They Call Me Death

by Missy Jane

  His hands tightened on my hips as he inhaled the scent from my navel.

  “Sweet, sweet, baby,” he whispered against my skin and I felt warm droplets telling me he was crying.

  “Andor?” I asked a bit louder, sitting slightly to look at him.

  I was feeling an edge of panic at the thought of him being driven to tears.

  “It’s all right, precious. You carry my child. I can scent her in your womb. My child’s within you.”

  “Oh,” I replied numbly.

  I felt my own tears spill over as he continued to kiss my stomach and whisper words in another language to the miracle within me. I was truly shaken at the thought of having another baby. Images of Michael played through my head and I smiled. I felt Andor’s warm presence in my mind before I realized he was kissing me again.

  He made love to me slowly, our earlier fervor cooled enough to allow for a sensual experience beyond anything I’d ever known. He kept kissing my stomach and I fell asleep with him spooned behind me, one hand resting protectively over our child. When I woke he was still there and I couldn’t hide the relief I felt. It brought him pain and I turned to him with a question in my eyes.

  “I wish to have your trust again, dearling,” he replied. “I hate having you doubt me.”

  I looked away and felt his arms tighten around me.

  “It’s early yet. Sleep, my love.”

  I drifted off as he rubbed his lips over my neck. Only slightly curious about how I now sensed his emotions.

  ***

  I woke to the feel of Andor rubbing his body against mine with a slow determination that made me moan. He growled low in his throat and made me moan again as he began to thrust into me. There was intensity in him that had been missing during our previous trysts and it made me gasp in anticipation. He held me to him with one hand as the other snaked around and slid between my legs. He began to rub my most sensitive spot, driving me quickly to orgasm.

  My climax triggered his and he growled my name in my ear as his warmth filled me. We both lay breathless, panting and holding onto each other. I was shaking from my unexpected release while he rubbed his hand over my stomach.

  “You’re mine, Alexia. You know that don’t you? I love you and you’re truly mine.”

  His voice held a roughness I’d never heard from him before and I sensed emotional turmoil rolling off of him through our mental bond. I reached behind me to touch his face and immediately found myself on my back with him over me. He began kissing me and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “I love you, Alexia. I love you so much.”

  I began to wonder at the intensity of his emotions when it dawned on me I’m a complete idiot. In the days following his departure I had searched my soul for what seemed like an eternity. I quickly came to the realization I fell in love with Andor regardless of his species and accepted that truth. Unfortunately, Andor was blocking me at the time and had no clue what I felt for him. Since his abrupt return I’d exhibited about every emotion humanly possible, but I had yet to say the words he obviously needed to hear.

  I grabbed his face and pushed him back enough to look into his eyes. I saw the uncertainty there and cursed myself for it, even if he had done the same to me.

  “I love you, Andor Olavson, more than I ever thought possible. Don’t doubt for a second that I’m yours.”

  He smiled, and it was the most beautiful sight. Then he gently pressed his lips to mine and left my arms slowly.

  “We need to get dressed, love. We have company.”

  Within five minutes of me stepping into my clothes there was a knock on the door. I looked at Andor and he smiled, looking only slightly guilty as he sat fully dressed on my bed. I walked out of the room with him on my heels and reached for the doorknob. Andor grabbed my hand.

  “Don’t you even ask who it is?” he asked with a frown.

  I sighed and shook my head, but released the doorknob.

  “You obviously know who it is,” I replied in irritation.

  “But you don’t, and still you plan on opening it blindly.”

  I frowned and faced the door.

  “Who is it?” I nearly shouted.

  “Lance. We need to talk, Lex.”

  I raised a questioning brow to Andor who gave a slight bow of his head before turning away. I waited until he was seated on my small sofa before opening the door.

  Lance filled the doorway, looking even more imposing than usual in a solid black uniform. It wasn’t one I recognized and had no markings to identify it in any way.

  “What’s up, Lance? What the hell are you wearing?”

  He grinned as he stepped past me into my living room and took a seat in a chair across from Andor. I shut the door and noticed the space felt even smaller with these two men in it. They looked as if they were sizing each other up, but I felt no aggression from either of them.

  “Andor,” Lance said.

  “Lance,” Andor replied.

  “Where’s Emily?”

  Andor raised a brow but remained silent as Lance seemed to tense.

  “That is none of your concern, Gavin.”

  It was Lance’s turn to raise an eyebrow as I remained confused and ignored by both of them.

  “Know my name, do you? I guess it was inevitable. That’s fine. Now answer my question, eagle. Where is she and is she okay?”

  “She is my daughter, hawk, and as I said, none of your business.”

  I felt Andor beginning to tense and Lance looked ready to go for his throat. Not one to be ignored for long, I decided to put in my two cents as I silently took my place beside Andor on the sofa.

  “All right, guys, enough. Lance, Emily is fine. She’s recovering in the north and well protected. Now, why don’t you tell us why you’re here and why Andor called you hawk.”

  I felt Andor’s eyes on me but chose to ignore him as I stared Lance down so he wouldn’t argue. Lance finally nodded stiffly and sat back in his chair. He watched me for a second as if he would answer, but then looked back at Andor.

  “How long have you known about me?” he asked.

  Andor shrugged and I began to feel suspicious.

  “I had my suspicions from the first, but you’ve been successful with even the strictest DNA scanners so I wasn’t certain,” Andor replied.

  Lance chuckled and I frowned as I looked him over from head to toe.

  “You should know better than anyone, old man. Those scanners aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. The humans rely too heavily on them.”

  That caught my attention and apprehension grew in my veins.

  “Lance, what the hell is going on?” I asked.

  Andor put his arm around me, for comfort or control I’ll never know, and he began to massage my neck in a soothing manner. Normally I would’ve melted, but I had a bad feeling I wasn’t going to like Lance’s answer. Lance looked at me and grinned.

  “Did you know Gavin is a Scottish name? It’s actually my first name but I hate it, therefore I go by my middle name, Lance. I’m a half-breed, Alexia, like Emily. I’m the child of a hawk shifter and human coupling. I’ve been undercover for FNT for the past two years keeping an eye on things from this side of the wall—”

  “You asshole,” I yelled as I sprang from the sofa intent on wrapping my hands around his traitorous neck.

  Lance jumped to his feet and I felt Andor grab me from behind, holding me against him.

  “I never betrayed any secrets, Alexia. I simply kept watch and reported anything out of the ordinary to Sandulf. I’m the reason they knew about the missing shifters and Victoria Glass. I only reported what I thought would affect both sides.”

  “Oh, that makes it okay for you to be a lying bastard.”

  Lance ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath.

  “Look, Alexia, I didn’t come here for forgiveness. This isn’t over yet and I’m neck deep in it. I need to know what you’re going to do.”

  I shrugged out of Andor’s grip and he
let me go, but I felt him ready behind me.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Lance looked at Andor then back at me, seemingly unsure of what to say.

  “I can’t leave yet until all of the missing shifters are found, but we’re close. I know what’s going on between you two and I need to know if you’re heading for FNT. I could use another ally who knows who I am on the other side.”

  I walked away from them and got a cold drink out of the refrigerator. Both men were still standing in the exact same spots when I returned.

  “I won’t betray my country, Lance,” I finally replied.

  “I’d never ask you to, Alexia, I swear. Just tell me if I can count on your help if I need it. I probably won’t but you’re both good in a fight.”

  “Alexia will not be fighting any time soon,” Andor cut in.

  I frowned at him as he looked pointedly at my stomach. I unconsciously rubbed a hand over it before realizing Lance caught the implications of both our actions.

  “Congratulations,” he said quietly. “This is certainly an unexpected development.”

  He grinned and I wanted to smack him.

  “Thank you,” Andor replied. “I’m sure you’ll understand if we can only offer administrative support on our end for a while.”

  “Any help would be greatly appreciated. I just need to know I can call on you in a crisis. This thing is bigger than we thought. I’ve already got Sandulf breathing down my neck for answers I can’t seem to find. Now that Castor’s dead I have to find the other players, and it’s going to take some time.” Lance said, no longer looking at me.

  I sighed and sat back on the sofa, curling my legs beneath me as I took a long drink.

  “Sure, Lance, whatever. I’ll be going with Andor, but I don’t know where yet. We’ll be staying in Circe for a couple of weeks while we work it out.”

  Andor looked at me in surprise and Lance nodded before heading for the door.

  “Thanks, Lex. I know you might not believe it, but I’ve always considered you a friend.” He stopped and turned back, digging in his pants pocket and pulling out a small vial of clear liquid. “I think you might decide you’ll have some use for this,” he said as he tossed the vial to Andor.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “The fountain of youth. That idiot Castor was able to isolate one of the shifter genes related to our longer life span and created a serum for humans. According to his files, it’s been thoroughly tested and can prolong a human’s life by at least three hundred percent. That should give you two more than enough time to get sick of each other.”

  Lance’s grin widened while I looked at Andor in shock. He studied the vial for a second before looking up at Lance.

  “And the side effects?” he asked.

  Lance shrugged. “A few restless nights and maybe some aches and pains as her internal organs regenerate. But after a few days she’ll begin to feel better than ever. She may even gain enhanced senses. That happened to a few of the test subjects, but not all.”

  “How many were there and over how much time?” Andor asked.

  Lance looked at the ceiling as if seeking the answers in his mind. “About a hundred and fifty subjects over twenty years. Apparently, Castor was at it before any of us realized who he was. He was actually the first test subject. The man died at the age of ninety-eight.”

  I gasped as I remembered what Castor had looked like. I’d thought he was in his late fifties.

  “Again, thank you. We’ll help you when and where we can,” Andor replied.

  Lance nodded. “You’re welcome and I appreciate the help. It’s been an interesting ride being so close to Death.”

  He grinned at me and shook his head before walking out the door and closing it silently behind him.

  I continued to stare at the door as I ran over various encounters with Lance and tried to remember anything out of the ordinary. I came up blank as I felt Andor sit beside me.

  “You’ll come with me?” he asked quietly.

  I looked at him and smiled, taking his hand into mine.

  “Yes, Andor, I will. I might be crazy and life will definitely be interesting, but I’ll come with you.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss me. “Do you want me to take that?” I asked, nodding toward the serum in his hand.

  He sighed and considered it for a moment, before shaking his head. “Not yet. I’d like to ask around about it first and see the test results for myself. Until I know you’ll be safe, and especially while you’re pregnant, I’d rather not risk it.”

  “Okay. I can’t argue with that logic.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap. I sighed in contentment, feeling better than I had in weeks. I began to consider the future and all the changes I would be facing.

  “Will Sandulf care if I’m in his territory?” I asked.

  I couldn’t hide the fear in my voice so I didn’t even try. Andor ran his fingers down the side of my face.

  “He and I came to an understanding where you’re concerned and he knows to expect you soon. He wants to speak with you. But I’ve received an oath of honor from him that he intends no harm.”

  “Oh, really? And what if I had refused your offer, birdman? You seem awfully sure of yourself.”

  He chuckled and held me tighter, cuddling me against him like a child. I’d never felt so loved, so cherished, and I knew I’d made the right decision.

  “Sandulf asked the same thing and you know what I told him?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I said I wasn’t worried because only one thing could possibly tame Death herself and I had it in abundance.”

  “What’s that?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Love, my sweet Alexia. I have an overabundance of love for you and our child. Together we’ll overcome any obstacles, I swear it.”

  And the strangest feeling came over me as I realized without a doubt, and no matter who or what he was, I believed the shifter in my arms. I loved him heart and soul enough to cross over the wall without looking back and the thought didn’t even scare me.

  About the Author

  To learn more about Missy Jane, please visit www.msmissyjane.com. Send an email to ms_missyjane@yahoo.com or check out her myspace page to join in the fun with other readers as well as Missy Jane! www.myspace.com/ms_missyjane

  She has the cure. He has the means. Together, they just might have a chance.

  Wolf Rain

  © 2007 Flesa Black

  After a well-intentioned experiment goes horribly wrong, a new breed of wolf Shifter takes over the night.

  Diana has the cure, thanks to research she carried on after her father’s death. But in her increasingly dangerous world, there’s no one she can trust. Allowing anyone close could be the death of her—and of any hope the cure will reach those who need it.

  Harm has the means, but lacks the cure. For years, he’s worked for an elite government force, using his superior half-Shifter abilities in the battle to keep the streets safe. Now the Shifters are mutating and there’s real fear that mankind is on its way to extinction.

  When Diana and Harm’s lives collide, they have only one chance to save the human world.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Wolf Rain:

  They came out of the dark, their eyes shining and their heads bent as they glared at her. A pack of them, four in all, were stalking towards her, deadly intent in every move they made. They inched forwards stealthily, their padded feet muffled against the hard asphalt. She couldn’t take them all. She would maybe get one shot off before the others were on her. She tried not to panic, instead relying on her father’s lifelong teachings. Find the alpha. Take him down. The others would still attack, but one might stay behind to protect the fallen leader. The rest wouldn’t be nearly as fast or as strong, and there might be a chance…

  She took a deep breath and silently demanded her muscles to be steady. She knew what to do to give herself at least some slim chance of survival. And if sh
e was going to die, she sure as hell was going down fighting. She searched the wolves that were only a few feet away, zeroing in on the white-haired animal as the alpha. He was slightly larger, just a fraction of an inch in front of the other creatures. He would be the first to pounce, and the others would follow. He was her target.

  She took her stance again, bracing her legs slightly apart, gripping the wolfsbane in her fist. The world began moving in slow motion as the leader crouched slightly, the muscles in his legs tightening. She narrowed her eyes and waited—and nearly gasped when the wolf was thrown to the other side of the alley, his thick body smacking against the brick wall.

  The others immediately turned and began barking and snarling, racing towards whatever had taken down the alpha. She stood for a few beats, blinking as she stared at the fallen creature. Blood was slowly seeping out of his side, matting the white fur with its scarlet color as the jagged corner of a cracked rib stuck through the pliant flesh. The Shifter’s head was turned at an awkward angle, his eyes open and unseeing, his tongue lolling from between his sharp teeth. Dead, she thought, and was stunned. Her logical mind told her to run, to use the distraction to get the hell away from the Shifters. But the other part of her brain was filled with blinding curiosity, a curiosity that overrode every other thought. Suddenly she, too, was running, following where the other wolves had gone. She had to see what had done this.

  She stopped abruptly a few feet into the side alley, staring in amazement as another wolf was flung past her, landing like a rag doll on the hard, wet ground. There was a shadow in the mouth of the alleyway, a dark visage that looked strangely like a man. She watched, mesmerized, as he pushed another wolf away then kicked at the fourth. They weren’t down, though—she could still hear the dual growling of the furious creatures.

  They bounded at the same time, launching themselves at the stranger with more strength than grace. He didn’t so much as flinch when they jumped. He simply opened his arms wide, waited a split second and crushed their skulls together. They fell to the asphalt with a muted thud, splashing into a puddle.