by Lara Adrian
“I’ve been assigned to a new team,” Aric said. “I start effective immediately.”
Kaya didn’t dare hope that team would be hers, here in Montreal. She stroked her hands over his back and tight ass, wanting to memorize every inch of him in case this was the last time she would see him for a while. “Is that why Lucan pulled you aside after everything that happened today? To give you this new assignment?”
“Yes.” His gaze held hers, pride and purpose in his green eyes. “I’ve been tasked with heading up a new division of the Order. A Special Ops team comprised of daywalkers and other specially skilled warriors.”
“Aric, that’s amazing news.” She couldn’t pretend it wasn’t. Not even if this new role would undoubtedly send him away from both D.C. and Montreal. “I’m thrilled for you.”
“I hoped you would be,” he said, lifting her chin for his kiss. “I also hoped I might be able to convince you to be part of the group. My first team member and best partner. You did say you always wanted to see the world. So, do it with me.”
“What?” Elation soared through her, but her joy had a slender tether too. Everything inside her leapt at the thought of being his partner, his comrade. His lover. “But what about Leah? We’ve just reunited. She needs support, especially now that she’s got a baby on the way.”
Kaya had been torn between relief and sorrow when Leah told her the sad circumstances of how she’d become a prisoner to Angus Mackie’s threats. She’d fallen in love with a man inside the group, a kind man. When she became pregnant, they plotted their escape, only to be stopped by Big Mack. Leah’s lover was murdered in front of her and Mackie threatened to do the same to her and her unborn child if she ever attempted to leave the gang.
“The Order won’t leave your sister on her own,” Aric assured her. “Renata and Niko are already making arrangements for her at Anna’s Place. The shelter is in need of a manager, and Leah needs a safe home for her and her baby.”
Kaya closed her eyes, swamped with gratitude not only for Aric’s love and kindness, but for the rest of the Order as well.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes, Kaya.” He held her face in his palms, his eyes glittering with amber sparks. The sharp points of his fangs gleamed as he spoke, sending a coil of dark need spiraling through her. “Say you’re mine.”
“I am, Aric.” She stared up into his glowing eyes, overwhelmed with the power of everything she felt for this incredible man. This Breed male she loved more than anything she ever knew. “I am yours.”
“I won’t settle for anything less than forever,” he murmured thickly, his fangs growing even longer, sharper, with each earnest word.
He stroked the side of her neck where her pulse throbbed. His touch made her veins ache for something more. As if he knew what she needed, he lowered his head and suckled the tender flesh above her carotid. The slightest graze of his elongated canines nearly made her come on the spot.
“Tell me this is what you want, Kaya.”
“It is,” she gasped. “Aric, I want this more than my next breath. I want you. Forever.”
He uttered her name, and then she felt the stunning pleasure of his bite. He drank from her, hard, possessive tugs that made everything female in her erupt with heated desire. And love. So much love she wept with the power of it.
Aric’s possessive growl filled her ears, echoing in the veins he now owned. Veins that would connect them for the rest of their days.
“You’re mine,” he growled, pausing to lick her punctures and seal them closed. “You have my body and my heart, Kaya. You have my love forever. Now, will you have my bond?”
“Yes, Aric.” She’d never wanted anything more. “Oh, God. Yes.”
He brought his wrist up to his mouth and bit down on his own flesh, opening his veins for her. She had never tasted anything so wondrous, so erotically powerful as the first sip of his blood. The roar of it filled her senses as their bond came to life within her, within both of them.
“Mine,” Aric growled, spreading her legs to receive him as he fed her from his open vein. “You’re mine forever now, Kaya.”
She moaned, incapable of words as he filled her body and nourished her heart and soul with the power of his blood and his bond. And when he brought them both to shattering climax a few minutes later, he came shouting her name like a promise and a prayer.
“Forever,” she murmured, holding his fiery gaze.
She couldn’t wait for their future to begin.
~ * ~
Thank you for reading Claimed in Shadows. I hope you enjoyed it!
If you liked this book—or any of my other titles—please consider posting your thoughts at your favorite retailer or on Goodreads, even if it’s just a line or two.
Your ratings and reviews help other readers discover my books and find new favorites, and of course there is no better nor more appreciated support for an author than word of mouth recommendations from happy readers!
* * * * *
Continue the adventure with the Midnight Breed!
If this was your first taste of the series, there are many more Midnight Breed stories for you to enjoy, beginning with Book 1, Kiss of Midnight.
Kiss of Midnight ~ $2.99 US for a limited time!
Don’t miss the rest of the Midnight Breed series!
(click or tap the title to purchase)
A Touch of Midnight (prequel novella)
3-book Midnight Breed Starter Bundle
Kiss of Midnight
Kiss of Crimson
Midnight Awakening
Midnight Rising
Veil of Midnight
Ashes of Midnight
Shades of Midnight
Taken by Midnight
Deeper than Midnight
A Taste of Midnight (novella)
Darker after Midnight
The Midnight Breed Series Companion
~ ~ Midnight Breed - The New Generation ~ ~
Edge of Dawn
Marked by Midnight (novella)
Crave the Night
Tempted by Midnight (novella)
Bound to Darkness
Stroke of Midnight (novella)
Defy the Dawn
Midnight Untamed
…and more to come!
Other books by Lara Adrian
(click or tap the title to purchase)
Contemporary Romance
100 Series (billionaire erotic romance)
For 100 Days
For 100 Nights
(Releasing Winter 2016)
For 100 Reasons
(Releasing Spring 2017)
Masters of Seduction Series
Merciless: House of Gravori
Priceless: House of Ebarron
Historical Romances
Dragon Chalice Series
Heart of the Hunter ~ FREE for a limited time!
Heart of the Flame
Heart of the Dove
Dragon Chalice Boxed Set
Warrior Trilogy
White Lion’s Lady ~ FREE for a limited time!
Black Lion’s Bride
Lady of Valor
Warrior Trilogy Boxed Set
Standalone Titles
Lord of Vengeance
* * * * *
Subscribe to Lara Adrian’s mailing list
If you would like to hear about all of my new releases, PLUS be eligible for special subscribers-only exclusive content and giveaways you won’t find anywhere else, please sign up for my VIP Reader list at:
http://bit.ly/LaraAdrianNews
About the Author
LARA ADRIAN is a New York Times and #1 internationally best-selling author, with nearly 4 million books in print worldwide and translations licensed to more than 20 countries. Her books regularly appear in the top spots of all the major bestseller lists including the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. Reviewers have called Lara’s books “addictively readable” (Chicago Tribune), �
�extraordinary” (Fresh Fiction), and “one of the best on the market” (Romantic Times).
Writing as TINA ST. JOHN, her historical romances have won numerous awards including the National Readers Choice; Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice; Booksellers Best; and many others. She was twice named a Finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards, for Best Historical Romance (White Lion’s Lady) and Best Paranormal Romance (Heart of the Hunter). More recently, the German translation of Heart of the Hunter debuted on Der Spiegel bestseller list.
With an ancestry stretching back to the Mayflower and the court of King Henry VIII, the author lives with her husband in New England.
Visit the author’s website and sign up for new release announcements at http://bit.ly/LaraAdrianNews
Connect online at:
www.LaraAdrian.com
www.facebook.com/LaraAdrianBooks
https://www.instagram.com/laraadrianbooks/
www.twitter.com/lara_adrian
www.goodreads.com/lara_adrian
www.pinterest.com/LaraAdrian
COPYRIGHT
CLAIMED IN SHADOWS
© 2018 by Lara Adrian, LLC
Cover design © 2017 by CrocoDesigns
eBook ISBN: 978-1-939193-19-3
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the Author.
www.LaraAdrian.com
Available in ebook and trade paperback. Unabridged audiobook edition forthcoming.
