Alexander pushed open the front door, stepped back to allow her to precede him. He was continually scanning the area around them, a habit long since drilled into him by his lost brother. Sorrow welled up out of nowhere. “I sometimes think I could have destroyed him by now if it weren’t for the fact that I can’t bear to be in the world without him. I gave my word of honor to him long ago that I would be the one to destroy him should he lose his soul. We both did. If one turned, the other would hunt and destroy, yet I have been unable to fulfill my promise to him. Is it deliberate, Miah? Is it?” He sounded lost and very alone.She closed the door firmly against the light beginning to streak through the early morning sky. “No, Alexander, you would have honored your promise if you were able to do so. And I believe that you will. You honor him.”“Luther lost feeling while he was a mere fledgling, long before our males normally do, yet he endured for two thousand years. He was now a lost de
Her eyebrow shot up. “I thought there was something erotic in the way your clothes melted away and left me to explore where I wanted.” Her voice teased him, was sultry with invitation. She stepped away from him, her arm dropping slowly to her side, her fingers brushing the hard length of him as she did so. Miah tilted her head so that her long hair slid in a silky black curtain over her shoulder. Her hands went to the small pearl buttons on her sweater. She eased each through its button hole so that the edges began to gape open to reveal the satin swell of her breasts.Deliberately her hands traced the path of the opening, pushing the sweater slowly from her shoulders and allowing it to fall on the floor unheeded. She was rewarded with the darkening of his eyes, the swelling of his body to alarming proportions.She eased her slacks from her hips to reveal her silken panties, a scrap of fabric that barely covered her tight black curls. She kicked off her sandals as, she stepped out of t
“There were others with you when you were sharing my memories. I felt them, two men with us.” “There was only one man,” Miah corrected gently. “Alexander. He is a very powerful man. Under his protection there is no one who can harm you.” Shaina looked puzzled.“There was another. I am sure of it. There was one staying very quiet, lending his strength to you and to me. But the other remained passive while you were here with me. After you left, I remember him holding me, yet he wasn’t touching me at all. His arms were strong and felt very different than any other’s. He wanted nothing from me, only to comfort and help. Who is he?”“Only Alexander was with us, sweetheart. Maybe you were dreaming.”“I felt all three of you distinctly. He was very strong. There was no anger or rage, only a quiet acceptance. He examined my memories. I know he was learning about you through me, I felt it.” Shaina sighed in resignation. “You don’t believe me. You think I’m making it up.”“No, I don’t think tha
“Alexander?” Miah had thought he’d gone into the city looking for evidence of Luther. He had read the newspaper, given a quick exclamation, and was gone before she could ask. When she picked up the paper there was an article about an unidentified man found in an alley with his throat slashed. He had been found in a part of town where few decent people ever went. Miah was certain she would have recognized Alexander’s touch in Shaina’s mind. She reached for Alexander and found him at once.“You are safe?” She asked it softly, a little hesitantly, knowing from his deep concentration he was in the middle of something important. “He was here. Luther. This was his kill. He is still in the city. I do not know why he was not waiting for me as he should have been.”“Were you here with us just a moment ago? Shaina says she felt the presence of another while we were talking.” There was a moment of silence. Alexander examined Miah’s memories of the conversation she had had with the teenager.“It
“Do not worry so much, Alexander, I am more than careful. They will not find what I do not wish to leave behind.” Alexander took the opportunity to “see” through his twin’s eyes. If he could lock in on his brother’s position, he might have the opportunity to fulfill his vow. At once Luther’s soft, taunting laughter echoed in his mind and the view was distorted so that Alexander had no chance to see anything that would help him. “You do not think I would make our game so easy for you, do you? You must follow the clues I leave. That is the way it is done. You cannot cheat, Alexander.”“This is between the two of us, Luther. There may be other hunters in the city. I would keep this between us, as it should be.”“Do not worry so much for the safety of your brother. I am certain I will defeat all who come to threaten me. I am learning about this world fast and the knowledge is rather exhilarating. There is much to play with here. I like this place and do not want to hurry our battle.” Luth
“So you see, Shaina, if you want to live with me, the judge is willing to agree, but you’ll have to talk to him,” Miah coaxed gently. She was not using her voice to sway the teenager in any way. The judge moved to within a few feet of the bed. Shaina was visibly trembling. Alexander reached automatically for her mind.She was under his protection, a female child with psychic ability, a precious treasure to be guarded at all times. He did not like her agitation, the terrible distress on her face. Miah was also in her mind, bolstering her courage, soothing her, aiding her to face the male strangers invading her room. The terror of her childhood was far too fresh in her mind to be able to handle such an event alone.At once he gathered Shaina into his mental arms, pouring his strength and power into her so that she blinked in amazement. He was surrounding her mind, repeating a healing chant in the ancient language of their people, whispering teasing nonsense so that Shaina could hardly ke
“Of course Miah is the perfect guardian. You think so, too. Is that not correct, Shaina?” His voice was soft and gentle, so beautiful that it made Bert sound harsh in comparison. But it was more than that; it was the way he said Miah’s name that made Bert want to throw things. There was something very intimate and possessive in his tone. The judge turned to look at the young girl. “Is that so, Shaina? Would you like to live with Miah? It’s up to you. If you prefer to answer in private, we can clear the room, and just the two of us will hear what you have to say.” Shaina shook her head, hugging her stuffed wolf close to her.“I know what I want,” she answered softly, but very clearly. “I want to live with Miah.” The judge beamed at her as if she were a brilliant child. “Naturally. I can see you and Miah have already established a close bond. I trust we can see through the proceedings as quickly as possible?” He fixed a stern eye on first the attorney, then Bert. While Miah’s attorney n
She had no idea of her own feelings, how deep, how intense they ran within her, but he could see the truth in her eyes. It looked as if they lived in their own secret world. They seemed to communicate without words. His fingers bunched tightly at his sides, curling until his knuckles were white, and his body shook with anger and disappointment. He had courted Miah for so long and devoted himself to her, yet never once had she looked at him in such a manner. And she was more beautiful than ever, more alluring. Watching her, he realised she was sexy beyond anyone he had ever encountered.He had always thought she was beautiful, the perfect ornament to display in the social circles he intended to travel in. Bert had never thought of her in terms of hot, steamy nights and sex, yet now, looking at her, he could hardly restrain himself. Just then Alexander lifted his head and looked at him—a long, cold look that sent a shiver racing down Bert’s spine. Bert turned on his heel and walked away
She seemed to be free of all outside forces. He sighed softly, releasing her before his sudden, unexpected surge of anger transmitted itself to Shaina. She had been hideously abused and the raw wounds in her mind would forever leave scars. She was an extraordinary young woman with rare insight and gifts beyond measure.But the man who should have loved and protected her had been the very one to initiate and perpetuate the abuse. Alexander was careful to breathe deeply, wanting to appear completely calm and in control. He knew that Shaina would be terrified by any masculine displays of temper. Luther had already destroyed Shaina’s abusers one by one. He had taken the girl’s enemies as part of his little chess game with Alexander, to show he knew what Alexander knew. “Did you see anything in there that changes your mind about wanting to take me home with you and Miah?” There was a challenge in Shaina’s soft voice but her gaze had slid away from his the instant he released her. Alexan
Luther must not mean her any real harm. That was the only answer. He was baiting a trap to draw Alexander to him. She knew Alexander could read her thoughts, was sharing her mind. She should have realized Luther was sharing Alexander’s mind as well. His laughter came again, that soft musical symphony of beauty. “Now you see the futility of struggling against one such as I. This human child, though she is rare in this world, cannot fool one such as I by pretending to sleep. You cannot protect her from me, not with your safeguards, and not by trying to hide her from me. What Alexander knows, then so do I. When I wish to make her my slave, I will do so. Right now it is tedious to think of such a burden.” “Luther.” Alexander said the name softly, gently. “You grow tired of your existence. There is nothing to hold you to this world. You chose to lose your soul and follow the path of darkness, yet you gained no emotions, no power you had not already wielded. Allow me to aid you in leavin
“Never. There is nothing you can do to make me betray him, not of my own free will. Alexander is a great man and my lifemate. I willingly exchange my life for his.” She waited to be struck down. There was a silence, long and empty. She couldn’t hear him breathing, couldn’t hear his heart beating, if he had a heart. Her long lashes fluttered as she regarded the master demon standing so motionless, looking like the statue of an ancient god. It took a moment to realize there was no entrapment in his voice, just plain black magic. His voice simply made one want to comply with his every wish. “Why aren’t you forcing me to do your bidding?” she asked curiously, sweeping one hand nervously through her long blue-black hair. “I do not need the aid of women in my battle.” She felt a whip of contempt in his words. “I find it rather astonishing that my brother has grown so weak he has allowed this mortal you guard to remain alive. What do you see in this mortal that you would prefer his compan
Miah was screaming, although no sound emerged from her throat. Alexander was engaged in a terrible battle with three ferocious enemies, his very life at stake. She closed herself off from him immediately, not willing to take the chance of distracting him from his duty. He could not help her. “What the hell is going on?” Bert muttered, his voice strangled in his throat. He was terrified, certain someone had slipped him a hallucinogenic. This could not be reality, not with monsters fighting, demons turning into wolves, and winged gargoyles coming to life. Automatically Miah reached out to soothe him, her fingers settling lightly around his wrist so she could manipulate his mind. Her voice was low and compelling, the compulsion embedding itself deep within his brain. She might not be able to save Bert’s life, but she could make the dying easier. He would never feel the teeth in his throat, ripping and tearing while the monster gulped fresh blood. With her head held high, she faced the
When her family had been wiped out in the wars, she had fled the Supernatural Mountains, making her way to Paris, where she learned to hide herself from her people. Tears shimmered unexpectedly in her dark eyes, the memory of that time still raw. She blinked them away and followed Bert along the winding trail. “I wasn’t just anyone, Miah. I was your best friend. But you always held a part of yourself away from me. No matter how hard I tried, I never could get close to you.” She hated that whiney note in his voice and that made her feel guiltier than ever. He had every reason to feel bad about what had happened between them. She had thought about spending her remaining years with him. She ducked her head, her long hair falling in a cascade around her face. “I didn’t mean to lead you on, Bert. I hope you believe that. I tried to be honest with you, but there were times when I seriously thought about becoming involved with you. Because I was considering a relationship with you, I must
He heard the soft shuffle of boots in the dirt, the heavy breathing of the ghoul a demon had created. Dangerous creatures, ghouls lived to serve their masters, feasting on tainted blood and the flesh of humans. They were vicious and without mercy. He waited, his power building and building, gathering until it flowed through him and poured out into the air around him. The ghoul approached from behind, shuffling closer, an evil being, clumsy but very cunning and impossibly strong. A human being would be in grave danger should he meet with a minion of the demon. Alexander was one of the ancients, powerful and far too experienced to give the ghoul much thought. As the grotesque creature closed the distance between them, Alexander whirled around, caught the misshapen head between his hands and jerked hard enough to break the neck. The crack was loud in the silence of the night. The monster wailed loudly, flailing its arms, but Alexander had melted away, his speed far too great for the m
“I will see to it this buffoon does no harm to our girl, but you will not do this thing.” Exasperated, Miah decided against arguing with Alexander’s tyrannical ways. At once she felt Alexander relax, felt his amusement, and she shook her head over the silly idiosyncrasies of men. “Did you have some questions you wanted to ask me?” she queried softly, looking directly into Barry Woods’s eyes. “Or did you have information that you thought was very important to tell me?” He could feel himself falling forward, deeper, deeper still until he was so mesmerized he wanted to stay there for eternity. He cleared his throat, unable, unwilling to break away from the beauty of her eyes. “I have friends who heard things about you. They’re dangerous men. We hunt demons. Real demons, not the make-believe things in the movies. No one believes the creatures exist but us. We’ve been collecting proof over the years. We just need to get one, a body, something tangible to make the world take us seriously
“What stranger entered your room, Shaina?” “A man. He asked me lots of questions about you, but I didn’t answer or look at him. I retreated like I do. Into my own mind.” Shaina continued to look at the wall as if she were slightly ashamed of herself. Her hands were clutching the little stuffed animal until her knuckles turned white. “I don’t know if I can keep from doing it when I’m really afraid.” Miah gently pushed her hair from her forehead. She couldn’t wait to get the child home, where she would be surrounded by love, by feminine things. She couldn’t wait to do something with the wealth of hair that had been neglected for so long. “He’s a reporter, honey, nothing more. Someone told him a story about me and he wants to write about it. It has nothing to do with you, but I’ll make certain there’s a guard posted outside your door at all times. No one else will get in.” She should have posted a guard long before this. A small sound escaped Shaina’s throat, something between a laugh
“You are a woman much sought after by these human males and I am beginning to find it tedious.” Her eyebrow shot up. “Tedious?” she echoed. “Do I hear a veiled threat in there somewhere?” He bent his head to kiss her. “It was not all that veiled.” His grin was boyish and seductive at the same time. “I cannot very well admit I am bothered by those who seek your attention when I am your lifemate. As an ancient I am above such trivial things.” Miah found herself laughing. “You’re above something all right, but I’m not entirely certain what it is.” “Watch yourself tonight, Miah,” Alexander cautioned as he glided through the room toward the door. “You must always remember you are a target now, and so is Shaina.” “I’ll send word to Aidan’s family, asking them not to delay. That way if Shaina is home, she can be protected while we sleep.” Her dark gaze was suddenly anxious. “Alexander, don’t let Luther undermine your confidence in yourself. I really need you and so does our child. Our ch