by Anya Bast
She squinted up at him, drawing long, deep breaths into her lungs to stave off a panic attack. Had she leapt completely into insanity? She pushed to her feet. “What the hell is going on?”
It was the dark haired one. He looked just as he always had—tall, broad, dark-haired, black tattoos snaking down his sinewy arms and crawling up his throat. Chocolate brown eyes that were deep and dark, full of mysteries she wanted to explore. A face as if chiseled from rock, not quite handsome, one cheek marked with a long, white scar. Full, expressive lips—lips that made a woman want to suck, nibble at; lips that made a woman think the most impure thoughts. She wondered what a man could do with a mouth like that.
His body seemed chipped from rock, just like his face, yet she bet his flesh was warm. She wanted to find out, wanted to explore the planes of his chest with her fingertips, trace over the ridges of his abdomen. She could spend hours exploring a body like his.
He was, in short, her dream man. One of a matched set.
The man walked to her. “Kaitlyn Isabella Gannet.”
“Y-yes.” Then she understood that it hadn’t been a question.
He knew her name.
He pulled her against his body. She was too shocked to do anything but let him. He was hard and warm and his arms felt good around her when she should have been terrified. His gaze held hers and her breath locked in the back of her throat. His head dipped suddenly and his lips caught her lips. His breath warmed her mouth, scented like the sweetest mint. His tongue slid into her mouth. Kaitlyn’s knees went wobbly and her spine turned to marshmallow. This man, whoever he was, had engaged every hormone in her body in under three seconds.
She wanted him. No…she needed to have him. Now.
For a moment, she struggled with one of the strongest, most primal instincts she’d ever had in her life. Sex. With this complete stranger. Right now. It wasn’t right, wasn’t safe, definitely wasn’t sane. She had to break this spell before she did something she’d regret in the long run.
She reached into her pocket, drew her pepper spray and squirted him in the face, knowing she was close enough to get a little of it too.
White hot fire hit her eyes. They pushed away from each other, both coughing hard enough to break a rib. She scrambled away blind, her eyes burning and watering, trying to get as far from him as she could.
“Stop,” came his low, commanding voice from behind her.
“No way. I don’t know who you are or where I am.” She wiped her watering eyes and glanced behind her to find him on his knees, covering his face and groaning. Good. “Why did you bring me here?” She continued to move away from him, feeling her way forward, hindered by her blurry eyesight.
“I didn’t bring you. You were drawn.” He spoke with an accent she couldn’t place. “You came because you were meant to come. You belong here with us.”
She stumbled, not understanding his words. Belong with who? Those two hunky guys from her fantastical daydreams? No way.
“Stop.” He sounded really close now.
She glanced behind her and saw that the pepper spray had apparently worn off. Her eyes still burned and she hadn’t even taken a direct hit. What was with this guy? He strode to her as if completely unaffected. Was he superhuman? She hastened as much as she could, but her eyes were still watering. Her shoe caught on a clump of weeds and she fell. Hard.
By the time she’d flipped to her back, he was looming over her. Through her burning eyes, she watched him extend a hand. “Don’t be afraid. Come with me.”
Don’t be afraid, easy for him to say. He was ten thousand times her size.
She narrowed her eyes. “Why?” The man was too gorgeous for words, but that didn’t make him trustworthy.
“I am Lucas. You are my mate. Mine and Rafian’s. Ours. That’s why.”
She stared at him, trying to comprehend what he’d just said. “Mate? What does that mean?”
Lucas shifted impatiently. “Woman, I speak English very well. I learned it for you. You must know the meaning of the word mate.”
She blinked through achy, reddened eyes. “Mate as in sex, or mate as in joined in some kind of….marital type arrangement?”
His teeth flashed white as he bared them, looking predatory for a moment. “Both. Lots and lots of…both.”
Kaitlyn’s mouth went dry. “Uhm. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m a software engineer from Chicago. I have a career back there. I can’t go off mating with a couple strange men from—wherever this is.”
His head lifted as if he heard a sound in the distance. All she heard were twittering birds. “We’re not safe here.”
She glanced around at the lush forest that surrounded them. They were in a meadow dotted through with tall grass and daisies. All the scene needed were cavorting kittens. “What’s not safe about this place?”
Not a millisecond after she’d muttered the sentence the sounds of shouting, horses, and men crashing through forest filled the air. Lucas’s gaze caught hers and held. Then he moved, leaping to the side almost faster than her eyes could track. His form blurred and a curious sound she couldn’t identify came from his direction….a stretching, popping kind of sound. It was a fleshy, organic, alien noise that made cold, stark fear race up her spine.
It happened so fast, she barely registered the event through her shock and primal emotion. All she knew was that one minute the gorgeous man was there….
And the next moment he’d turned into the biggest wolf she’d ever seen.
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About the Author
Anya Bast is the award winning author of numerous works of romantic fiction, mostly all paranormal and mostly all scorching hot. She lives in the country with her husband, daughter, seven cats and two dogs.
She grew up in Minnesota and still favors the colder climates. After high school she moved to the southeast United States where she attended college. While in graduate school she sold her first book and decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing instead of a career in psychology.
Somewhat reclusive by nature, she can be drawn out with a good bottle of red wine, classic movies, or good music. When she's not writing, she can be found trying to grow organic vegetables, shopping in thrift stores for that perfect piece of clothing, or dreaming about travel to some faraway country.
She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Elemental Witches and Dark Magick series, and is now working on a new series. The Brotherhood of the Damned will feature immortal Viking warriors, demons, witches and more. Watch for the first book, Embrace of the Damned, to release from Berkley Sensation in May, 2012.
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Anya’s Backlist
Dark Magick series:
Wicked Enchantment
Cruel Enchantment
Dark Enchantment
Midnight Enchantment (2/12)
Court of the Edaeii (erotic, ménage a trois romance):
Jeweled
Jaded
Elemental Witch series:
Witch Fire
Witch Blood
Witch Heart
Witch Fury
Mates of the Lycaon (erotic, ménage a trois romance)
Keeping Kaitlyn
Pursuing Paige
Capturing Caroline (coming soon)
Embraced series:
Blood of the Rose
Blood of the Raven
Blood of an Angel
Blood of the Damned
Anthologies:
What Happens in Vegas
What Happens in Vegas...After Dark
Magical Seduction
And a Lady Makes Three
Dreams of the Oasis IV Anthology - Getting Slayed
Tales from the Temple III Anthology - Scarlet Sweet
Other Works:
The Chosen Sin
A Change of Season
Ordinary Charm
Edge of Sweetness
Seduced in Twilight
Tempted By Two
> Water Crystal
Whisper of the Blade
Taken
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