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I hissed, already imagining how that was going to feel. It would hurt like a bastard. “Get Jason, then. Not Kyle. I swear his heart hasn’t beat since he turned.”He was pure mercenary, untouched by pain, and he didn’t understand it in others. Jason, at least, knew to respect his sire.And fuck, I was pissed.“Nic?” Jason stepped out of the door, uncharacteristic worry marring his face. “Thank fuck you’re home. You need to come see this footage.”“What is it?” I took Leia’s hand as I moved rapidly up the steps.Jason hesitated, his gaze raking my face. “And we need to do something about that. You’re starting to heal already.”“Fuck my face.” Jason would just have to open it up again. “What’s on the recording?”He hesitated again. “You should probably watch it yourself.”“And I will, but tell me.”He glanced at Leia, his mouth tightening into a flat line. “It wasn’t a random demand. Francois has made his move.”“The fucker. What did he say?” Sending a suicide bomber to make his demand k
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“Oh?” He tilted his head, his eyes quizzical.I nodded. “Apparently my mate wishes you to return me to my former beauty. And I also need you to contact Conri. It seems I’m in need of his assistance.”I wrinkled my nose, haunted by the odor of wet dog already.“He won’t come here,” Jason said, and I nodded.I’d expected that.“I’ll meet him at The Pour House.” I patted Leia’s hand as I felt her flinch at the mention of her business. “Please don’t worry. No danger will come to your property.”I couldn’t exactly promise that, but I’d do everything in my fucking power to ensure it remained standing and undamaged.Conri wasn’t a friend or even really an ally. None of the Baton Rouge shifters were allies to vampires, and who could blame them? We had years of wrong and hurt between us. But with Francois encroaching ever further into our mutual territories, we had a common enemy and that would have to be enough.Not for the first time, I spared a thought for how my sireling might have come to
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He nodded. “I can have my men escort you from here.” He glanced around the interior of the bar, his gaze resting on Ben for a moment, like he was also sizing up the vampire presence I had with me.He probably was. Because a good alpha should, and Conri seemed like a good alpha.“This is about the human?”I nodded, unsure how much to disclose now he’d agreed to the use of his safe house so readily.He huffed an unexpected sigh. “They’re a fragile, stubborn breed.” Something suspiciously like pain flashed through his eyes, and I sensed a story I didn’t necessarily want to know.“And can I rely on additional protection from your men?” This probably wasn’t something Jason had mentioned might form part of our negotiations, but I’d be a dumbfuck not to ask.The shifters were superior trackers, equal to vampire speed in animal form, and they had at least twice our numbers. They also knew the woods and local bayous better than anyone else.As I’d expected, Conri narrowed his eyes. Then he shi
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Sebastian smothered a chuckle in the back.I whirled as far as the seatbelt would let me and jabbed my finger in his direction. “And you can shut up. From my count, I’m two for two on crazy princes so far—one kidnapped me, and one likes to smell me whenever he gets too close.” I faced the front again, folding my arms and breathing hard, shame already taking the place of my sudden anger.“Leia.” Nic didn’t say anything else. Just my name.But it was enough.I pressed my hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. It was all too much. At least with red bills, I’d known where I stood. Now my world was vampires and more vampires, and everyone wanted to fuck me or kill me, and they’d taken Dad… And… And… I closed my eyes as tears spilled from them, and Nic pulled the car over before unfastening our seatbelts so he could pull me over the center console and hold me to his chest.“Conri isn’t a vampire,” he said gently as he smoothed my hair from my damp cheek. He pressed a kiss to my temple. “He’s a
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And maybe if I could help get Dad back, I could go home. I glanced at Nic. He was a good man. I didn’t doubt that any longer. And… I hesitated, unwilling to even think the words that might cement how I felt in case they trapped me by his side, burdening him further. What if I explored my feelings, and I found myself unable to leave him?And maybe I needed to leave him.To save him.That thought hurt. But ever since I’d entered his life, it seemed to have been consumed by violence or by saving me. I couldn’t live like that. Nic couldn’t live like that. How could I expect him to?Innocent people had died when my dad’s exchange for me was demanded. Innocent fucking people. I couldn’t risk anyone else.I touched Nic’s hand briefly and he glanced down at me, his smile quick to take control of his lips as he met my gaze.I couldn’t risk him.The boat jolted gently as we nudged up against a new jetty, this one looking even more dilapidated than the one where we’d found the skiff, the wooden
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“What?” My voice was muffled against her clothes. “From here? Is it dangerous here?”She shrugged. “Hasn’t been so far.” She took my hand. “Come on, you’re coming up to the house with me. Nicky and Sebastian have to head back.”I glanced over my shoulder, barely able to make Nic out in the gloom. “You’re going back now?”His clothes rustled like he’d shrugged. “I have to. We need to chase down some leads, see what we can find out about Jean.”I sighed softly, but when he spoke again, I knew he’d heard it.“I’ll be back tomorrow. I won’t go a day without seeing you.”“Yes, yes.” Sebastian heaved his own dramatic sigh. “We all suffer.”Before I had further opportunity to say goodbye, Aimée tugged my hand. “The sooner he’s gone, the sooner he’ll be back, so we need to let them leave.”When I glanced behind me, I couldn’t see anything but black, and there was no way to tell if Nic was still watching me or not.I stopped when I first saw the house. It was a quaint little log cabin, and lig
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Her laughter.She laughed harder and beckoned both of the other women forward. “Come at me then,” she taunted, as she took a swaggering step toward them. “If you think you’ve got what it takes.”I could have run so fast I would have grabbed Leia and taken her back to the jetty almost before Aimée or the shifter woman knew I was even there, but the sound of Leia’s laughter held me back.She was sparring with two women who could break her in half as easily as look at her, and she was having a better time than I’d seen her have in days. I couldn’t take this away from her.But either I moved, or I made a noise, or simply her blood ran as fast as mine did when we were near each other, because she turned around. For a moment, she didn’t spot me, and her gaze scanned the trees then back again, looking past me a couple of times before I stepped forward and offered her a rueful grin for disrupting her fun.“Hi,” I murmured.“Nic!” She ran toward me, and her name on my lips was the sweetest of
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“Be my bride,” I murmured. “I love you, stay with me.”She stilled, and even my heart paused as I waited for her reply.“Be with me.” I tried again. “Let me turn you. Say you’ll stay. It’s the greatest thing I can ever offer you. The only gift I have to give. And I want to give it to you.”Fear that she might refuse seized me, and I kissed her with fervor, stroking my hands over her warm skin, luxuriating in the softness of her.Her gaze met mine, her eyes gleaming.“I’m human,” she whispered. “And there are so many things I don’t want to forget. My mother, not least of them.” She shook her head then focused on me again. “But I’ll be okay. And we have this. We have now.”She tugged me back toward her and took my mouth again, her kiss almost painful as she pressed her blunt teeth against my lip.My heart was heavy in my chest, but I could try again. I could show her my love this way. Prove myself, and I could talk to her properly after. Explain it all. Make it more than a desperate man
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21NicI slammed against the door of the safe house covered in blood that wasn’t mine, my body aching, but with a fierce need to hold Leia in my arms. I yearned for her, to comfort her, to know she was truly mine. That she was okay.And if somebody didn’t let me in the door soon, I’d crash my way right through it. I paused as the sound of a bolt being drawn back scraped over metal on the inside, and the door opened.Aimée grabbed my arm. “What the fuck are you doing? If you break the door, Leia’s a sitting duck for any of those vampire fledglings who escaped. It’s not like Francois is going to gather them all up and take them home with him.”I waved a hand, dismissing her concern. “The wolves are feasting on fledgling tonight.”A movement from the shadows at the other end of the room attracted my attention, and the female wolf shifter came into view. She was naked. “Fledglings?”“I’m sure if you hurry, there will be some left.” I didn’t have time for pleasantries or conversation. Not
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When I didn’t move, he sighed, and Nic’s arms tightened around me.“Leia.” Francois never used my name, and I stiffened as I looked into two clear and focused eyes. “We can either do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is for you to accept all that you are—mon destin—and come with me now, and the hard way is for me to kill this man—” He shook Dad then, and Dad gurgled at Francois’s choking hold. “And then I shall claim you anyway.”“Please.” I reached toward him. “I’ll do anything.” I glanced up at Nic. “I need to help my dad. I need to do what Francois wants.”“No.” Nic’s words were a desperate growl. “You’re not his heart, you’re not his destiny. You’re mine. Only mine.”“But…”Nic shook his head.“Non?” Francois cocked his head, his expression empty of anything but curiosity as he studied me. “You reject your sire?” He shook Dad again. “You reject me?” He pointed at Nic. “For him?”I struggled again, sensing Francois’s grip on lucidity slipping away. “I need to do somet
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She gusted out a sigh. “You humans and your privacy. Nicky told me to protect you.”“Congratulations—you bolted the door.” I tried to smile to soften my harsh-sounding words, but tension ratcheted through me and I could only think of Nic out there trying to protect me as well, endangering himself for me—again. “Someone should be with Nic,” I murmured.“He’s got Conri’s pack and he’ll contact his own men, too. Nicky has more than enough protection. As do you,” she added, like I might somehow doubt her.I shook my head. “I’m going to get changed.” Then I walked into the bedroom that had been assigned to me and grabbed some of the clothes Aimée had provided, making sure to select dark colors.It didn’t matter how well-protected we were separately. When we were together, power seemed to course between us, stronger each time we had sex, and Nic needed that power now. I glanced in a mirror, momentary embarrassment coloring my cheeks as I took in my appearance. Moss clung to strands of my ha
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As we lay quietly together, I straightened her clothes and drew her against me, content to simply hold her as I considered all of the things I needed to say. I wanted to turn her for all of the right reasons, but time and the prospect of Leia becoming a thrall was also an aspect I couldn’t ignore. I’d withheld myself from her recently, not wanting to hasten her descent, but also not knowing if limiting the blood I took from her would help in any way.The limitation also served to reduce my power gains, but no one else would know about that effect. I would be stronger when we were truly together, but that was fast becoming a secondary reason for wanting her.Hell, who was I kidding? It was already a secondary consideration and slipping in priority every day.I stroked her hair and rubbed the ends between my fingertips as she used my upper arm as her pillow and rested against me, her soft breaths bringing me absolute calm.A howl echoed through the air, then another, and Leia sat up, he
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“Be my bride,” I murmured. “I love you, stay with me.”She stilled, and even my heart paused as I waited for her reply.“Be with me.” I tried again. “Let me turn you. Say you’ll stay. It’s the greatest thing I can ever offer you. The only gift I have to give. And I want to give it to you.”Fear that she might refuse seized me, and I kissed her with fervor, stroking my hands over her warm skin, luxuriating in the softness of her.Her gaze met mine, her eyes gleaming.“I’m human,” she whispered. “And there are so many things I don’t want to forget. My mother, not least of them.” She shook her head then focused on me again. “But I’ll be okay. And we have this. We have now.”She tugged me back toward her and took my mouth again, her kiss almost painful as she pressed her blunt teeth against my lip.My heart was heavy in my chest, but I could try again. I could show her my love this way. Prove myself, and I could talk to her properly after. Explain it all. Make it more than a desperate man
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Her laughter.She laughed harder and beckoned both of the other women forward. “Come at me then,” she taunted, as she took a swaggering step toward them. “If you think you’ve got what it takes.”I could have run so fast I would have grabbed Leia and taken her back to the jetty almost before Aimée or the shifter woman knew I was even there, but the sound of Leia’s laughter held me back.She was sparring with two women who could break her in half as easily as look at her, and she was having a better time than I’d seen her have in days. I couldn’t take this away from her.But either I moved, or I made a noise, or simply her blood ran as fast as mine did when we were near each other, because she turned around. For a moment, she didn’t spot me, and her gaze scanned the trees then back again, looking past me a couple of times before I stepped forward and offered her a rueful grin for disrupting her fun.“Hi,” I murmured.“Nic!” She ran toward me, and her name on my lips was the sweetest of
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“What?” My voice was muffled against her clothes. “From here? Is it dangerous here?”She shrugged. “Hasn’t been so far.” She took my hand. “Come on, you’re coming up to the house with me. Nicky and Sebastian have to head back.”I glanced over my shoulder, barely able to make Nic out in the gloom. “You’re going back now?”His clothes rustled like he’d shrugged. “I have to. We need to chase down some leads, see what we can find out about Jean.”I sighed softly, but when he spoke again, I knew he’d heard it.“I’ll be back tomorrow. I won’t go a day without seeing you.”“Yes, yes.” Sebastian heaved his own dramatic sigh. “We all suffer.”Before I had further opportunity to say goodbye, Aimée tugged my hand. “The sooner he’s gone, the sooner he’ll be back, so we need to let them leave.”When I glanced behind me, I couldn’t see anything but black, and there was no way to tell if Nic was still watching me or not.I stopped when I first saw the house. It was a quaint little log cabin, and lig
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And maybe if I could help get Dad back, I could go home. I glanced at Nic. He was a good man. I didn’t doubt that any longer. And… I hesitated, unwilling to even think the words that might cement how I felt in case they trapped me by his side, burdening him further. What if I explored my feelings, and I found myself unable to leave him?And maybe I needed to leave him.To save him.That thought hurt. But ever since I’d entered his life, it seemed to have been consumed by violence or by saving me. I couldn’t live like that. Nic couldn’t live like that. How could I expect him to?Innocent people had died when my dad’s exchange for me was demanded. Innocent fucking people. I couldn’t risk anyone else.I touched Nic’s hand briefly and he glanced down at me, his smile quick to take control of his lips as he met my gaze.I couldn’t risk him.The boat jolted gently as we nudged up against a new jetty, this one looking even more dilapidated than the one where we’d found the skiff, the wooden
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Sebastian smothered a chuckle in the back.I whirled as far as the seatbelt would let me and jabbed my finger in his direction. “And you can shut up. From my count, I’m two for two on crazy princes so far—one kidnapped me, and one likes to smell me whenever he gets too close.” I faced the front again, folding my arms and breathing hard, shame already taking the place of my sudden anger.“Leia.” Nic didn’t say anything else. Just my name.But it was enough.I pressed my hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. It was all too much. At least with red bills, I’d known where I stood. Now my world was vampires and more vampires, and everyone wanted to fuck me or kill me, and they’d taken Dad… And… And… I closed my eyes as tears spilled from them, and Nic pulled the car over before unfastening our seatbelts so he could pull me over the center console and hold me to his chest.“Conri isn’t a vampire,” he said gently as he smoothed my hair from my damp cheek. He pressed a kiss to my temple. “He’s a
