The Complete Bundle (Books 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4)

by Amber Kallyn

  Her leg was a mass of scar tissue, the burn nearly the length of her shapely leg. How had he not noticed?

  A growl rose in his chest. He wanted to know who had dared such a thing.

  She moaned again, twisting on the bed. A panted cry rose, punctuated by sobbing.

  He hurried to the bed, intending to wake her.

  As he bent over, she screamed. “No, papa, no! Imperdonable, no abandoné me.”

  She jerked upright, her forehead slamming into his. Reeling, Garreth stumbled back, clutching his pounding head, only to feel a warm stickiness oozing onto his fingers. “Son of a frackin bitch!”

  She stared at him with unfocused eyes. Her hands rose and static electrified the air. “You will not steal his soul,” she cried.

  Magic slammed into him, throwing him across the room and against the wall. It cracked from his weight, wood scraping his skin. The wolf jumped onto the bed, pushing the woman down. Then he howled, an earsplitting sound echoing from the wooden walls.

  The woman jerked, then relaxed with a sigh. “Wolf. Gracias. You’re a good lobo.”

  Garreth groaned from the pain in his back, and Anna scrambled out of bed. She stared at him, her eyes wide as if seeming to understand what had happened, though he didn’t have a frackin clue.

  * * *

  “Oh, no. I…” She grabbed a robe and slid it on, covering her nakedness, then hurried to his side. “I’m so sorry.”

  Anna cringed as Garreth flinched from her touch. “I can help you clean that up in the bathroom,” she said softly.

  His eyes, hard and suspicious, watched her like the predator she knew him to be. Finally, he gave her a sharp nod, then groaned and held his forehead.

  Anna took his arm, slow as to not spook the man, and led him into the bathroom. Turning on the light, she surveyed the damage. A small cut on his head bled profusely, but was minor. She bit her lower lip at the sight of the raw skin on his shoulder and running down his back.

  She sat him on the rim of the bathtub. After wetting a washcloth, she ran it over his back, thankful his natural healing abilities were already taking care of the damage.

  Her emotions wavered from the lingering anger of her dream, to guilt at what she’d done. Thankfully he was dragon. A human she might have accidentally killed, for they didn’t have the thick skin to repel at least some magic.

  “I am so sorry. I was having a nightmare and… well…”

  “You do a lot of things in your dreams, don’t you?” he replied grumpily.

  Her cheeks burned, but she bit back a snappy retort. “Not usually. Like I said, I’m sorry.”

  After cleaning his back, she wrapped the deeper wounds with gauze. “Done. You should be good by tomorrow.”

  He grunted and spun to face her. Before she could back away, he caught her hands and yanked her down onto his lap. His arms clamped around her like tight bands, refusing her escape. “Now, woman. I want your name. After all we’ve shared, I deserve at least that much.”

  She trembled from his nearness, his heat. From the hard bulge nestled beneath her butt. From his scent—male, lust. “I…”

  He sighed. “I can wait all night. You and I both know there’s something between us. It can’t be denied.”

  “Oh yes it can.” And it damn well would be.

  She couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow the magical burning inside them to be consummated. To make them bound mates.

  He snorted. “I know you’re not stupid. Tell me who you are and what you’re running from. I can help. Trust me.”

  She glared at him. “Trust you? You’ve barely told me the truth since you got here.”

  “I’ve at least told you my name.”

  “Fine. I’m Anna.”

  “Ohn-nah?” Her name rolled off his tongue like smooth honey. “Interesting. Are you actually giving me your real name this time?” He sounded incredulous, as if disbelieving.

  She snorted. “It’s short for Cynthianna.”

  Garreth drew back, eyes widening as his muscles tensed. “As in Cynthianna Hernandez?” He shook his head. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

  Chapter Six

  Panic hit like a weight slamming into her gut. He knew her. Which meant she’d been right to be cautious. Anna scratched his face, gaining her release, then ran out, reaching the living room. He caught up, grabbing her arm and jerking her around.

  The coldness in his gaze made her shiver.

  “Wolf, now!” she shouted, scrambling away.

  Wolf barreled in, growling. He jumped, landing on Garreth’s chest and pinning the man to the floor, then wrapped his jaws around Garreth’s throat.

  “If you move, my wolf will tear your throat out.”

  “If you think—”

  “Be quiet, or I’ll tell him to do it.”

  Shaking with fear, cursing her stupidity, Anna stomped to her bedroom, trying to hold back the tears. She grabbed the special handcuffs that nulled dragon magic, making sure only to touch the chain, not the cuffs themselves or the black, magic sucking stones embedded in the metal.

  Back in the living room, she slapped the cuffs on the man, then dragged a chair from the kitchen and set it near the fireplace. “Release, Wolf.”

  “You can’t do this,” Garreth growled.

  “Silencio, or I will gag you.”

  Her companion backed away, but stayed close, showing the man his teeth. She forced Garreth to his feet and sat him on the chair, then bound his feet with some rope. After covering his nakedness with a blanket, she collapsed onto the couch and stared at him. “How soon will the master be here?” she demanded.

  Garreth stared, his face blank though his eyes burned. “Lady, I don’t know who the frack you’re talking about.”

  “You’re here for him, aren’t you? How else would you know me? So, how soon will he be here?” Her heart pounded, trying to crawl up her throat. Her stomach roiled with nausea, but she had to stay calm. Grasping her locket, she tried hard to push back the panic. There might be time to flee before the master arrived.

  “You look nothing like the picture we have. You’re supposed to be a young girl, pale, freckles and bright red hair,” he grumbled.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Garreth snapped his mouth shut, staring hard.

  “Fine. Don’t tell me.” She pushed to her feet and grabbed a suitcase from the closet, then ran into the bedroom and gathered her meager belongings. Her dragon was confused. To her, they needed to stay with this man who was their destined mate, not run from him. She caught his musky scent. It filled her with thoughts of safety.

  But that was false.

  He was the enemy.

  Stuffing everything into the suitcase, she snapped the lid closed and called Wolf to her side. “We’re leaving. When that bastardo you work for arrives, tell him to quit looking for me. I will never be his pawn again.”

  She headed for the door, and opened it onto snow falling so thick she couldn’t see past her porch. Behind her, the man shuffled the chair around. “If you leave, you will die in that storm,” he said. “Especially wearing nothing but that thin, silky robe.”

  Anna glanced down. She hadn’t even realized how she was dressed. That was easy to remedy. In response, she tensely said, “If I stay, you or the master will enslave or kill me. I’d rather take my chances.”

  “Look, lady. I don’t know who you’re talking about. I don’t work for anyone called the master. I’m a bounty hunter for the magic council.”

  Inhaling sharply, she turned to face him. “What?”

  He jerked his chin to the pile of his clothes still lying near the fireplace. “Look in my wallet.”

  Wolf trotted to the pile, sniffing, then let out a short bark. No traps. Slowly, she picked up his pants and found the wallet. She opened it. Staring up at her was both his badge and a driver’s license proclaiming he was telling the truth.

  Her legs wobbled and she backpedaled to the couch. Anna looked from the wallet to the man tied up on the
kitchen chair. “You’re a hunter? If you don’t work for the master, how do you know who I am?”

  “Because.” His eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth. “I was sent to bring you in for your crimes.”

  “Crimes?” she gasped, her mouth dropping open. “What crimes?”

  * * *

  Confused at the turn of events, cursing his fool dragon for choosing such a mate as this deceptively innocent looking woman, and hating the fact she and her beast had gotten the drop on him, Garreth only glared at her. He jerked his legs, then stilled, hiding the fact the knots had loosened a little.

  The cuffs on his hands might be a problem. They were nulls, preventing him from touching his dragon or their magic. If he managed to get off the frackin chair, there was a set of lock picks in his pants.

  Anna stomped into the bedroom. Banging came, mixed with Spanish curses. As soon as the wolf slipped out after her, Garreth hurried.

  The ropes finally gave way. He left the chair to crouch over his pants and searched for the cold metal picks.

  How could he have been so stupid? It didn’t matter the picture he’d been given didn’t look a thing like the woman in the other room. A twinge spread in his chest, but he pushed it down and ignored the frackin softness.

  She was a traitor to their kind, and he would make sure she paid.

  * * *

  Anna stormed through the bedroom, ignoring the memories of what that… deceptive male made her body feel. She didn’t have time for this. It didn’t matter Garreth wasn’t working for the master. He was a bounty hunter.

  Sent to bring her in?

  As far as she knew, she hadn’t committed any crimes the council might want to see her for. It all made absolutely no sense.

  After dressing in jeans, a long sleeve shirt and her boots, and unsuccessfully calming her ragged emotions, she headed back into the living room. The sight of Garreth standing right outside the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, the cuffs lying on the chair he was no longer bound to, made her stumble.

  He caught her in his arms and yanked her to his chest. “I have a job to do. It does not matter destiny has bound us as mates. You will return with me and face the council.” His face was hard, emotionless. He’d become the ruthless predator she’d known he could be.

  And deep inside, her chest ached at the sight.

  She wanted his tender side back.

  Stiffening, she yanked from his grip and stomped to the other side of the room, keeping watch. He didn’t follow, only turned to stare. “I’m going nowhere with you. But you…” She pointed at the door. “Can leave now.”

  Garreth stared at the door with disbelief. “Honestly, woman. You don’t expect me to just walk away from my job, do you? Besides, no one could survive that storm. As soon as it lets up, we’re going to the council.”

  Grinding her teeth, she tried to calm herself. “What am I accused of doing?”

  “We have proof you are Other. You killed your father and stole his soul, his magic, in order to gain black powers of your own.”

  Everything turned a hazy red. She tried to speak, but her mouth didn’t work.

  They accused her of such a thing?

  Her mind flashed the image of her father, fighting for her, though he’d been half-dead, commanding her to run while she had the chance. Yes, he’d forced his magic upon her. Yes, part of what this damn male said was true.

  But kill her own padre?

  Without thought, needing to get out of the hot, stifling cabin, Anna turned and walked through the door. Her eyes watered, from pain and cold, but she didn’t care. She needed to get away from the man telling her she was blamed for the death of her beloved papa.

  Teasing the edges of her thoughts was the knowledge that the magic council would not send someone after her without proof. Which meant they’d found her padre’s body. Or what was left of it.

  She knew what processes were done to steal a mythical creature’s soul. Anna couldn’t imagine someone doing such a thing to her poor papa. She didn’t want to picture it.

  So she walked down the steps, into the blinding snow so she wouldn’t see the image of her father’s body ravaged by blades and claws. His heart ripped from his chest to expose his soul for the taking.

  The bitter cold leached into her limbs, but she didn’t care. She barely noticed. She welcomed the numbness spreading through her body, dampening her agony.

  * * *

  For a good minute, Garreth stood, unbelieving, as the woman he’d been looking for walked out of the cabin. He’d tracked this quarry for months, knowing when he found her, he would feel vindicated. Anyone who would bring in a monster capable of doing such horrible things to their own family deserved his contempt.

  But this woman was nothing like he’d expected. Garreth couldn’t picture Anna doing any of the things she was accused of. In the nightmare she’d been having, she screamed out for someone not to take her father’s soul. Why would her dreams be of such a thing if she’d been the one to do it?

  He hardened himself against the thought. She was accused, with proof of what she’d done. The council didn’t make mistakes. Which meant no matter how innocent she seemed, she was guilty.

  Yet the thought persisted. Her laughter, her softness wrapped around him. His dragon demanded they go after her, save her from the weather.

  His head demanded he drag her back until they could leave for the council.

  This confusion was foreign. He didn’t like it. He never wavered when there was a job to do.

  Her pet wolf let out a mournful howl and darted out into the storm. It spurred him into action. He grabbed his still damp clothes, dressed, and ran after the stubborn woman. It wouldn’t do for her to die out there.

  The cold sapped his strength, his magic. There was nothing but white around him, and no trail of Anna. A burn built in his chest. Stunned, Garreth realized he was worried about her safety, not as his prisoner, but as his future mate.

  His dragon had already claimed her as theirs.

  A shadow darted out of the white. Her wolf clamped his teeth gently on Garreth’s hand and tugged toward the right. Knowing the animal was somehow more than just a wolf, and very protective of Anna, Garreth let him lead the way.

  * * *

  Anna stumbled into yet another tree. She barely felt the scratches or the branches tearing at her windblown hair. The one thing racing through her mind couldn’t be ignored. If such a thing had truly happened to her papa, it was her fault.

  She should have stayed. Waited until he was dead, then disposed of his body properly. It didn’t matter the master’s early return to the castle had made escape near impossible. Only what he’d done to her papa mattered.

  And she should have prevented it.

  A whisper grew on the wind, calling her name. Anna stopped, looking around, taking in her surroundings. Surrounded by snow-laden trees, she realized the storm was letting up.

  At least, in the small area around her.

  The wind still blew, but it no longer touched her. A circle of calm rapidly spread from where she stood, pushing the blizzard back.

  “Ccccyyynnnthiannnnnna.” The cry-like whisper strengthened, growing louder, closer.

  From the trees around her, snaps and groans came. Bark shattered, small pieces falling to the snowy ground. Behind her, a tree creaked. She spun, facing the widening hole spreading the tree trunk. From the darkness appeared a dryad.

  In her entire life, she’d seen only a few. All locked in the dungeon at the master’s castle. The creature was a walking stick, ten feet tall, a thin body with thinner arms and legs attached. “Ccccyyynnnthiannnnnna,” it cried in a high voice, making her ears ache.

  Shivers of terror raced through her limbs as more cracks appeared in the trees around her. Dryads emerged, surrounding her. They wailed their creepy calls until all she could hear was her name.

  Lights burst above the stormless circle, spears of brightness striking through the sphere these creatures had created in o
rder to control the weather... and anyone else’s magic.

  The master had found her.

  Part of her wondered if Garreth might have helped, but the pain filling her at such a thought was unbearable. She tried not to consider it. She didn’t have time for such uselessness.

  These creatures were strong, using earth magic that even her dragon would have a hard time matching.

  She moved to shift into her dragon form. But nothing happened. It was too late, had probably been too late before the first dryad appeared. In addition to the circle around her, pushing back the storm, magic was there which stopped her from shapeshifting. Across from her, behind the line of stick creatures, a tree cracked open, a wide black hole splitting the trunk. A buzzing grew in the air, raising the hair on her arms and the back of her neck.

  The master was coming, was almost here. Only he had the power to drain her magic, to prevent her from shifting. And as a human, she stood no chance against these creatures.

  The dryads’ cries grew louder. Anna slapped at her ears, trying to block some of the screeching noise out.

  Then, the creatures advanced.

  Chapter Seven

  The curtain of white parted for the briefest moment. In a glance, Garreth took in the things surrounding Anna. Between one step and the next, he leapt into the air, his body expanding from the weak human form. Four legs pounded the ground, shaking snow piles from the trees. His back lengthened, wings spreading from his shoulders. His tail whipped through the air, sending a tree crashing down.

  The dryads around Anna stopped as one and turned to face his beast galloping at them. They screeched, the cries piercing his enhanced hearing. With a smoke billowing snarl, Garreth raced closer, only to slam into an invisible barrier.

  He pushed, raining fire into the air, melting snow. Finally, the barrier gave way, allowing him into the ring where snow didn’t blow. The dryads moved to meet his charge. He slapped his paw at the nearest tree creature. It shattered into a rain of bark scattering over the rapidly melting snow.

  Two others managed to leap onto his broad back, gripping his spikes. Claws slashed at his delicate wings. Garreth roared, breathing fire at those still on the ground. Anna dodged around the dryads in her path, trying to reach him.