Authors: Katie Reus

Tags: #Darkness#2

Taste of Darkness (37 page)

BOOK: Taste of Darkness

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Excerpt from

Sinful Seduction

Red Stone Security Series

by Katie Reus

Mina threw her elbow back, ignoring the pain as she connected with the man’s ribs. He grunted, but barely seemed affected. Another shot of raw fear slammed through her as his grip tightened. She started thrashing around and the man in front of her began to advance but suddenly froze, his eyes growing wide as he growled a curse. Then he raced past them and suddenly she was falling. Scrambling to hold on to something, anything to stabilize her, her fingers skimmed the nearby car before she fell onto the cobblestone road.

Despite the pain that ricocheted up her spine, she rolled over and pushed up, expecting to have to defend herself. Instead she saw one huge man fighting with three—three!—in the middle of the quiet road. He slammed his fist against the jaw of the man who’d covered her mouth. Even from this distance she could hear the crack. The man with the knife lunged at him but he kicked out at him like some sort of ninja, throwing her would-be attacker back a couple feet. Though it felt like forever, she knew only seconds had passed as they fought.

And she had to get help.

Scrambling back in between the cars toward the sidewalk, relief punched through her when she saw her purse near a wooden privacy fence that lined this side of the alley. Half of her belongings were strewn across the pavement, including her cell phone. Snagging it off the ground, she started to dial 9-1-1 when the sound of squealing tires made her head jerk up. A dark SUV with tinted windows was racing out the other end of the alley, thankfully in the opposite direction. But the big man who’d come to her rescue was lying on the ground.

Phone in hand she raced down the sidewalk, fighting panic that he’d been injured or worse. Maybe the guy with the knife had stabbed him… As she reached him, he groaned and shoved up to a sitting position.

“Are you okay?” he rasped out as he glanced around, diligently taking in their surroundings.

“I should be asking you that.” Kneeling next to him, she reached out to touch his temple. “Thank you so much for what you did…” A small trickle of blood trailed down the side of his face. “Crap, you’re bleeding.”

“It’s nothing,” he muttered, swiping it clean, but didn’t move away from her.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” She scanned him, taking in the casual pants and loose T-shirt. That was when she saw the gun peeking out from underneath his shirt which had been shoved up. It was secured to the side of his pants by a small holster. Mina jerked to a halt at the sight of the weapon. Her throat constricted, but before she could move, he pushed up to a standing position and held out a hand for her.

“I have a permit and I’m fine, but we need to call the police. Whoever those guys were, they weren’t just out to mug you. They shot me with a fucking bean bag round.” He groaned as he pulled her to her feet.

At five feet eleven, she was taller than a lot of people so she was surprised when she stood in front of him and realized he had to be well over six feet. And he was really broad too. There couldn’t be an inch of fat on the guy. And why was she noticing that anyway? Maybe she had hit her head. “Wait, what?” His words finally registered as she tore her gaze from his wide chest to his concerned face. “A bean bag? What are you talking about?” And why had he even jumped in to help her like that? She wanted to ask but was struggling to remain calm.

He nodded at the ground and stepped past her. She watched as he bent down and when he came back up with something in his hand she was even more confused at what she saw.

He held it up for her to inspect. “They shot this at me using a shotgun with some sort of modifier on it. I’ve never seen something like that before. I barely heard the release.”

“You mean they shot you with something police use in riot controls?” That was beyond weird. But also deadly. She’d read an article about the kind of damage those things could do if they hit someone in the head or ribs. “Where did they hit you?”

“Barely clipped my shoulder. Trust me, I’m fine,” he said as he scanned her from head to foot. “Did they hurt you? Did they say anything?”

A shiver raced through her as the reality of what could have happened slammed into her all at once. “They didn’t hurt me, but they would have.” As thoughts of how truly horrific tonight could have gone settled in her mind, another shiver took hold and soon she was full-on shaking, her teeth chattering even as she tried to speak. There had been three of them. She hadn’t even seen the third until that fight. And there’d been a driver, so that was four.

“Shit,” he muttered, pulling her into a tight embrace. The sudden hold should have shocked her but she was barely hanging on after what had just happened. “You’re okay.” A big, surprisingly gentle hand, soothingly stroked down her back, helping steady out her breathing and slow her heart rate.

Excerpt from

Mating Instinct

Moon Shifter Series

by Katie Reus

“Surprised I haven’t seen you in Kelly’s before,” the guy, Scott…something, said.

Kat had been there a few times when she’d been human, but she’d usually been so busy working at the ski lodge—where she’d been an employee until a month ago. Shrugging, she smiled and shifted in her seat, crossing her legs in his direction. She didn’t want to make bullshit small talk. That wasn’t what tonight was about.

The man’s dark gaze drifted down to her covered legs, then back up to her chest. Even though she was clothed, the way he looked at her made her feel practically naked. That should be a good thing, she told herself. She needed to be exposed in front of another person and she hadn’t been since that awful night. Maybe this would help with her nightmares. Anything to help her get rid of the nausea-inducing memories she couldn’t seem to outrun.

So why did she feel so guilty being out with someone else? She and Jayce had broken up nearly a year ago. He’d made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t good enough for him. Oh, sure, he’d loved her in the bedroom, but that was all he’d been willing to give her. He hadn’t been willing to make her his bondmate when she’d been human and she sure as hell wasn’t going to give him a second chance now that she was like him. Not that he’d actually asked for one. He’d just been calling a lot since her attack.

Acting all concerned.

Well, he could take his concern and shove it. She didn’t need him or his help. She would take care of her own problems, the way she always had. By herself. Unfortunately she couldn’t seem to keep her head on straight. For a moment back in the parking lot she’d thought she scented Jayce, but she knew it had to be a figment of her imagination.

“So how far from your place are we?” Self-loathing bubbled up inside her as she asked the question.

Scott’s dark eyes glanced her way and he grinned before turning his gaze back to the road in front of him. “Not far, baby. Not far.”

Baby?
She hated that term. Before she could dwell on it she sniffed the air. Something sensual rolled off him and it took her a moment to realize it was lust. She was still getting used to tapping into her extrasensory abilities and deciphering one smell from another. This was like a sweet wine, clean and refreshing.

It reminded her that even though she might not care about this guy or plan to see him again, he wasn’t a bad person. It was the reason she’d chosen him tonight. Before she’d been turned into a shifter she’d been a human but also a seer. Just like her mom. Back then she’d only been able to see the true faces of supernatural beings. She’d been able to see the wolves or jaguars or whatever kind of animal lurked beneath the surface of shifters. And with vamps, she’d been able to see their teeth and their hunger for blood. After being turned into a shifter she could also see the truth of humans’ nature. It was a weird addition to her psychic abilities. With the ability to see the truth about people, she could see Scott’s “real” face. He was just a horny guy looking to get laid. No darker intentions or freaky sexual proclivities.

As they pulled into the driveway of a cottage-style house in a normal-looking middle-class neighborhood, she took another deep breath. She could do this. Couldn’t she?

When he put the truck in park, she fought the growing dread inside her. It moved like molasses, weighing her down and making it hard to breathe. With a numb hand she opened the door and slid out of the vehicle. The second her boots hit the pavement of the driveway she knew she couldn’t go through with this. Not if she wanted to look at herself in the mirror the next morning. One-night stands weren’t her style, and while she desperately needed control in her life, the thought of this guy’s hands on her body made her nauseous. Not because he was bad-looking or gave her bad vibes, but because she didn’t want this from a stranger. Not truly. As she started to walk around the truck to Scott’s side, she turned at the sound of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway behind them.

Fury popped inside her at the sight of Jayce. Well, fury and something else that she refused to define. It might have been relief, but she wasn’t going to go there. Not tonight. Not when anger was so much easier.

Stalking toward Jayce as he slid off the bike, she tried to keep her gaze from trailing down to those incredibly muscular legs. Didn’t matter that he was wearing jeans. She’d seen every inch of his naked body and the image was seared into her brain. He moved with such fluidity—it had always amazed her.

Even now, when she wanted to pummel him for having the audacity to follow her, she still had to admire the strength and power he radiated. He would never be called handsome, or even good-looking, but there was something dangerous about Jayce that was incredibly sexy. Without even trying, he exuded a raw sexuality that made women stand up and take notice. With his shaved head and a scar that crisscrossed over his left eye, he had…a presence that refused to be ignored. The scar only added to that edginess. And he was directing all of that at her with a
very
heated stare.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she practically shouted.

Before he could answer, Scott was next to her, in front of her actually, partially blocking her from Jayce. “Can I help you, buddy?”

Kat smiled haughtily at Jayce. At least Scott wasn’t a total wimp.

But then Jayce trained his gaze on the other man. Jayce was scary when he wanted to be, and as she watched his normally gunmetal gray eyes turn to black, she actually had to force herself to stand her ground. He growled low in his throat. “You can go inside your fucking house and leave us alone.”

Scott cleared his throat nervously, then looked at her. “You, uh, know this guy?”

She could smell the fear on him. Bitter and acidic, it stung her nostrils. So much for not being a wimp. Ignoring Scott, she turned back to Jayce and set her hands on her hips. “Did you
follow
me here?”

“What do you think?” he practically purred as he took a step closer.

Now she scented something dark and rich, like chocolate.
Lust.
As a human she’d never had a clue that lust or desire actually had a smell, but now…this was addicting. She inhaled and for a moment she felt light-headed. But when she saw the knowing look in Jayce’s eyes, she snapped. “I think it’s pathetic that you’re following me around like a little puppy dog.” She knew he still wanted her and the knowledge made her feel powerful. Even if she was playing with fire by taunting him, it gave her perverse pleasure to see the anger flare in that newly darkened gaze.

“Puppy dog?” His voice was low, a soft, menacing growl that made the hair on her arms stand straight up.

Acknowledgments

As always, thank you to Kari Walker for reading the early version and giving your wonderful thoughts on this book. I would be lost without you! Carolyn Crane, thank you for your thoughts on characterization, specifically regarding Drake. Deborah Nemeth, editor extraordinaire, I’m incredibly grateful for your insight. Joan Turner, thank you for catching all those pesky little errors during the final read through. Jaycee with Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs, as always, your design work is beautiful. For my readers, I owe a big thank you for all your continuing support. I’m blessed to have such wonderful readers! Lastly, thank you to God.

Complete Booklist

Red Stone Security Series

No One to Trust

Danger Next Door

Fatal Deception

Miami, Mistletoe & Murder

His to Protect

Breaking Her Rules

Protecting His Witness

Sinful Seduction

Under His Protection

The Serafina: Sin City Series