by Susan Hayes
“She has a tracking device on her shoe, sir. Unless it’s been disabled, it will show us where she is.”
“That wasn’t authorized!” the security chief barked.
“No? Then it should have been.” The vampire’s voice went chill. “She’s much too important to lose. Am I understood?”
Every man at the table nodded once.
“Good. Now, if we know where she is, why aren’t we on our way there?”
“Once it’s activated, it may alert the ones hiding her. I didn’t want to do it until I had your permission, sir.” James met Vlad’s gaze without blinking.
Vlad’s expression softened, and a faint smile of approval kissed his thin lips for a brief second. “Then let’s go find my bride.”
Kyra’s room was feeling smaller by the second. She paced the length of the room for what felt like the thousandth time since Moira had left nearly two hours ago.
Over dinner, she learned a great deal and received permission to write letters to Travis and a few others. She used the empty hours to write two sets of letters. One promising she’d be by soon to see them all, and another set that would only be sent if she fell afoul of Vlad and his plans. Moira had promised that she’d see to their delivery herself. It wasn’t enough, but it was all she could do. At least until this ordeal was over.
Their retrieved luggage had arrived just as Gareth’s mother was leaving, so now Kyra was showered, changed, and bored beyond measure. Somewhere out there a monster was hunting for her, and the only person she trusted to keep her truly safe was nowhere to be found. Not that he didn’t have reason to make himself scarce, Kyra reminded herself with chagrin.
She trusted him with her life. The revelation stunned her, and she stopped pacing, nearly stopped breathing as she realized it was the truth. She trusted him completely. Her heart beat faster, and she felt herself grinning. She didn’t just trust him, she loved him. “Well hell,” she muttered. “Brilliant timing as always.”
She was still standing in the middle of the room when a knock sounded on her door. She didn’t realize how much she wanted it to be Gareth until she opened it and disappointment slammed through her. She tried to hide her reaction from the stranger standing in the doorway.
“Hi. Um, Mr. Harkness wanted these delivered to you. He said you asked for them.” The young woman gave Kyra a shy smile and struggled to lift the massive file folder in her arms, stray bits of paper already working themselves loose from the stack. As Kyra took the folder, the girl fished a flash drive out of a pocket and placed it in Kyra’s hand.
“I’m Trish, I work down in archives, and it’s really just amazing to get to meet you. I mean, you’re a legend in the making.”
Kyra actually felt cheeks heat as the young woman stared at her. “Thanks for these, and really, I’m no legend. I’m just a victim of the universe’s nasty sense of humour.” She smiled at the girl and then asked, “Do you know where Gar—Mr. Harkness is?”
Trish nodded, still clearly star struck. “He said he was heading to the training room to blow off some steam.” She sighed dreamily. “I wish I could go watch. The trainees are all heading down there to see him in action. He is the best hunter the Brotherhood has ever had, and the hottest.” She blinked. “Sorry, I know you and he are, well, you know. But still. Wow.”
Kyra laughed. “Yeah, I know. He is wow, isn’t he?” She watched as the girl left and then shut the door behind her. “Very wow,” she murmured softly.
“So, what did you send me to read?” She dropped the whole bundle on the bed and then opened it. Printouts, photocopies of handwritten documents, and page after page of copied microfiche spilled out across the bed. On top of it all was a copy of a sketch, and as she reached for it, recognition made her breath hitch and a chill ripple down her spine. It was Vlad. She turned it and stared at the date scrawled in one corner, 1657. “Holy shit!”
More than curious now, she picked up the flash drive and plugged it into the laptop that she’d found earlier, fully charged and ready to go. As she opened the files, she felt the burn of tears in her eyes, the words on the screen barely readable through the blur. It was Gareth’s file. His entire life, his family, his heritage. Training reports and even his report cards had been scanned and saved. She clicked at random and a photograph of a serious-looking boy with Gareth’s hazel eyes appeared on the screen. He’d given her access to his entire life, just like he’d had access to hers.
Her eyes went from the stack of papers on her bed to the files laid out on the computer screen. Back and forth, back and forth, thoughts racing around her brain too fast to be understood. His life and Vlad’s. Everything she could want to know about the two men who wanted to possess her. He’d done this for her.
She paused just long enough to tug on her motorcycle boots up over her jean-clad calves and smooth the fabric of her black jersey-knit top over her hips. She knew which man she wanted in her life. She had always known in her heart. The choice was simple, the man from her dreams or the one from her nightmares.
Gareth was down in the training room, holding an impromptu session with the handful of trainees. It hadn’t started that way, but after his debriefing, he’d had energy to burn. Kyra’s accusations still rang in his ears, as did the haunting sound of her tears as he stood outside their door. He’d really screwed up with her, and he had no idea how to fix it.
He ducked an incoming blow with ease and struck back, sending the student staggering backward. “You broadcasted what you were going to do again. If you don’t learn to feint better, you’re going to be a statistic,” he warned the young man and then put on a small burst of speed to come around behind him, looping an arm around the man’s waist and tapping two fingers to the side of his neck. “Who was assigned to protect his flank? You just got him killed.”
Another student raised her hand, looking sheepish. “Me, sir.”
Gareth growled as he released the student he’d been holding. “Stop calling me ‘sir.’ The reason hunters work in pairs is to protect each other. You won’t be working alone for years, if ever. You have to work as a team.”
“You do, sir—I mean Gareth. You hunt alone,” another commented softly.
“Yes, I do. But I’m not exactly human now, am I? And I hunted with a partner when I started, too, or I’d be dead many times over.” He rolled his shoulders and gestured for them to set up for another round.
“He won’t be hunting alone anymore.” Kyra’s voice sounded behind him, and he spun around as the rest of the room turned to stare. She stood in the doorway of the training room, her blue eyes gleaming with purpose and a wicked little smile on her sweet lips. Her black clothes made her naturally pale skin almost glow, and when she entered the room, she moved with a predator’s grace. This was the woman he wanted, gods how he wanted her.
“Who will he be hunting with?” another of the students asked and Gareth couldn’t miss the note of admiration in his voice. He fought the urge to punch him for feeling that way about his woman, and then inwardly winced as he realized just what those thoughts meant.
“Me,” Kyra answered, her eyes locking with Gareth’s. His lungs locked up and two voices screamed for dominance in his head. One voice was refusing the idea of putting her in that kind of danger, but the other, the louder of the two, merely roared in agreement and triumph.
“You’re not trained for it,” he argued.
“You’ll teach me.” She came closer, the students parting to let her through. “If you want me to stay, Gareth, you’ll teach me. I’m tired of running.”
“Show me what you can do, sweetheart.” He grinned at her and gestured for her to come at him. She moved faster than he expected, and the punch she’d telegraphed never appeared. Instead, she dropped to a crouch and swept out with her leg, catching him off guard. He was too strong to fall, but he did stumble, and she used that moment to dance back out of his reach again.
He heard her laugh and he charged at her, deflecting her punch as he gathered her up
into his arms and crushed her to his chest. “Not bad for a hellcat, but you’ll have to get better if you’re going to hunt with me.”
Blue eyes stared into his and she nodded. “I’ve decided to stay, so I’ll have plenty of time to improve,” she said simply, and then her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her legs gripped his hips. When her lips met his, he growled and lifted her higher.
“Class dismissed,” he managed to mutter as he carried Kyra across the room, ignoring the laughter and cheers that erupted behind them. The moment he got her into the hallway he turned them so that her back was to the wall and ground their bodies together, his cock hardening to the point of pain as he slid it along the inseam of her jeans.
“I need you, Kyra.” He groaned into her mouth before following his words with his tongue, tasting and exploring every warm, welcoming part of her.
“Pheromones, your mom explained it to me,” she finally answered him as he broke their kiss to breathe.
“No, sweetheart. This is more than just chemistry.” Gareth tried to control his ragged breathing and smiled as he heard her struggle to do the same. “I’d want you no matter what. You’re beautiful and strong and I’ve been—” He paused to resettle her into his arms more gently. “We need to talk.”
“No, we need to find our bedroom.” She lifted a hand from his shoulder to point down the hallway. “Before we give your groupies a lesson they don’t need for fighting vampires.”
“They’re not my groupies,” he grumbled as he started walking down the hall. “Yours maybe, I saw the way they looked at you.”
“I only had eyes for you.” She laughed again and leaned in to run the tip of her tongue over the curve of his ear. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
Something deep inside him broke with a nearly audible crack and Gareth found himself laughing along with her, everything forgotten but the joy of having his Kyra in his arms, where she belonged.
16
Kyra kissed him every step of the way back to their room, not caring who saw them together this way. This was real, and right, and she finally let herself believe that Gareth had been correct all along. When she hadn’t been able to fight her own battles, his powers that be had sent her a guardian, someone she could trust, someone she could love. Her breath hitched and she ran the word through her mind again, letting it resonate. Love. Oh, how she loved him.
She felt him lower her to the bed, his hard, muscled body covering hers as he lay down with her. His unshaven jaw rasped against her cheek and then his lips found hers, his kiss sending sparks shooting through her limbs. Her hands slipped under his shirt, caressing heated skin as she tugged the fabric upward, wanting no barriers between them. She could feel his heart beating hard and fast beneath her fingers as she raked her nails lightly through his dark dusting of chest hair.
“Kyra.” His voice was a low growl of warning. “You’re playing with fire again.”
“You don’t scare me,” she declared and raked her nails down his chest again, hearing his hissing intake of breath at the stinging pleasure of it. He rolled off her and stripped his shirt over his head, his hazel eyes bright with passion as he met her gaze.
“I know I don’t scare you. It’s one of the things I adore about you.” He reached for her shirt and skinned it over her head, his wicked chuckle giving her warning too late to stop him from leaving the fabric tangled around her wrists. As she wriggled and tried to drop her arms, the sleeves snagged around her wrists, leaving her hands bound.
“Hey!” she yelped, tugging harder. “Untie me!”
Gareth’s eyes were hot and his grin was pure mischief as he watched her wriggle. “I warned you, little hellcat, but you didn’t listen to me.” His heated gaze slid down to her breasts, and he reached beneath her to unfasten the hooks with one hand while he held her wrists with the other. Kyra glowered at him, but she could feel her pulse racing and knew her panties were soaked through at the thoughts he’d inspired in her fevered imagination.
She arched a brow as he drew her bra up her arms and then tied the elastic loops around one of the wrought iron posts of the headboard. “Oh no, not that!” She squirmed again, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.
“Oh yes, this.” Gareth’s eyes darkened and he lowered his head to her breasts, running his tongue between them with a low groan. “I want you right here, unarmed and still for once.” She shuddered as his mouth closed over one stiff nipple, laving the tip with his tongue until it was tight and tingling. As he moved to the other one, she arched her back and moaned, her body aching and needy for his touch.
Clever fingers pinched and rolled at the tight bud he had already suckled. Embers of need flared to an inferno, and Kyra mewled aloud at the pleasure of it, encouraging him without words, not wanting him to stop. Every flick and touch sent tendrils of lust down through her core until she felt her vaginal walls begin to tighten in time to his mouth. The rhythms of his body and hers meshed, and she clamped her thighs together and squirmed, needing something, anything to touch her aching clit.
Groaning with frustration now, Kyra wriggled again, wrapping a leg around him and trying to pull him closer, grinding her throbbing pussy against his thigh. “Gareth, I need more.” She gasped and flexed her calf tight around his thigh.
“Still so pushy!” His voice was teasing as he lifted his head to watch her from beneath hooded lids. His fingers tweaked her nipples one last time before moving down to the button closing her jeans, slowly and deliberately stroking along the waistband, his mouth tracing over her bare skin, placing openmouthed kisses in a string down her stomach. “You taste so good.” He nibbled at the edge of her navel before swirling his tongue over the sensitive skin. “Like apple pie, or spiced cookies.”
“I taste like dessert?” she purred and bucked her hips slightly, reminding him what he was supposed to be doing.
“Like the most decadent dessert in the world.” Gareth’s breath fanned over her damp skin, causing a wave of goosebumps to chase across her stomach. He undid her jeans and stood up, his eyes never leaving hers as he made his way to the foot of the bed and tugged off her boots one at a time. Then he leaned down and slid her jeans off, his gaze full of hunger as he drank her in. The bed dipped as he knelt at the edge and reached for her panties, removing them even slower than he did her jeans. He let his callused fingers drift over her skin in one long, sensuous caress, the scrap of satin and lace teasing and tickling all the way down to her toes.
Kyra’s breath came out in a whimper as she opened her thighs, showing him the effect he was having on her. She could sense how wet she was, feeling the cooler air waft over her overheated pussy. She ran her the tip of her tongue over suddenly dry lips and laughed as she caught him staring, mesmerized by that simple act. Her laughter broke the spell, and he nearly tore his jeans off his body in his hurry to get back to her, his sigh of relief audible as he freed his cock from the confines of his clothes, nearly making her giggle.
She opened her legs wider and watched his eyes flare with heat. “Come back to me,” she whispered.
A smile quirked at his lips, and Gareth kicked off the last leg of his jeans and then prowled back up the length of the bed with all the grace of a jungle cat.
“Who said you were calling the shots?” he asked as he blew a soft puff of air over the trimmed curls of her mound, his eyes still on her face. Before she could answer, Kyra felt his hands move to her hips, and with a feat of strength that left her gasping in shock, he lifted her and flipped her onto her knees, facing the headboard. With her hands bound she was forced to brace on her elbows, her head resting on the pillow beneath her.
“Gareth!” she yelped, her voice muffled by the pillow as she felt his big body move up just behind hers. Strong hands caressed her buttocks, massaging and stroking them, and she felt the heavy muscles of his thighs against her legs.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, sweetheart?” His hands smoothed up her body, his lips tracing fiery lines of
kisses up the curve of her spine. “You take my breath away. Always have, from the moment I first saw you at that motel room door.” She felt him curve himself around her, his thick cock resting along the crease of her ass, his hands moving to cup her breasts as he nibbled along her shoulder. She shivered as sparks and shards of heat shimmered up and down her body, and she could feel her arousal trickle down her thighs. Her clit ached, and she lifted herself higher, arching and lifting until his cock was rubbing along her folds, back and forth, back and forth.
“Always trying to get your own way.” He nipped her shoulder and then kissed it to chase away the lingering sting of his teeth.
“Not…getting what I want…right now!” She panted and bucked her hips back in frustration as she only succeeded in teasing herself yet again. His answer was a low chuckle as he kissed his way back down her spine. When he moved back, she felt the loss of his warmth and presence keenly, and she turned her head to gaze over her shoulder. “Gareth?” She heard the uncertainty in her voice.
“Right here, love.” His hazel eyes stared into hers and she could see the emotion locked deep in his green-and-gold gaze. “I’ll always be right here.” His hands returned to her hips and then down over the curve of her buttocks to tease her thighs apart. With a wink for her he turned his attention back to her body, his breath feathering over her damp thighs as he lowered his head and inhaled. “Sugar and spice and everything nice,” he murmured and then buried his face between her thighs.
Kyra tensed and dropped her head back against the pillows while his tongue probed deep, stroking her slowly. His fingers reached around to spread her wider while his mouth teased her clit out from beneath its delicate hood of flesh. He wrapped his lips around that tight little pearl of pleasure and hummed with contentment, making her startle and mewl with surprise as the vibrations traveled through the delicate nerves and spread deeper. She felt her channel tighten and grow wetter still, soaking everywhere his mouth and tongue touched.
