Tall, Dark, and Deadly: Seven Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance

by Laura Kaye

  The problem was, even though he knew better, he really wanted to show her.

  Chapter Four

  Was she dreaming? Was this entire day some deluded figment of her imagination?

  The events of the past few hours were too crazy to believe. First, she’d been kidnapped from her gallery and forced to relive the fears of her past; the memory of that childhood incident had returned so forcefully and vividly that she’d practically choked on the stifling heat of the air in the trunk of the car.

  Then she’d found out her kidnappers were gifted like her and that they might actually be good guys. Brynn never would have even considered buying that story if Taeg hadn’t shown her what he could do.

  Even though she’d arrived on less than promising terms, something inside her longed to place her trust in Keegan and his brothers. Maybe it was because they’d had every opportunity to harm her but instead had treated her well. After all, why would they have bothered explaining anything to her if they intended to hurt her?

  Or maybe it was the amazing discovery that they had abilities, too. She’d never been so vain as to think she was unique in the world, but honestly she never thought she’d meet other people with abilities. Not even her own father had admitted what he could do, and he was her flesh and blood.

  She had finally found other people like herself. What would it be like, to be able to confide in others about her powers? To learn more about their own? To not be so alone anymore?

  Brynn let out a ragged sigh. She’d just found out her abilities were due to her ancestry. At last she had an explanation for what she could do. Even more, perhaps she would be able to learn the limits of her powers—to determine whether she could do more. She should be excited at the prospect, but she wasn’t. Not when she was locked in this room like a prisoner. There was no worse feeling than being trapped…even if this luxurious space was a far cry from where she’d been imprisoned that one horrible time.

  Shuffling into the bathroom connected to the bedroom, she examined the area. Even for a bathroom, it was vast. Every movement sparked an echo that bounced off the cream-colored walls. She picked up a silver-plated hairbrush lying on the countertop. Maybe it could give her a glimpse into the lives of the men who were holding her.

  Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the heavy feel of the brush, on the ridges of the metal beneath her fingertips. It heated in her palm as the memories drifted to her in waves. She caught glimpses of the brush passing from one set of fingers to another in preparation for storage. Other than that? Nothing.

  Like everything else she’d touched in this room, the brush was new, and no true memories had been associated with it yet.

  Crap.

  She released the brush and it fell to the marble countertop with a loud clang. She walked into the bedroom and slumped onto the bed. It would have been nice to learn a little more about the brothers, but the objects in this room weren’t telling their stories. The men’s odd language made it obvious they weren’t from around here. But if they were foreign, their American accents were perfect.

  For the millionth time, Brynn’s mind wandered to Keegan. He was similar to his brothers in so many ways—certainly no more strikingly handsome than they were—but something about him called to her, made her hormones go into overdrive. For God’s sake, she’d almost kissed him earlier.

  If only she could trust that he really was just trying to protect her. But certain things about his story didn’t make sense. Something was off. They knew about her abilities, for one. And about this Mammon guy, who was supposedly tracking her just because she happened to be the ancestor of some long-dead Egyptian priest. Who the hell did that, anyway?

  Brynn sighed, feeling a knot of tension curl up between her temples. She was probably being a total idiot for not acting more freaked out. After all, someone who wanted to protect you didn’t generally knock you into unconsciousness and then keep you imprisoned, no matter how nice the prison. That much she knew from her past. But Keegan didn’t feel dangerous—at least not in a psycho-killer sort of way…and so far he was night-and-day different from the psychopath who’d once taken her.

  This was all so confusing.

  The door to her room unlocked with a click, jarring her from her jumbled thoughts. Brynn rose as Keegan opened the door. He leaned against the doorjamb. “How are you doing?”

  She fought to calm the sudden racing of her heart as she drank in the sight of him by the doorway. How could he affect her so intensely? “I’m fine, but I’ve got a lot of unanswered questions. And I don’t like being locked away.”

  The strength of her voice surprised her, but then, she’d come a long way from the frightened little girl who didn’t know her own powers…even if they didn’t seem to be working the way they should. She was still strong. She would be brave.

  He nodded, an expression of understanding on his face. “I’m sorry about that, but it’s for your protection.”

  “Don’t I get to decide how I should be protected?” She crossed her arms, trying her hardest to look pissed off instead of conflicted.

  His brows knitted, and he pressed his lips together. “Not this time.”

  Brynn swallowed her exasperated sigh and tried for reason. “Listen, if what you said earlier about protecting me is true, then you’re being a caveman. You seem to think you can just club me over the head and drag me away, no questions asked, but it doesn’t work like that anymore.”

  He chuckled and spoke under his breath. “Believe me, if I were a caveman, we wouldn’t be talking right now.”

  She opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it as the innuendo behind his words struck her with all the force of a speeding bullet.

  He couldn’t have meant it like that.

  Keegan reddened, likely realizing what he’d implied, and cleared his throat. “I meant if I were a caveman, I wouldn’t have bothered explaining anything to you.”

  “Oh.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

  “We’ll talk some more over dinner. Come on.”

  He didn’t have to tell her twice.

  Brynn strode forward, trying not to show her discomfort when Keegan didn’t give her enough space to walk by without touching him. Her heart thumped as she slid past him. From fear and not excitement, she told herself, though even she couldn’t be sure if she was lying. The heat of his arm seared her shoulder.

  Pausing, she turned to face him. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yes.” He wrinkled his brow. “Why do you ask?”

  “You feel so warm,” she said. “Your brothers did, too, come to think of it.”

  Keegan stared at her for a moment before throwing her a playful smirk. “Didn’t you say we were hot earlier?”

  “I…” Her cheeks heated. He was teasing her.

  Keegan lost his flirtatious smile and shrugged. “We all run a little hot. Got it from our father.”

  “That’s weird.”

  “Probably the least weird thing about any of us.” He pushed away from the door. Then he motioned to another door directly across from hers. “That’s my room.”

  Before Brynn could reflect on the fact that his room was mere steps from hers, Keegan said, “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

  He started forward several feet ahead of her, giving her the space she so desperately needed, and led her through a long hallway decorated with marble flooring and elegant wall sconces. They passed two more doors.

  “Taeg’s room, and Ronin and Dagan are sharing this one,” Keegan said as they walked by. He pointed to the final door in the hallway. “That’s an office.”

  “This place is huge. Whose is it?”

  “So, obvious that it’s not ours, huh?”

  “Well…” Brynn paused before admitting, “I tried reading just about every object in that room, and they all seemed to be new. No real memories attached to them. If it’s yours, then you just moved in.”

  He nodded in acknowledgment. “We’ve got i
t on loan, actually. Belongs to that government agency I told you about.”

  “The secret branch of the government? You were serious about that?”

  His lips twisted into a brief half smile. “Yes.”

  Not sure whether or not to believe him, Brynn whistled. “No wonder taxes are out of control, if this is what Uncle Sam is buying.”

  They reached the end of the hallway, and he pointed to another short corridor. “The foyer is over there, and this is the living room.”

  “Whoa.” Brynn crept behind him.

  The living room was massive, with floor-to-ceiling windows lining one entire wall.

  She slid forward until she stood in front of them and took in the view. “This is absolutely amazing.”

  The window glass reflected the image of Keegan moving behind her. Her heart rate quickened.

  “Yes,” Keegan murmured, his hot breath fanning the back of her hair. “It is a breathtaking view.”

  The hint of huskiness in his tone confused the hell out of her. Despite the fact that this situation made her skin prickle with fear, the spicy, unique scent emanating from him caused her womb to grow achy and moist. It was crazy, how she responded to him. The guy kidnapped you, remember? But her body couldn’t seem to make sense of it…of him.

  “There you are.”

  The sound of Taeg’s voice made Brynn jump. By the time she turned to face him, Keegan had already scooted away, his expression shuttered.

  Taeg smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Dinner’s ready.”

  She slunk behind Taeg and Keegan as they headed into a small dining room next to the oversized kitchen. Their tense silence made her feel guilty, like she’d done something wrong. The table was set for four, with an Italian feast: lasagna, Italian sausage, peppers, and baked ziti. Even a few more dishes she couldn’t identify. It looked like enough food to feed a dozen men.

  Brynn stared at it for a moment, then addressed Ronin, who seemed the likeliest culprit. “You can cook?”

  “No, but I’m excellent at ordering in,” he admitted. “Sit down, please.”

  She waited until Keegan and Taeg were seated before speaking again. “Okay, now I want some answers.”

  Keegan exchanged a glance with his brothers. “What’s the question?”

  “Well, first off, if you expect me to believe all this, how did you first find out that I was… gifted?”

  He took a deep breath. “The government keeps a tab on everyone with powers. We don’t know how they do it.”

  “Okay. Then how did you find out about this guy Mammon, and that he’s after me?”

  “We were told about it,” Taeg jumped in. “You know, by this covert branch of government superheroes we work for.”

  Brynn stared at Taeg for a long moment, and then blinked. “I can’t tell if you’re fucking with me or not.” The tone of his voice indicated he was, but the four of them appeared so serious.

  Keegan spoke to him in their language, and Taeg answered in kind. Even while she internally acknowledged that Keegan’s guttural speech was some weird sort of turn-on for her, it annoyed her she couldn’t understand the men.

  “English, please? And where are you from, anyway? I don’t recognize that language.”

  Keegan toyed with the silverware next to his dinner plate. “A remote province of Serbia.”

  “Really?” Why did she feel like she was getting half truths at best? “Your English is excellent. You don’t even have an accent.”

  Keegan directed his gaze down with a small cough. “We’re well-studied.”

  There was a moment of marked silence, punctuated by the sound of Taeg’s fingers tapping on the tabletop. Brynn studied her clasped hands as she contemplated Keegan’s words. “So, if what you’ve told me is true, then this person named Mammon is after me because I’m related to an Egyptian priest who lived over three thousand years ago, right?”

  Keegan nodded. “Yes.”

  “And he believes I can lead him to the priest’s tomb, and to the book that was buried with him?”

  Taeg snorted.

  Keegan pierced him with a dirty look before saying, “That’s what he believes, yes.”

  “And you plan on…what? Protecting me until he’s caught?”

  Taeg and Ronin examined their empty plates while Keegan responded. “Yes.”

  “Well, how long do you think that will take?” she pressed. “And you don’t expect to keep me locked up here the whole time, do you? I mean, I have a life. A job. I can’t just stop showing up to my own gallery.”

  “You’re the owner,” Keegan said. “Couldn’t you close it down for a few weeks or get someone else to run it? You could tell them you had some pressing business to attend to.”

  Well, her assistant, Amanda, realistically could take over for a week or two. Brynn didn’t have anything major going on. Still…it didn’t add up. Special gifts or no, why would the government go to all this trouble just to save her from a crazy man? Why, when they could just surround her with around-the-clock security to shadow her every move?

  The truth hit her full-on. She flew to her feet, and her chair scraped loudly across the wooden floor. “You want that book, too, don’t you? And you somehow think I’ll be able to lead you to it.”

  Taeg fired a startled glance at Keegan, who sighed and rested his chin on his knuckles as if he were thinking about what to say. “We do want it, but we don’t hold anything more than an optimistic hope that you’d somehow be able to help us find it.”

  Brynn bit her lip. On a fundamental level, she’d known there was more to the story than what he’d told her. But she was surprised he’d admitted it. She sat back down and scooted in her seat, taking her time to reply. “What’s so important about it? And don’t lie and tell me nothing.”

  Taeg garbled something in their language, followed by Ronin. Keegan made a staccato reply.

  “English, remember?” she said, keeping her voice purposely sweet.

  Keegan returned his attention to her, appearing hesitant for the first time since she’d met him. But after a brief pause, he said, “The book your ancestor created is referred to by many as the Book of the Dead.”

  Taeg groaned. “Come on, man.”

  “She deserves some truth,” Ronin said to him. “We’re asking her to trust us. Let Keegan tell her why.”

  Brynn ignored the two of them, keeping her gaze directed at Keegan. “The Book of the Dead? You mean the Egyptian funeral rites?”

  He shook his head. “No, not those, but a true book of the dead. A book containing a magical spell with the ability to bring back those who have died. To resurrect them. Whoever used it would be stronger than any human—indestructible, but at a price. Those brought back to life would require sustenance in the form of flesh.”

  She stared at him, waiting for the punch line. When it didn’t come, she chuckled. “You’re telling me that this book is supposed to create zombies?”

  “Zombies?” Keegan looked pensive for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, zombies. In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  Oh, sure, why not? ’Cause zombies were actually possible. Her chuckle became a full-blown laugh. “And this guy Mammon actually believes that’s true? Wow, he really is crazy.”

  Keegan took a deep breath. “What if he isn’t that crazy?”

  Nobody else laughed. Instead they stared at her as if she were the crazy one. She sobered. “What do you mean?”

  He leaned forward, completely earnest now. “Brynn, what if it’s true?”

  Chapter Five

  Ronin couldn’t sleep. Dagan was still out, doing the devil knew what. He’d probably met some woman at the bar and ended up going home with her. Things were too quiet without the steady tempo of his heavy breathing. Funny how quickly he had become accustomed to sharing a room.

  “Damn it.” He gave up trying and hopped out of bed. Padding out into the hallway, he contemplated walking toward Keegan’s and Brynn’s rooms but decided against it. If Keegan w
as acting stupid, he didn’t really want to know right now.

  He knocked once on Taeg’s door before opening it. His big brother lay on his bed, watching something on the large LCD screen mounted to the wall. He glanced at Ronin, then picked up the remote and turned the television off.

  “How many times have I told you to knock first, bro? I could have been in here watching porn, for all you know. How’d you like to walk in on that?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time this week,” Ronin muttered. “Besides, I did knock. If you didn’t blast your television so loud, you would have heard it.”

  Taeg sat up. “What’s going on?”

  Ronin closed the door and leaned up against it, swallowing hard. “You were right. Keeg does have feelings for her.”

  “I know.” Taeg sighed and combed a hand through his hair. “So what are we supposed to do about it?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything we can do. Besides, no matter what he feels for her, he’s all about doing the right thing—obeying the Council’s orders.”

  “Yeah, after all the shit Dad did, who can blame him?” Taeg scowled. “He’s the oldest, the one who was under Dad’s thumb the longest. Sins of the father, and all that crap.”

  Ronin nodded. “He’ll do what he has to do.”

  “I know,” Taeg said. “Still, we should keep an eye on him. That girl is nothing if not tempting. And you and I both know Keegan doesn’t get laid nearly enough.”

  “Anything less than once a week isn’t enough, as far as you’re concerned,” Ronin said.

  Taeg chuckled. “I can’t help it if I’m irresistible. You might get lucky more often, too, if you didn’t scowl all the damn time.”

  Ronin shook his head, biting back a laugh. At least Taeg wasn’t as bad as Dagan.

  “Now get the fuck out.” Taeg lay back down and picked up the remote. “Good Will Humping is about to come on.”

  …

  Keegan stood outside Brynn’s door, staring at it like some lovesick schoolboy.

  What was wrong with him? She was just a woman. A human woman. But his body didn’t seem to care who she was or what he might have to do to her. It liked her anyway.