Rapid Pulse: A Limited Edition Spicy Romance Collection

by Gina Kincade

  “What?” I hadn’t expected this. Was he checking me out?

  “Turn around. I need to see something.”

  “Are you trying to check out my ass?”

  “Dammit woman! Turn around!”

  “Geez! Fine!” Huffing I did as he commanded and turned my back to him. “Get a good look there macho-man.” I glanced over my shoulder to him and frowned. “If you had asked to check my ass out I would have turned, maybe even bent over for you. But this? Zero feels later.”

  Rowan ignored my attempts to crude human and stepped closer, then crossed his arms over his chest and his arms suddenly thickened. Good lord he’s strong.

  I licked my bottom lip and turned to face him. Glancing from his mouth to his eyes, he lifted a brow to me and I felt my face blush. “Well, a man came in interested in buying a gun...” I begun before he interrupted me.

  “No, what happened to you?”

  “I’m getting to that. Calm down your lioness.” Rowan growled at me. He hated me calling him pet names. I explained about the bald man wanting a gun for hunting down our kind, the pain my gut, then the flame of anger that coursed through me.

  “It was like I was controlling him or something. I can’t explain it, Rowan. He didn’t fight me, or argue, or anything. I seriously doubt he’ll be back and I have a pretty good idea he will accept his brother’s girl, nymph or not.”

  Rowan’s eyes widened and he smiled. “You realize what this means, right?”

  I shook my head. “No, but I have a feeling you do?”

  He nodded. “I do.” He stepped closer and placed gentle hands on my shoulders. “You, my friend, have found your power! Look at your back.”

  I stared at him blackly, blinked, then glanced over my shoulder. “Holy shit! I have fucking wings?” My head whipped back to him and I smiled wide, then squealed. “I HAVE FUCKING WINGS!”

  Chapter Four

  I BOUNCED IN my step for a moment and Rowan chuckled. “So...what does this mean? Can I fly? Oh yes! I can fly! Let’s go fly, Rowan! Come on!” As I made to run to the door, he suddenly grabbed my arm.

  “Slow down there, grasshopper. There’s more to being a Valkyrie than just flying. What you did was mind control. Apparently him pissing you off is what triggered it.” Rowan scratched his neck and lifted a brow. “Hell I know Samuel fucking you over pissed you off, but as for why it didn’t trigger then?” he shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. Now we get to train you!” Now it was his turn to bounce in his step in excitement.

  “What? No! No training, just flying!”

  “Jac, how can you fly if you don’t know how? You have to train.”

  “Whatever. Flying is easy! I flap my wings, right?”

  He chuckled. “Not quite.” Rowan grinned once more and pulled me in for a hug. “Damn girl I’m so fucking proud of you right now.”

  I smiled, then I giggled. “Thank you,” I whispered and glanced up to him. His lips were so close to mine and more than anything, I wanted him to kiss me right now. If he was right, and I had mind control, I could focus on making him kiss me.

  I squinted my eyes and stared into his. He lifted a brows and smirked.

  “You’re trying it on me, aren’t you?”

  I huffed a sigh. “Yes.” What good is it to have mind control without being able to control my own mind? “Let me try it on you?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

  “What, does it not work on ‘sups?”

  “Oh, it absolutely works on any species out there, but until you train in how to use it, don’t try to play in the big boy fields. You might get run over little girl.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked and pulled away from him. My hands pressed to my hips, I glared at him. “You want to try that again?”

  “You’re trying to hit a home run in the major leagues, doll face, and you’re only up to playing tee-ball.” He chuckled. “Bitch, please.”

  Now that did it. Now I was pissed. I felt the red in my face burn as the fire burned inside me. My back weighed heavy and this time, I knew it was my wings. My hands clinched into fists and I glared at him. Stepping closer, I extended one of my hands, then a single finger, my middle finger.

  Rowan chuckled and grinned at me. “How do you fell, psycho-bitch?”

  I screamed and lunged at him. Rowan caught me mid-air and held me in his arms.

  “Wow, you’re strong when you’re pissed, and so damn cute!”

  “FUCK YOU!”

  “Oh yeah, let it go, baby girl, let it go!”

  “I HATE YOU!”

  “Oh, I know you do! Come on, let me have it. Give it all you got, woman! Give it to me!”

  I felt myself pant and the anger was at a whole knew high. I couldn’t control myself and I felt as if I would explode. Shaking my head no, I pushed away from him. “No!”

  “What? Oh come on, don’t make me limp baby.”

  My body shook and it took everything I had, every bit of self control to not mutilate Rowan right now. When I opened my eyes, I grinned. He shifted. “Oh, it is so on.”

  I TOOK ROWAN OUT BEHIND the store in the ally, where we would be alone. As soon as the door closed, I charged toward him, hitting his stone body. I had no chance against him like this, and he knew it.

  Rowan grinned. “Really? You think charing a fucking Gargoyle will work? You’re a fucking moron. Come on, fight me. Give me what you got, princess.”

  “I am not a fucking princess!” I felt it right then, the darkness. It settled over me like a veil, and I reveled in it. Stalking toward Rowan, my lips shifted into a smirk. “Dance.”

  “What?” he asked in surprise.

  “Dance.” My head tilted and for a moment, I almost didn’t recognize my voice.

  Rowan’s brows furrowed and he shook his head. “No.”

  I grinned and knew he was fighting me. Lifting a brow I stepped closer and lightly touched his chest. “Dance.”

  Never in my life would I ever think I would see a Gargoyle dance, but that day is today. Rowan moved his feet side to side, as if dancing to a beat in his head. I lifted a brow and grinned. “Dance!” The command in my voice strong, Rowan stopped moving his feet and started doing a body wave.

  It was in this moment I finally lost myself and laughed. I have never witnessed my friend dance and now I can see why. He has no moves! I bent over and pressed my palms to my knees and laughed until I caught my breath.

  “Real funny,” he mumbled in his deep voice.

  Feeling the air shift around me, I glanced up to my friend, Rowan, not the Gargoyle. “What, giving up already?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I think that is enough for today.”

  “What? No way. I want more. Come on, again.” I bounced side to side on the balls of my feet and shook my hands out.

  “No, Jac, not tonight.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because you might get out of hand and I will have no choice but to take you into custody. You’re much stronger than I anticipated.”

  “Stronger? Really?” My voice squeaked a little and I smiled. “Are you proud of me?”

  Rowan appeared to consider my question for moment. And this bothered me. A lot.

  “Wow, okay, well if you must think on it for so long, then never-fucking-mind.” I turned my back to him and started toward the door when he grabbed my hand.

  “Don’t leave like that. Of course I’m fucking proud of you woman! Damn proud! But I’m also very surprised and taken aback you already have as much power as you do. Normally, Valkyrie grow into their powers. Your’s...well they just sort of consumed you.”

  I bit my lip and stared into his eyes. “Is that a good or bad thing?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I’ll lay off on pissing you off for a while.”

  “Oh!” I exclaimed, “speaking of! What the fuck was all that shit before? Little girl in a big man’s field?”

  He grinned. “I found your trigger to be anger and played on it,” he shrugged
. “My bad.”

  I grit my teeth and felt the darkness tease my mind. I stepped closer and looked up into his eyes. I willed him to kiss me without saying a word.

  Rowan’s hands slowly reached up and cupped my cheeks. His thumbs gently rubbed over my cheekbones, then my lower lip. He stared into my eyes as he began to lean in.

  I closed my eyes, ready for the kiss I have been waiting, for what seems to be forever, for. But the kiss never came. When I opened my eyes, Rowan only smirked.

  “Nice try, there genius. When and if I kiss you, it’ll be because I want to, not because you’re forcing me. You force me, you’re no better than him.”

  The accusation sunk deep, and it cut deep. I pushed hard against his chest and shook my head. “How dare you,” I whispered and left for the building. Last thing I heard was Rowan yelling my name before I closed and locked the shop door behind me.

  Chapter Five

  THE WORDS STILL hurt, no matter how much time had passed. Glancing to the calendar, it had been a few days and no word from him or the others. “I suppose I should start looking for said Hag stone.” I sighed and stood from my seat. My condo was fun, I enjoyed it here. The grounds where it overlooked were always green. I cannot complain about that; although the forest behind it sometimes creeped me out. Think of it as the Snow White effect.

  Getting lost in the forest at night is not fun, especially when the target chasing you is a demon hellbent on capturing your soul. Animals cried out their evening calls, owls would swoop down to capture rodents running ramped. I think at one point I tripped over a snake, but most likely it were a tree root.

  When he caught up to me, I already knew it was too late. The sad part about it? I wanted it as much as he did. I wanted him to seduce me. I wanted his lips on mine and I couldn’t help myself, nor could I get enough of him.

  It wasn’t until I found out later he was an Incubus. Samuel...that night I will never forgive myself for giving into his temptation.

  “Stop playing cat and mouse with me, baby. Come to Samuel.”

  His words still fresh in my mind as if it had just happened, although it hadn’t. Then he had the audacity to show up at the shop. “Figures,” I mumbled to myself. Pushing the thoughts from my head and grabbing my phone, I send a text to Gretchen.

  Hey, meet me for drinks? We need to talk. I need information.

  I pressed send and set my phone down, then stared at my ceiling. I could only think of Rowan; his eyes, his lips...and the fact he pissed me the fuck off.

  “How dare he sit there and accuse me of forcing a kiss like Samuel would? Who the fuck does he think I am?”

  “I usually do not come when spoke of, but in your case I’ll make an exception.”

  Screaming, I stood and jumped back and took in Samuel and Ana. He had on a white button down business shirt with a dark red tie, like crimson, and black dress slacks and shoes. The man can definitely clean up.

  Ana, on the other hand, wore a fitted black cocktail dress that was strapless. It hugged her skin and damn could she pull it off. Her hair had been set in ringlets, then again that could be her glamour.

  Staring at both of them, I swallow hard. “What are you doing here? I did not call for you.”

  “Did you not?” Samuel asked as he stepped closer. “I felt it earlier when your gifts finally awoke.”

  “How?” I asked in a whisper. Glancing to Ana, she simply smirked and let go of the arm she had been holding onto. Samuel stepped closer to me and just as he stopped directly in front of me, he touched my chin and lifted my face upward.

  He gazed into my eyes and smirked. “Because I tasted your soul. I can feel you now, feel where you are, what you’re doing, if you’re in trouble, or hell forbid, if you die.”

  I could feel the telltale of his lust surrounding my mind. Closing my eyes, I willed it away, not wanting to give into him again, especially while Ana was here. I don’t think I could honestly have a threesome. Samuel chuckled and when I opened my eyes, I glanced to Ana, who simply smiled toward me.

  “No,” I whispered and moved his hand from my chin. “No, you will not have me again. You fulfilled your contract on me. I owe you nothing.” Turning my back to him, I walk to my sliding glass door and gaze outward. “You need to leave.”

  “Oh, and miss all the fun? No, I’m in this, Jac. The three of us will hunt down this stone.”

  “Why are you so involved in this? What do you get out of it?” I asked him. “Seriously, what do you have to gain or lose in this stone? You’re not from their world.”

  He nodded and held his arm out as he continued to stare at me. Ana crossed the room to him and slipped her arm around his waist and he pulled her close. Breaking our eye contact, he looked down to her, the pressed a kiss upon her lips.

  “Wow.”

  He glanced to me, “Wow?”

  I nodded. “I honestly never took you for the one to settle down and make a family.”

  “Who said we have a family?” Ana asked me.

  “Well, children obviously not, but a wife?”

  “Who said I am his wife?”

  I blinked. “Wait, you’re not exclusive?”

  Samuel chuckled. “No, we can’t be, it’s impossible. We’re both sex demons. While we fuck those for their souls so we may live, end of the day, we come home to one another.”

  I nodded, then crossed my arms. “I’m happy for you.”

  “Don’t lie. You’re horrible at it,” Samuel retorted. “I know you hate me, which gives me that much more reason to want to help.”

  I looked up to him and he grinned, slyly. “Asshole.” He grinned even wider. “Fine,” I exasperated. “You can help, but you have to tell me what is in it for you.”

  “As you said,” Samuel started as he took a seat on my couch, pulling Ana onto his lap. “I’m not from their world.”

  “Oh, make yourself at home,” I rolled my eyes and took a seat opposite them on the other side of the couch.

  “The fact that some humans can see me is not good, not good at all. It puts any seduction on hold for both of us. If we’re seducing a pure human, a friend may not be and the game is up.”

  “Wow, that totally sucks for you,” I said in a dry voice.

  “I have no problem fucking you for a slice of your soul, Jac.”

  I blinked. “Umm, no. Been there.”

  “So what I will do is aid in finding this stone, but once I do, I will be the one to control the delivery. Understood?”

  “Why you?” I asked and glanced to Ana. She toyed with Samuel’s hair, then glanced to me.

  “Because if he controls it,” she started, “he keeps the stone. He has the ability to open or close the doors any time he wants.”

  He grinned. “Exactly.”

  I blinked, not understanding. “Explain, please.”

  “Let’s put it this way; if I ever need a quick escape from Lucifer, or a certain hybrid prick, I have somewhere to retreat and...build an army if I so desired.”

  I laughed, I couldn’t help it. “So, this is your big plan?”

  He lifted a brow. “I also control the fact if you ever need an escape you would have to come through me to get it.”

  My smile dropped to a frown. “Wait, you would want to control who arrives and who leaves?”

  He grinned with a nod. “Precise.”

  “Okay...why?”

  “In time,” Samuel assisted Ana from his lap then stood, “all in good time, Jac.”

  Before I could say another word, he kissed Ana and disappeared from my living room. I growled in frustration and shook my head. The couch still had an impression from their weight, I had half a mind to grab a bottle of Lysol and spray the nastiness from the seat.

  I grabbed my phone to call Rowan with the news, then remembered I was mad at him and soured. “Asshole.” My phone chimed while holding it and I smile to see Gretchen’s name.

  Sure, meet me at the library in 20. Adam will be with me.

  I smiled, grabbed
my bag, locked up my condo and left for the empty building formerly known as the town library.

  PULLING UP I PARKED my car and stepped out. The sounds of music thumped through the night from the Library and people of all sorts walked the sidewalk. After the library closed, new owners bought it and renovated it into a night club. Best thing to happen to New Orleans in a long, long time.

  Aside from Rowan, of course, but I would never tell him that. At least not now.

  Approaching the entrance, a line of club goers stood waiting entrance.

  “Hey Adam,” I called and waved as I approached the sidewalk.

  Adam, Gretchen’s body friend turned around. His light blue eyes were like a light in the dark; they were so bright. Adam was a blood demon. Similar to that of a vampire, but they are not undead, and they can go into the day light. Blood demons live on...you got it, blood.

  He smiled and straight white teeth gleamed. He could be the poster boy for every dentist everywhere. Adam’s dark hair a contrast to his bright eyes had been made to stand on ends with some sort of hair product. It was longer on top and shaved underneath.

  “Hey dolly,” he called back and pulled me in for a hug.

  “You smell nice. New cologne?”

  He shook his head. “Nah, I just fed a while ago. Probably still smell the residue of my endorphins.”

  I took a step back. “That’s kind of personal, isn’t it?”

  He shrugged. “Never bothered Gretchen.”

  “What never bothered Gretchen?”

  I smiled to the sound of my friends voice and turned. She walked toward us with her blond hair pulled into a pony tail. Unlike Adam’s light blue eyes, Gretchen’s were a dark purple, almost black. Gretchen was a nymph and was she proud of her ability. Dancing was her thing and clubbing is what she did.

  She hugged me then slipped her hand into mine. “So, are we ready to party?”

  I shook my head. “Not quite yet. Something has happened and I need your help.”

  “Anything for you,” Adam spoke up and slipped an arm around Gretchen’s shoulders.

  I explained everything from the Hag stone, to gaining my powers, to the fight with Rowan, and finally, the visit from Samuel.