by Milly Taiden
“Well at least this kill didn’t make the papers,” Terry grumbled, her voice an aggravated sigh.
“Vampires are already dead, Terry, they just turn to ash when you stake them. There wouldn’t be anything left for the papers to report. Then again, remember the naked guy they found in Central Park near the fountain? He had been shot in the head, right?” She arched an eyebrow for effect. Tagging the werewolf had been a hard chase, but worth it.
“Lily, please tell me that wasn’t you, because I’m seriously starting to get scared. I convinced myself this was just one of your knee-jerk reactions, like in high school when you spray painted phallic symbols all over Chris Crowley’s car for cheating on you senior year. At least then, no one got hurt! And it kills me that it doesn’t bother you in the slightest that you took those lives—that you plan on taking more.”
Lily stiffened at Terry’s choice of words. “I don’t understand why this is so hard for you! And in case you forgot, it was a werewolf that killed you, Terry.”
She couldn’t face her friend. Squeezing her eyes shut, Lily swallowed hard against the guilt that bit into her gut. All she wanted was to scream or cry, anything that would drown out the little voice in her head chanting, your fault…all your fault.
Tightening her jaw, she turned, forcing herself to meet Terry’s translucent eyes. “Every one of the supes I hunted was out to take a human life. I was in their psyches, Terry. I saw their intents. Whether you want to admit it or not, my actions saved a few innocent lives.”
Except for the one that mattered, the little voice countered.
“But what about innocent supes?”
Lily snorted. “Don't hold your breath, but I’ll let you know if I come across one.”
“So, now you've dragged us back to Maine in the hopes of what? Finding this one particular supe? And just how do you propose to locate this creature, or are you planning to use yourself as live bait?”
“I’ve sensed it in this area for a week, and managed to narrow its trail to a stretch of woods not far from here.”
“That’s even if it’s still around. It might even be dead,” Terry said, running her hands through her hair causing it to glitter as it floated back into place.
“It’s not dead. I’d sense it—come on, Terry, even you’d sense it. I’m going, regardless of what you say. All my practice runs as you call them, have been nothing more than a prequel to this. I will kill the creature that took your life or die trying. So would you please stop nagging me?”
“You didn’t even take the precaution of telling anyone you were coming here. What if something happens?”
“Yes I did. You’ll know.”
“Considering the fact you’re the only person who can see or hear me, that’s not such a great plan,” Terry replied.
Lily shrugged, shoving wooden stakes into the side of her boot. She was hunting tonight, regardless of how much Terry disapproved.
Loose bullets suddenly ricocheted past Lily’s head, clattering against the wall. Narrowing her eyes, she shook her head. “You know, if it weren’t for the fact my hand would pass right through you, I’d punch you dead in the face, right now.”
“Dead is the operative word, don’t you think? Don’t go, Lil. I’ve got a terrible feeling about this in the pit of my stomach.”
“First off, you haven’t got a stomach anymore. Second, forget it. I’m going—and no, you cannot come with me, so you can stop with the cheap parlor tricks!”
“Oh, I’m coming with you all right, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. I move in a decidedly different way from you these days, in case you’ve forgotten, and I can sense where you are and what you’re doing at any time. So don’t piss me off!”
Lily smiled at her friend. Shade or not, she was still the same old Terry, and Lily’s throat tightened even as her heart ached. She cleared her throat. “If you’re coming then let’s go, we’re wasting time.”
Picking up the last few things from the table, she turned toward her friend, her car keys dangling from her fingers. “Would you care to drive?”
“Funny, I always said you should have been a comedian,” Terry answered dryly. Then without a word, she blew right through her friend, leaving Lily shivering in a seventy degree room.
Lily rubbed her arms before shrugging into her leather jacket. “Always has to have the last word,” she mumbled, snapping off the lights and closing the door behind her.
Lily pulled her car to the side of the road and cut the engine. Except for the wind and the distant echo of the waves crashing against the cliffs, it was silent. Mouth tight, she closed her eyes, focusing all of her clairvoyance on the psychic thread she’d been following the last few miles.
Her senses were spread as thin and taut as trip wire in all directions, and the hair on her arms rose as her body tensed. Looking down the deserted stretch of rural highway, she took note of her position, and where she was in conjunction to the thread pulsing in the wind, and decided to go on foot.
“Showtime,” she whispered, getting out of the car.
“Why are you parking so far from the perimeter?” Terry asked, materializing behind her.
Lily whirled into a defensive stance. “Will you please stop doing that? It’s starting to creep me out!” she hissed through her teeth, embarrassed at being caught unaware.
“Some psychic! Don’t you think it would be wiser to park a little closer in case you need a quick getaway? You can’t just dematerialize like me, you know.”
“Shh, I know what I’m doing so just hush up, okay? Don’t distract me anymore. If you’re going to be here, then hang around and be quiet. Float to the top of a tree or something. Just stay out of my way.”
Terry hmmphed, but didn’t say another word. She knew it was best to leave Lily alone, at least for now.
Quietly making her way across the road, Lily trudged lightly through the scrub on the shoulder, and stopped inside the woods to check her weapons.
With a .45 caliber pistol shoved into the waistband of her leather jeans, and a 9mm semi-automatic at the small of her back, the feel of cold steel sent thrills shooting across her belly. The same eager thrill she always got before a hunt.
A crossbow was slung low across her back, as well, and a silver-plated bowie knife and sharpened stakes were tucked firmly into her boot. No matter what kind of supe crossed her path tonight, she was ready.
Lily glanced at the sky. Its quiet blackness reminded her of the weekend hunting trips she and Terry took as teens with Terry’s dad. He had trained them well—regardless of how many times Terry’s mom had balked at the idea, muttering how a girl’s weapon of choice should be her charm and not a gun or a bow. Somehow, Lily knew tonight would be one exception to that rule.
It was dark and cold, but the refracted moonlight coming through the clouds gave her enough light. The sky had been ominous all day, but the threat of early snow held, covering the ground with just half inch of fresh powder. The air carried a lonesome quality, and the forest was still, almost too still.
Squatting down, she sent her senses out again, tracking the exact direction of the thread before heading deeper into the woods. She opened herself entirely, not wanting any more surprises tonight.
The creature’s trace pulsed like a neon sign in her mind, and she smirked. It was almost too easy. She moved quickly, following the thrum through the dense forest and navigating trees and brush like a familiar obstacle course.
As she rounded a wide thicket, she caught a flicker on the edge of her mind. The feel of the new trace was different, and its pulse loosely cloaked. She needed to investigate, but out here she was too exposed. Ahead, low brambles twisted into a rough, barren hedge, and she crouched beside it for cover.
The trace’s cadence was human, but not, and its feel was unquestionably male. He was headed southeast toward the cliffs, the same direction as her. Lily exhaled, sending a quiet stream of expletives into the wind. She’d be damned before allowing anyone or anything to get
in her way tonight.
With a cleansing breath, she focused her senses and grabbed hold of the new pulse. She needed calm and absolute stealth before merging her mind with his. A wave of vertigo hit as she made contact, overwhelming her senses with the sensation of flight.
Lightness enveloped her, yet she remained aware of her body’s position in the scrub. Nausea crept up the back of her throat, and she grimaced. The last thing she needed was motion sickness when she was stock still. Perhaps this was some version of astral projection, but whatever the feeling, she needed to be the one in the driver’s seat.
Lily scooped up a small handful of fresh snow and wet her tongue. She swallowed her queasiness and adjusted her focus, attuning herself to the peaks and valleys of the man’s flight. Whoever this guy was, he was too intent on his target to distinguish her presence. But what was he hunting?
She soared along with him above the tree line and watched as he canvased the ground below. His distraction made it easy for her to advance, and she crept further into his mind, allowing herself to see through his eyes.
The outline of reflected body heat from potential prey radiated in shades of red and blue, but it was clear his interest was elsewhere.
Either he doesn’t know I’m here, or he does and just doesn’t consider me a threat. Maybe he’s just out for a joy ride, and I’m imagining all this. No. Supes are never out for no good reason. He’s hunting something…
A disgusted sound left her mouth and she sat back on her heels, chewing on her lower lip. This was too much of a coincidence for her not to be sure. She dug her fingers into the earth on both sides of her legs to ground herself, before dropping deeper into his psyche. Her stomach clenched with the effort, her mind spinning from the unaccustomed depth of her probe. Within seconds, a snarl reverberated up her spine, and she shook under the weight of its menace. If he didn’t know she was there before, he certainly knew it now.
Without warning, he reached out with his own mind and seized control of their merge. His mental grip was like iron, but effortless. Panic threatened as she struggled against his hold, gulping down air while trying to stay calm enough to focus. What the hell was he?
His mind probed hers looking for the same answers Lily wanted from him. He stripped away layer after layer of memory and thought, and she screamed at the violated feel.
Self-preservation kicked in, and she slammed doors shut all over her mind. There was no way she would allow some stranger to mind-rape her, even if she was the one guilty of trespassing first. She had to keep him out or risk him learning why she was in the woods tonight.
The man exuded raw strength, and as the sarcastic timbre of the words nice try echoed through her mind, she caught a glimpse of a slow, seductive and decidedly male grin.
Heat poured through her body, pooling between her legs. Her breath caught in her throat, and she went weak, pitching forward to land on her hands in the cold snow. She sucked in a breath and tried to sit back, but another wave of desire hit her point blank.
Almost of their own volition, her hands trailed the length of her thighs, grazing her sex through her leather pants. The friction nearly sent her over the edge. As she struggled to maintain control of her body, she heard his deep chuckle. Whatever he was, the son of a bitch was enjoying himself at her expense.
With a snarl of her own, Lily centered her strength and shoved against his hold, managing to slam down a wall, shutting him out.
Drained, she slumped forward into the snow. Stupid. If she lost the creature’s threat because she allowed herself to veer off task, she’d kill the first thing that crossed her path—starting with that fly boy supe.
On rubbery legs, she crawled forward and grabbed onto a raised tree root, pushing herself up. She brushed the snow from her pants, careful to keep her mind guarded. Steeling herself, Lily walled off any errant thoughts or emotions and sent her senses out again, this time focusing solely on the creature. She’d have time later to reconcile herself with what just happened. She had a score to settle, first.
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About the Author
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Hi! I’m Milly Taiden. I love to write sexy stories featuring fun, sassy heroines with curves and growly alpha males with fur. My books are a great way to satisfy your craving for paranormal romance with action, humor, suspense and happily ever afters.
I live in Florida with my hubby, our boys, and our fur children “Needy Speedy” and “Stormy.” Yes, I am aware I’m bossy, and I am seriously addicted to iced caramel lattes.
I love to meet new readers, so come sign up for my newsletter and check out my Facebook page. We always have lots of fun stuff going on there.
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