“Boss, we left the hotel.”
“Imbeciles! Go back and follow them!”
There was dead silence on the phone. “Boss, how do we defeat her?”
“Knock her out before she has time to think, fool. The element of surprise is the only way with her kind.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Or die trying,” Garos added coldly.
“I understand. And Matt?”
“With this woman and all her powers, Leo and Matt are as good as dead. We just need to find out what her weakness is. Everyone has a price. Find hers!”
Garos slammed the phone down. His door opened and he snapped his gaze to his man entering his office. “Not now!” He growled.
His man quickly shut the door and Garos leaned back in his seat.
At last, he had found a weapon powerful enough to take down Leo and his family.
Chapter Six
“I’ll be back in thirty minutes,” Matt said as he walked Maddy to her door. “I’m going to collect a few things from my place.”
Maddy nodded as she pulled her keys from her purse and unlocked the door. She turned around and met his gaze. Her heart skipped when she saw a brief flash of possessiveness cross his face.
“Lock the door behind me,” he said.
“I will.”
With a curt nod, he turned on his heels and strode back to his car. Maddy closed the door and secured the lock. This was new for her. She’d been alone for so long, she wasn’t used to having someone look after her.
Her insides warmed at the thought. She placed her keys and her purse on the hall table and went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. She was drinking it when she heard the door bell ring. It couldn’t be Wendy because Maddy had given her a set of keys. It must have been Matt.
A tiny thrill ran up her spine as she hurried to the front door. She unlocked it and swung it open. “Did you forget—”
She saw the fist too late. It landed on her jaw and everything went black around her.
****
Matt was about to turn at the intersection when he felt something slam into his gut. Hell and damnation! His heart pounded against his chest as he gripped his steering wheel. He drew in a long, ragged breath. Maddy!
The blood drained from his face, leaving him cold. Fear exploded in his chest and he growled, his inner beast thrashing and going wild within him. His mouth thinned as he swung his car around, his tires peeling, and he floored it back to her house.
Maddy was in danger.
****
Clark stared at Maddy sprawled on the floor, relieved to see she was out cold. He would be lying if he didn’t admit the white witch scared the hell out of him.
“Clark, take a look at this,” Parker said.
Clark saw him picking up a framed photographs from the witch’s hall table. He grabbed it from Parker’s hand and stared at the picture of the witch holding a little girl. He narrowed his gaze on the table and saw three more pictures of the little girl in the witch’s arms. Clark drew his gaze into the living room and saw a colouring book on the coffee table and a huge collection of children movies on a shelf next to the television.
He drew in a satisfied breath and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket with his free hand.
He punched a number. “Boss, we’re bringing her in now.” He paused, staring at the framed picture in his other hand. “And boss, she has a child.”
Garos’s laughed coldly over the phone. “Perfect. A mother would do anything to protect her child.”
****
Matt slammed on the breaks in front of her house and vaulted out of his car, comprehending now with astonishing clarity what he had been ignoring all along about Maddy. He only wished to hell he wasn’t too late. He pulled his gun out from the waistband of his jeans and smashed through the front door with his shoulder. He snarled, raising his gun at the three men. They growled, snapping their gazes to him. With two successive shots, Matt fired on the two men standing next to a third man who held a cell phone and a photograph of Maddy and Effy. The two men fell to the floor. The third man shifted into his lycan beast as Matt’s gaze dropped to the floor. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Maddy lying still.
The lycan sprung toward him and Matt dropped his gun as he bunched his hands into fists and released his beast, roaring as fire and ice pulsated through his veins. The lycan collided with him and sent them sprawling on the floor as Matt’s bones expanded, his skin stretched, his power unleashing his seven foot tall monstrosity of jowls, fangs, and jaws. Matt snarled and flung the lycan off him. The lycan smashed on the wall next to the hall table. Matt sensed Maddy’s heart beat, he heard her small breaths, he felt her blood coursing through her veins. She was still alive.
The lycan vaulted toward him and they wrestled each other on the floor, jaws snapping and talons scraping each other’s flesh, leaving deep gashes behind. Matt needed to get to his gun.
He snapped his jaw onto the lycan’s shoulder and the lycan howled in pain. Matt sprung to his tattered clothes where he had transformed and grabbed his gun. The lycan rose, his shoulder already healed, and Matt pointed his gun on him. He heard a moan coming from Maddy and Matt sucked in a harsh breath as he snapped his gaze to her. The lycan vaulted over his head and sprung through the door, disappearing onto the street.
Matt dropped his gun and rushed to Maddy, falling on his knees by her side. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the red mark her jaw. Matt released a low, deep growl and gently raised her off the floor. He squeezed his eyes, relief running through his body as he held her. He heard her soft groan and opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the two men. The quicksilver had already taken effect and they were immobilized. He withdrew slightly and gazed down at Maddy. She raised her face and flinched when she saw him, her eyes widening in terror.
“It’s me,” he growled. “Matt. Are you all right?”
She gasped as she stared at him, a series of expressions crossing her face. After a few moments, most of her terror disappeared and she nodded, struggling to get up. He slipped his beast’s hands gently around her waist and helped her up. “I think so. What happened?” She looked around, her expression horrified at the damage in her hallway. Maddy paled. “Effy! Where is she?”
“Still out with Wendy. As I feared, Garos sent his men to kidnap you.”
She released a sob and stared up at him, her face terrified again. Matt stiffened. “Do not fear me. I won’t hurt you,” he said.
He watched her expression slowly change into one of curiosity and wonder. Slowly, she raised a hand up to his monstrous face and placed it on his jowl. “I’m not afraid of you.” Her soothing touch caressed his inner beast, lulling it into submission. “I’ve never seen a lycan before,” she added quietly.
“I don’t want my beast to frighten you.”
“It doesn’t,” she whispered. “It’s your eyes. I see you in your eyes.”
Her expression made his heart thud. Matt willed his human to appear. As quickly as he had transformed into his beast, he reverted back to his human. Maddy gasped, her face turning pink, as he stood naked before her.
Without saying a word, he walked into the living room and grabbed a throw rug from the couch. He threw it around his waist, fastening it on his hips and returned to her. He found her picking up the framed picture of her and Effy from the floor.
His jaw hardened. “Maddy, I have something to tell you,” he said. “One of the lycans was holding that photograph and his cell when I returned. My guess is he was speaking to Garos.”
She shot him a startled glance and he watched blood drain from her face. “He was telling Garos I live with a child, wasn’t he?”
“Yes.” He drew in a long breath and took the picture from her hands. He placed it on the table before he took her in his arms. She slipped her arms around his waist and held him tight. “Maddy, I won’t let anything happen to you or to your niece.” He rested his chin on top of her head and squeezed his eyes. A
thick, hot emotion settled in his chest and gut. An emotion that was alien to him. Fear. Damnation, he could have lost her.
“Your heart’s racing,” she mumbled against his chest.
“I know. I thought I was going to lose you,” he said over her head.
She peered up at him. “Why did you come back?”
The answer made his heart thud harder. “I sensed you were in danger.” Only ones had that connection, he thought. As much as he tried to reason his feelings for Maddy, he knew a lycan could never have two ones.
“You saved my life, Matt. Thank you.”
Her eyes were glassy and he resisted the urge to gather her deeper into his arms and kiss her. Damnation, he wanted to do more than that, but he clamped down on his jaw and fought the primitive urge heating his loins.
Gently, he withdrew from her and went to his phone buried beneath his tattered clothes. He called James. “Are you free to talk?”
“Yes. You caught me at my place. I’m heading for Garos’s club tonight.”
“Good. I have two of Garos’s men that need to be picked up.” He gave him Maddy’s address. “Tell our men I need clothes.”
“Matt, what’s going on?”
He shot Maddy a quick look and saw her regarding him with curiosity. “I’ll fill you in on the details when I see you. I’ll pass by your place in a couple of hours. I need to make a stop at the safe house first.” He shut the phone.
“Who was that?” She asked in a small voice.
“James. He’s been working undercover for us as Garos’s right arm for a year now. He’s arranging for our men to come here and take those two away.”
Her gaze darkened with fear as she stared at the two men lying on the floor. “Are they dead?”
“Sedated. I used quicksilver bullets on them. The quicksilver stops them from shifting and immobilizes them.”
“Where will your men take them?”
“The family has an underground detention center where we interrogate Garos’s men and in some cases, rehabilitate them. It’s a long process. Months to years. In the cases where we cannot do anything for them, we keep them sedated on quicksilver for life.”
Her brow lifted. “Isn’t a lycan immortal?”
“Yes,” he replied grimly.
“So...so they’re jailed for an eternity.”
“Yes.”
He could tell she was disturbed by this information and he drew in long, weary breath. “Maddy, we’re not the monsters. They are. Without the family, Garos’s army would have annihilated mankind and turned this world into a refuge of demons.”
“I know. It’s still hard to get used to how things really are in this world.”
“How long have you known about us?”
“My sister revealed everything to me the night before she got married.”
Maddy looked uncomfortable. “What exactly did she reveal to you?” He asked, watching her discomfort grow.
“The family, Leo and Sam, your work.” She drew a nervous gaze around the hallway. “I...I need to clean up before Effy gets here.”
“I’ll help you,” he said.
Together they removed the broken debris and swept the shattered glass and splintered wood.
“I don’t know how I’m going to explain all this to Effy and Wendy,” she said, viewing her hall once they were done.
He gave the hall a cursory glance. Walls were dented, pictures and vases were missing, the front door was partially unhinged. “Tell them there was a break in. By the way, I’m sorry about your door. The temporary repairs I made will hold until I get someone here tomorrow to repair it properly.
“Matt, you saved my life. I don’t care about the door. I’m all Effy has. If something happened to me...”
He nodded, his expression sombre. The sound of breaks peeling on her street drew his attention to her window. “My men are here.”
“Oh. Should...should I make them coffee?”
Matt hid a smile. “As much as I think they would appreciate it, I don’t think that’s necessary. It will only take them a few minutes to do their job here.”
Chapter Seven
Matt was right, Maddy thought. Within minutes, Garos’s men were handcuffed and taken away. Without a shred of self consciousness, Matt dropped the blanket from his waist and changed into the jeans and white T-shirt one of his men supplied him. Maddy’s breath caught as her gaze flickered over his powerful legs and muscular chest. She glanced up at his face and her cheeks flooded with heat at the dark look he gave her. One of his men called his name and Matt turned to him.
A few minutes later, his men left with curt nods and Matt shut the door behind him. Slowly, he turned around and faced her. Maddy didn’t know why, but she was nervous. She wondered if it was the sexy image of him naked she couldn’t take out of her mind?
He ran his gaze over her face and rested it on her jaw. His mouthed tensed as he strode to her, stopping before her, his face concerned. “I need to put an ice pack on that.”
She lifted her hand to her jaw and gave him a startled look. “It’s odd, but it doesn’t even hurt.”
“That’s because you’re still in shock. I’m afraid once your adrenalin subsides, you’ll feel the pain.” He took her hand and led her to the living room. “Take a seat. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Numbly, she sat on the couch and watched him disappear into the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a kitchen towel and a bowl of ice cubes. He sat next to her, the couch sinking under his weight, and proceeded to place a few ice cubes in the towel. He folded the towel over the ice.
“This will help reduce any bruising,” he said as his gaze rested on her jaw. He grimaced and placed a tender hand on her face. “If I had stayed with you, this would not have happened.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered, his gentle touch hypnotizing her senses.
Maddy loved the warm, strong feel of his hand on her face and she closed her eyes, leaning her head against his palm. She turned her face and kissed his hand. Maddy couldn’t help it. She reacted instinctively to the comforting and sensual pressure of his touch.
“Maddy, don’t.”
Her eyes flew open and she stared into his deep, dark gaze. She noticed he’d placed the ice pack on the coffee table. “I’m not doing anything,” she whispered.
Maddy wondered if the terrifying events of the last half hour had anything to do with her sudden thinking that life was too short. She didn’t want to play it safe. The only thing that mattered to her now was she wanted him to hold her, to kiss her, to embrace her.
His expression tightened as he stared at her mouth. He glided his thumb over her lower lip, his eyes darkening with desire, and she inhaled sharply.
“Matt?” She said, her tone husky.
With a strangled moan from deep within his throat, he took her by her shoulders and dragged her against his chest. “Do you know what you’re doing?” He rasped.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He growled under his breath and covered her mouth with his, her senses exploding all around her. Maddy moaned against his mouth, his passionate kiss pushing every dark and foreboding thought from her mind. All she could think of was the here and now, this moment, and how much she wanted to feel close to him. How much she wanted to be a part of him.
Her hands slid over his arms to his shoulders and rested at the back of his neck. She clung to him, languishing under the sensual exploration of his mouth. An insatiable hunger made her limbs throb with need and she moaned, parting her lips. His tongue plundered into her mouth, meshing and mingling with hers, and a low, deep growl rose from his throat.
Maddy was breathless. She ran her hands over his shoulders, and pressed her breasts against his hard chest. Matt made an almost inhuman sound from his throat and her stomach jolted with passionate awareness. It started off with a kiss, but now she needed more. She wanted all of him.
Matt dragged his mouth from hers, his breath coming out in short rasps. “Yo
u’re driving me mad,” he growled. “I don’t know if I can stop myself.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
With grim determination on his face, he rose abruptly and took her hand. He pulled her up, his arms slipping around her back, and he crushed her body against his. Matt lowered his head and kissed her again, her limbs melting with exquisite heat against his powerful erection.
His kiss was hard and passionate as he ran his hands up and down her back. Maddy moaned softly. This was heaven. She was lightheaded and weak and didn’t care he was scrambling her defences. She wanted him, a primal need, a baser instinct that ran below the line of civility. It was wild and hot and Maddy welcomed it.
She pressed her body against his and their tongues met in passionate heat. He drew back sharply, breathing hard, his face taut with desire. He grabbed her face in both hands and kissed her hard.
With sharp, urgent movements, he brought his hands between them and lifted her top over her head. He looked down at her lace covered breasts and growled his appreciation. The air grew thick and hot around them as she reached for his zipper. Their heated gazes locked and he cupped her breasts as she fumbled with his pants. His hands were liquid fire on her breasts and she arched her back, crying out in passion.
A satisfied gleam entered his gaze and he dropped his hands to his T-shirt, removing it with rough jabs from his jeans. He slid it over his head and Maddy devoured the powerful build of his chest with her heated gaze. She ran her hands over his skin and moaned softly at the sheer pleasure she had by touching his strong, velvety skin.
Maddy didn’t think about the curse, the lycan legend, Garos—her only thought to mate with this man.
Then his hands were everywhere and the rest of their clothes were discarded. Before she knew it, they were embracing each other naked, heated flesh against heated flesh, male against female.
Tall Dark Handsome Lycan, Book 4 Page 6
