackson leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Like Lana, he looked exhausted, his eyes tracking Lana's movements as they talked. "Sorry, Lana," Jackson said, and he didn't sound sorry at all. "But we've got a situation, and I need to fill you in on it." "What situation?" Carlyle asked, walking in on them with Ryan and Asher behind. At some point, he'd changed into a brick red T-shirt and faded jeans. Even in those, he looked polished. "Hold on," Ryan said standing close to the window, his red hair fiery in the sunlight. "If we're going to be briefed, we may as well get the alpha involved. Otherwise, he'll show up right around the time we're done and want information." My heart jumped at the mention of Damien, feeling like the heavy emotions twisting my he
I hesitated with my hand raised to knock on the closed door of the room Damien was using. Knowing him, it was also locked. I wanted to knock and talk with him but I didn't think he'd appreciate it. He hadn't seemed to want to see me, hadn't wanted to talk to me. He'd been away for thirty-six hours, and he was tired and ill. Ryan had said he'd been running a 103-degree fever, and that he was tired. All those things needed to be dealt with, but first I had to get home. That's where I'd wanted to go. Straight back to the convent. But no one was letting me go, they'd bluntly refused to let me leave. The next thing I had known, I was still stuck in the middle of nowhere. I touched the door, remembering what had happened the last time I'd stepped foot in there. I couldn't stop thinking about the events that played out. Pulling my spine straight, I rapped my knuckles on the door. It took longer than expected, but finally the door cracked opened. My heart jumped as I raised my
"And why is that? I didn't see you complaining the other day with all the touching we had to do. You see, only couples get to do those stuffs. And we, sweetheart, are way past those boundaries, only a little step further." "You know what?" I muttered under my breath. "You are a self-centered jerk who is way more interested in what he can get from others than what he can give. You want to make a big show of being in control, don't you?" "Yes, honey. And this is the second and last time I am letting you get away with your smart tongue." He moved to the drapes and pulled on some ropes, revealing a massive collection of dresses, bags and heels. "Wow." I breathed. Everything was amazing. A sinister smile was plastered on his face as he slowly moved to sit on the couch and grabbed a glass of bourbon. I casually moved along the rail when a white dress caught my attention. I briefly stopped to have a better look at the dress. "You should try it on," he offered. "Who knows, i
Damien took me to another store which was specific for exotic night wears and offers all the best brands under one roof. I moved to the racks to find some inner wears my size. Selected a black laced lingerie and getting into a changing room, I was about stripping when Damien walked in too. "Get out," I muttered under my breath, glaring daggers at him through the mirror in front of me. He had on a devilish smile on his face as he leaned to the wall behind. The changing room wasn't big like the one I had been to earlier, and with him inside it was more congested. I knew he wouldn't go out, and I didn't want to create attention from people outside. I stripped out of my clothes and slipped into the lingerie. Looking at the mirror the whole time, my cheeks blazed red as he looked at me without blinking an eye. I expected him to pass a comment like, try something else. But he moved close to me, his body closer to mine. "What do you see?" I gripped the surface. The ple
"The police car drove away ten minutes ago. Five minutes after that, a car drove down to the end of the road, did a U-turn and left again. That's when I decided enough was enough," Lana said and stalked to Carlyle's side, her close-cropped hair barely moving. Used to be, she'd had shoulder-length hair. That was before she and Mikeal had called it quits. "Did you see what the car looked like?" "Blue. Not one of those fancy Jeep's, either. An old one. Had a couple of dents on the fender." Her gaze skirted past Mikeal. Mikeal's eyes gleamed with amusement. "This guy is smart. Values his dollars." "Did you happen to see the driver, Lana?" "Never got a good look at the guy. He did get out once. Walked up to Ryan's battered body and looked at him, obviously trying to make sure he was dead," Lana frowned, settling onto the couch. "But we did find a scarf in the back of the Jeep that nearly ran me down. Fibres on it matched fibres that were clinging to Ryan's coat when he wa
Damien took me to another store which was specific for exotic night wears and offers all the best brands under one roof. I moved to the racks to find some inner wears my size. Selected a black laced lingerie and getting into a changing room, I was about stripping when Damien walked in too. "Get out," I muttered under my breath, glaring daggers at him through the mirror in front of me. He had on a devilish smile on his face as he leaned to the wall behind. The changing room wasn't big like the one I had been to earlier, and with him inside it was more congested. I knew he wouldn't go out, and I didn't want to create attention from people outside. I stripped out of my clothes and slipped into the lingerie. Looking at the mirror the whole time, my cheeks blazed red as he looked at me without blinking an eye. I expected him to pass a comment like, try something else. But he moved close to me, his body closer to mine. "What do you see?" I gripped the surface. The ple
"And why is that? I didn't see you complaining the other day with all the touching we had to do. You see, only couples get to do those stuffs. And we, sweetheart, are way past those boundaries, only a little step further." "You know what?" I muttered under my breath. "You are a self-centered jerk who is way more interested in what he can get from others than what he can give. You want to make a big show of being in control, don't you?" "Yes, honey. And this is the second and last time I am letting you get away with your smart tongue." He moved to the drapes and pulled on some ropes, revealing a massive collection of dresses, bags and heels. "Wow." I breathed. Everything was amazing. A sinister smile was plastered on his face as he slowly moved to sit on the couch and grabbed a glass of bourbon. I casually moved along the rail when a white dress caught my attention. I briefly stopped to have a better look at the dress. "You should try it on," he offered. "Who knows, i
I hesitated with my hand raised to knock on the closed door of the room Damien was using. Knowing him, it was also locked. I wanted to knock and talk with him but I didn't think he'd appreciate it. He hadn't seemed to want to see me, hadn't wanted to talk to me. He'd been away for thirty-six hours, and he was tired and ill. Ryan had said he'd been running a 103-degree fever, and that he was tired. All those things needed to be dealt with, but first I had to get home. That's where I'd wanted to go. Straight back to the convent. But no one was letting me go, they'd bluntly refused to let me leave. The next thing I had known, I was still stuck in the middle of nowhere. I touched the door, remembering what had happened the last time I'd stepped foot in there. I couldn't stop thinking about the events that played out. Pulling my spine straight, I rapped my knuckles on the door. It took longer than expected, but finally the door cracked opened. My heart jumped as I raised my
I stepped into the living room, following the sound of voices into the living room. Lana sat in a couch there, exhaustion etching fine lines near the corners of her eyes. The man everyone had called Jackson leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Like Lana, he looked exhausted, his eyes tracking Lana's movements as they talked. "Sorry, Lana," Jackson said, and he didn't sound sorry at all. "But we've got a situation, and I need to fill you in on it." "What situation?" Carlyle asked, walking in on them with Ryan and Asher behind. At some point, he'd changed into a brick red T-shirt and faded jeans. Even in those, he looked polished. "Hold on," Ryan said standing close to the window, his red hair fiery in the sunlight. "If we're going to be briefed, we may as well get the alpha involved. Otherwise, he'll show up right around the time we're done and want information." My heart jumped at the mention of Damien, feeling like the heavy emotions twisting my he
"Would you rather I make you?" I held my breath as her feminine scent was too much to take in. My eyes travelled down her slender neck to the gaping shirt, the swell of her breasts had me itching with the crazy need to mark her and make her mine. I turned my head before I lost all control. She was something else. Something off limits. "No, please." Her voice had a husky tone to it, like a siren to it called to my erection. "Why not?" I frowned, feeling quite frustrated with my reaction to her. "Are you scared? Of me?" To my surprise, Lydia nodded with vigor as she moved back again. But my resolve was already hardened. "Good. You should be." I walked farther towards her. She had unknowingly fuelled the beast in me; sparked the desire I'd never felt in a long time and I'd be damned if I let her go now. I slowly stood far too close behind her. Close enough that my shirt brushed her back and the scent of her wafted around me. She smelled like flowers, the scent feminine
I stumbled back, avoiding his gaze. Three other men joined him as they moved towards the house. My pulse jumped at the look in his eyes. "Speaking of which," Ryan continued, "I do believe I hear cars driving it's way up the driveway. I think our time is up. Come on, Lana. Open the door while I watch the girl." "Suit yourself," Lana responded. The very next moment, the doors to the house push open, and Damien eclipses the sunlight coming in. He was wearing a high-necked, deep crimson shirt that looked outstanding against his skin. Lord help me. The shaggy black hair on his head had been tamed to a certain extent although it was still long. The shirt was made of some heavily silky material that draped across the broad expanse of his chest, clinging with loving detail to each chiseled muscled group. It was tucked into a pair of black pants tight enough to prove that he did hit the gym on daily basis. I swallowed hard and tried not to think about that. High, shiny black boots
An hour later, and I had already run out of ideas for entertaining myself. Being stuck in a house wasn't fun, especially for someone like me who was always busy. Either at school, or at the orphanage. At the church choir or at the convent with the sisters. Unfortunately aside from a visit from the rude lady, I had been confined to the room. I needed to get outside, get a little fresh air, try to move beyond the circumstances I were in. Not easy to do when the circumstances never seemed to change. After nearly a week of being distanced from everyone, people were no closer to finding me. Which meant, of course, that they were no closer to finding father Reed's murderer. Things had been so quiet for the past few days, I was beginning to wonder if I'd actually been abducted. If not for the constant nightmares as a reminder and the fading bruises on my neck, I could almost believe there wasn't one. I sighed, shoving my hands into the black shirt I'd found in the closet and pulling
I swallowed nervously. The pleasant, masculine scent that surrounded him caught me off guard. Pull away! My brain shouted as Damien stepped into my personal space, but my body refused to obey. His eyes were alight with curiosity as he smooths a stray lock of hair behind my ear. There was something…nice about having his hand cupped around my face, his fingers curled along my ear. I swallowed, feeling uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze. "Um…Actually—" "Funny right," Damien commented, regarding me shrewdly with those intense, bright amber eyes of his. "All this time you wanted to talk to me and now you've got my undivided attention, you've suddenly gone mute. Are you going to stare at me all day or what?" "How long are you planning on keeping me here for?" I asked him, my voice tighter than I wanted it to be. I didn't think I could take any more drama. After years of living quietly, of going to work any returning to the convent, of going to church and return